Skip to content

The World of Guqin

Embark upon this 3000-year journey of the guqin, and immerse yourself in its timeless music, history, philosophy, poetry, paintings and other experiences of the senses and the mind, intertwined with and embodied in this ancient Chinese musical instrument.

Guqin World Home
Guqin World Home

Guqin 101

Trace back 3000 years to the origin of the guqin and discover how this ancient musical instrument formed an inseparable part of Chinese music, history, literature and philosophy through time immemorial. 

Guqin Music

Immerse in the tranquil world of timeless guqin pieces which stand the test of time and remain popular since time immemorial.

Guqin World Home

About Diana Tang

My love affair with the guqin started when I was 19, while living, interestingly enough, in a Western, English speaking world of Vancouver, Canada.

Guqin Studio

Stringless Guqin House not only aims to preserve and promote the traditional life and culture centered around the guqin, it also serves as a gathering place and platform for overseas lovers of traditional Chinese culture where they can learn, exchange ideas and spread the message of the guqin.

Guqin World Home
Guqin World Home

The Way of the Guqin

The fruit of 15 years of research and interpretation, and written in both English and Chinese, Diana’s first book is a reflection of her personal understanding of the subject as well as the distillation of a vast quantity of writings of those experts in and lovers of guqin who came before her.

Videos

Performances

Divine Music For Glorious Times 鈞天九奏頌韶年

A music performance featuring a marriage of the Chinese Guqin and Western musical instruments

Flowing Waters 流水

Officially collected in the 1400s, Flowing Waters describes the different life stages of water – from the dribbles through the creeks, agile dashes of the streams and waterfalls, culminating into ferocious waves as powerful tributaries merge and before finally returning to silence as it reaches the vastness of the ocean.

Melancholy at Remote Palace 長門怨

The piece from the Qing Dynasty describes the melancholy of a princess who fell out of the emperor’s favour and was sent to her loneliness in a remote palace.

Narratives

文王操 Wen Wang Cao, Praise of King Wen of Zhou

The original Wen Wang Cao was composed in praise of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty.The piece subsequently disappeared, and in an effort to re-create the melody by subsequent musicians, Confucius was used instead of King Wen as the persona. As a result, the resurrected piece is widely considered to be one in praise of Confucius.

廣陵散 Guangling San

Long regarded as one of the ten best ancient Chinese guqin pieces, Guangling San (Guangling Melody) originated in late Han Dynasty (202 BC to 220 AD). It describes the emotions from hate to rage of the son of a swordsmith who was about to assassinate the king to avenge his father.

普庵咒 Pu-an Mantra

A mantra by Master Pu’an during the Song Dynasty.