This is a list of contemporary players of the guqin of the 20th and 21st centuries. It attempts to list most notable players (i.e. if they are publicly known and/or have made a significant contribution to qin music).
Table guide
Personal Names (English): Gives name(s) of person in English. If that person was born with a Chinese name, it is listed in Mandarinpinyin. If one has a Cantonese or other Chinese dialect name, the Mandarin pinyin takes priority over it in order listing. The names will be listed in alphabetical order. For the sake of tidiness, the Family name will go first.
Personal Names (Chinese): Given name(s) of the person in traditional full Chinese characters. If that person does not have a Chinese name, it would be marked 'None'.
Dates: Gives the year of birth and death of said person. If not known, then deceased (dec.) or active (act.) will be used instead.
School or Base: The person's school or where they are currently active if known.
Remarks: Any important information about this person, e.g. their occupation, experience, etc.
Head of the Deyin Qinshe of Hong Kong, oldest qin player in the last generation. Disciple of Shen Caonong. SBS (銀紫荊星章)
Chen Changlin
陳長林
1932-
Min/Lingnan Schools
Transmitter of the Min School. As computer scientist and well-respected guqin player, he participated in the early phase of a "Digital Guqin" project and presented a version using C++, demonstrated a software for generating guqin notations on PC286 which runs on DOS, created in the early 1980s. 國家級非物質文化遺產項目(古琴藝術)代表性傳承人.
Revered master; dapued many qin scores such as Liu Shui and Guangling San. In 1977, his recording of Liu Shui (Flowing Water) was chosen to be included in the Voyager Golden Record, a collection of world music sent into space on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft.
Famous Sinologist, Professor Emeritus and lecturer at CUHK.
Rong Tianqi
容天圻
1936—1994
Guangdong
Shen Caonong
沈草農
1891—1973
Fanchuan School, Shanghai
Sun Shaotao
孫紹陶
1879—1949
Guangling School
Sun Yuqin
孫毓芹
1915—1990
Taiwan
Tong Kin-woon (Mandarin: Tang Jianyuan)
唐健垣
1946-
Hong Kong
Guqin player and teacher, chief editor of Qinfu 琴府, a composite volume of ancient scores (not to be confused with the Qin Fu of Ji Kang). As well, a virtuoso of the guzheng and nanyin (a singing style).
Female student of Guan Pinghu, did a cross country survey of qin players in 1956, tape recorded qin players using magnetic tapes. These recordings are now in Shanghai. Cecilia Lindqvist was a student of hers.
Wang Duo
汪鐸
1938—
Suzhou
Guqin player of the Wumen Qinshe of Suzhou. Head of Guqin Research Centre of Suzhou University of Science and Technology. Special research topics include: silk strings, Dapu, Taoist Guqin music, Guqin master player and musician in the "Digital Guqin" project entitled "Zebrafish".
Wang Huade
王華德
1922—2008
Shu School
Wang Lu
王露
1879—1921
Zhucheng School
Founder of the 德音琴社 in Jinan.
Wang Peng
王鹏
1966-
Founder, Juntianfang. Beijing
Guqin maestro and master artisan. Wang Peng made the guqin (an exact replica of a 1,000-year-old guqin from the Tang Dynasty) that was used in the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics. His expertise has been formally recognised by the Chinese Government as an 'asset of China's intangible cultural heritage'. Wang Peng has now repaired and restored more than 180 historic guqin made during China's imperial period. His Jun Tian Fang (钧天坊) complex on the outskirts of Beijing has also been recognised as an "asset of China's intangible cultural heritage." It houses a studio for guqin research, development and manufacture (using traditional techniques); a guqin museum; a guqin teaching academy; a state-of-the-art performance theatre and recording studio; a guqin literature, research and publications collection; and a design studio. Wang Peng is also a virtuoso performer, and has performed across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as in Canada and the United States. He has authored seven books, contributed to four others, written numerous journal articles, and spoken at several leading universities both within China, and in the Europe and the U.S.
Great researcher and player of qin music, specialising in qin songs.
Zhan Chengqiu
詹澂秋
1890—1973
Zhucheng School
Teo Kheng-chong (Mandarin: Zhang Qingchong)
張慶崇
(act.)
Hong Kong
Guqin player and researcher from Singapore, musician in sound properties of the guqin instrument, has developed a bright style of guqin playing. Participated in the "Digital Guqin" project entitled: "Pale Ink". Teacher of guqin, and scholar researcher of guqin music.
Zhang Lu
张璐
1992
Beijing
Started learning at 11 years of age. Graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music. Has performed on Chinese television as well as internationally (Australia, New Zealand, England, Russia, Peru, USA).
Student of Wu Wenguang and professor at the China Conservatory of Music; Wu Na was a student of Zhao. Zhao has explored film music with guqin and has set up the Zhao Jiazhen Guqin Art Centre (赵家珍古琴艺术中心) in Beijing.
Zhao Xiaoxia
赵晓霞
Beijing
Virtuoso who plays internationally (ex: Tan Dun's piece at UNESCO in Paris (Concert Music for Water, March 22, 2013), and teacher at Beijing Central Conservatory of Music.
Zheng Minzhong
鄭珉中
1923-2019
Jiuyi School; Beijing
Student of Guan Pinghu, well-respected player, specialist in guqin connoisseurship in Palace Museum, Beijing. 國家級非物質文化遺產項目(古琴藝術)代表性傳承人.
Zheng Yunfei
鄭雲飛
1939—
United States
Personal Names (English)
Personal Names (Chinese)
Dates
School or Base
Remarks
Binkley, Jim
畢克禮
(act.)
Portland, Oregon
Translated the Yugu Zhai Qinpu into English, amateur qin maker. Website
Son of the renowned Taiwanese guzheng player/scholar Liang Tsai-Ping.
Li, Yiming
李一鳴
(act.)
San Francisco, CA
A Qin player (taught by Gu, Zechang.Gong Yi. Li, Xiangting. Zhao, jiazhen) and Guqin Society International President in San Francisco. Graduate of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Liaoning Province, PRC.
Lieberman, Fredric
None
(dec.)
Santa Cruz, CA
Translated the Mei'an Qinpu into English.
Liu Li
劉麗
(act.)
New York, NY
A graduate in Guqin performance at the Central Conservatory of Music, taught by renowned players such as Wu Jinglüe, Wu Wenguang as well as Li Xiangting. An Associate Professor in Guqin at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing before moving to the US. Collaborated with composer Tan Dun and violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman on recording the soundtrack for the movie Hero
American whose "historically informed performance" includes over 150 melodies he has reconstructed from early tablature including the entire Shen Qi Mi Pu. His website includes translation, analysis and over 70 sound files with his reconstructions.
A guqin and pipa player (taught by Wang Jiru 王吉儒, Wu Jinglüe吳景略, Zha Fuxi 查阜西, Sun Zongpeng 孫宗彭, Xu Lisun 徐立蓀, and Gu Meigeng 顧梅羹); former professor of traditional Chinese Music at Shanghai Normal University and director of the Shanghai Qin Association; produced two CDs of guqin classics with the support of the 2006 Jack Straw Artist Support Program. Website
Yang Shin-yi
楊信宜
(act.)
Boston, MA
Student of Wang Haiyan (Mei'an school) and Tang Jianyuan.
Yip Mingmei (Mandarin: Ye Mingmei)
葉明媚
(act.)
New York, NY
Qin scholar, a student of Cai Deyun.
Yeh Shihhua
葉時華
(act.)
New York, NY
Graduated from Taipei University of the Art, major in the qin. MA of Ethnomusicology of Sheffield University, UK. A professional qin and zheng player and educator.
Composer and ethnomusicologist. Qin player under the guidance of Peiyou Chang, and has as mentor Yuan Jung-Ping. Researches oriental poetics in concert music, organizing the research group POEM, linked to the postdoctoral program of the USP Department of Music. Co-founder of Guqin Brazil Association (2019), and artistic director of the Gaoshan Liushui Ensemble of Chinese Music, since 2012. He also conducts ethnographic research on music in Buddhist rites and ceremonies.
"vermelho" Garcia, Victor
1992-
São Paulo, Brazil
Musician (doctor graduated in medicine from the University of São Paulo) Qin player, under the guidance of 白无瑕 Bai Wuxia from the Shangai Conservatory. Co-founder of Guqin Brazil Association.
Qin and pipa player from Beijing now resident in London. Founder and President of the London Youlan Qin Society and several Chinese music ensembles in Britain.
Tsua, Charles Rupert
徐永裕(長韻)
1983—
Shu School; Birmingham, UK
Former compiler of the guqin and most relating articles on Wikipedia. Member of the Committee of the London Youlan Qin Society. Studied under Zeng Chengwei and plays primarily under the Shu School style. Independent scholar.
Chinese Canadian, created video documentary of Master guqin players, and children players - largest collection outside of China. Initiated the "Digital Guqin" projects to introduce guqin sounds to a wider, youthful audience as a lead in for authentic guqin culture and practice. Designed new guqin forms, research-creations using CAO (computer assisted composition) to explore possibilities of guqin sound wave treatments in contemporary art and culture. Created new designs in traditional guqin instruments, i.e. the "Half HunDun 2006", building of Digital Guqin Museum in 3D immersive virtual world platform Second life.
> World's First Carbon Fiber Guqin prototype : original design "Half HunDun", July 2016. weight 2.38 kg. Carbon Fiber and lacquer, hard wood
> Second prototype in the making : original design "Who's in the Qin?"
Guqin player, scholar in Japanese and Chinese traditional music. Style lineage from Mme. Tsar Teh-Yun. Director of Kamakura Qin Society then the 疇祉琴社 Chûshi Qin Society.
Dutch writer who wrote the important Lore of the Chinese Lute, also famous detective novelist, Ming style woodblock print specialist, diplomat. Erudite scholar in Chinese culture.
