Profound Sounds: An Exhibition of Guqin Art and Culture
"The seven strings are my close friends; the two ears are my soulmate."
The Guqin, originally called "Qin" and also known as the "seven-stringed qin," is one of China's most ancient traditional instruments. As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, it was regarded as a representative of ancient music. With its serene, archaic, and elegant timbre, the guqin embodies a distinctive aesthetic closely linked to the traditional literati ideal. Over centuries, it has been imbued with profound cultural functions—self-cultivation, governance, communion with nature and the cosmos—becoming an indispensable companion of the Chinese scholars in their studio.
This exhibition presents more than 20 guqins from the collection of the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, complemented by related paintings, scholar’s studio objects, and rare books from the Guangdong Museum collection. Within a framework shaped by literati aesthetics, the exhibition explores the unique musical art of the guqin and its deep, inseparable bond with generations of Chinese scholars. Visitors are invited to slow their breath, settle their thoughts, and step into the world of guqin music to experience its refined and timeless charm.
Hosted by: Guangdong Museum (Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum)
Organized by: Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum
Date: May 17 to August 21, 2022
Exhibits: 62 cultural relics (16 first-grade, 11 second-grade, 15 third-grade), plus 55 supplementary craft displays.
Northern Song Pines and Stones in Harmony Guqin
Period: Northern Song
Length: 122.5 cm
Form: Zhongni style
Collection of China Three Gorges Museum (Chongqing)
The underside of this instrument bears twelve inscriptions in total, including the title, along with one seal impression—the largest number known on any surviving guqin. Most inscriptions are by renowned literati of the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, many of them scholars from Suzhou, including Su Dongpo, Tang Bohu, Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhengming, Shen Zhou, Wen Peng, Wang Chong, Shi Qu, and Chen Tinglu. Such a concentration of distinguished inscriptions on a single instrument is exceedingly rare.
Guqin Made by Zhang Ruitu
Period: Ming dynasty
Length: 125.3 cm
Form: Zhongni style
Collection of China Three Gorges Museum (Chongqing)
Inscribed on the left interior of the sound hole (longchi) is “Made by Guo Ting Shan Ren Ruitu.” “Guo Ting Shan Ren” was the art name of Zhang Ruitu, the eminent Ming calligrapher celebrated for his dynamic, powerful, rhythmically vigorous brushwork. Ranked among the four great calligraphers of the Ming dynasty, alongside Dong Qichang, Xing Tong, and Mi Wanzhong, Zhang Ruitu was then also renowned in the phrase “Zhang of the South, Dong of the North.” Zhang was also a devoted maker and connoisseur of the guqin.
