Gong Yi is addressing the press conference.

Down below is the conversation between our journalist and Mr. Gong Yi.

J: So Mr. Gong, what do you think is the main reason for today’s popularity of guqin?

G: In modern times, multifarious forms of entertainment mushroom as the civilization progresses, and people’s need for more kinds of relaxation booms. At the same time, people get more income and more spare time, so they pursue arts, especially those which can take them back to the tranquil old days. Compared with rumbustious programs and wordless antiques, guqin is relaxing, profound and it knows people’s mind. Its charming elegance, as well as the refined performance of the players, has attracted many people’s love.

J: What’s unique of guqin, comparing with other instruments?

G: Nearly all kinds of music can cultivate one’s moral character and nourish his nature. The uniqueness of guqin is produced by its composition. Having different lengths ranging from 112 cm to 118 cm, the strings of guqin vibrate with big swings and in a lasting way. The lingering and low sound can touch people’s sense and meditation, so as to calm their minds down. Nowadays, the playing of many instruments pursues a high speed, as if that is technical, but the fast rhythm can only add more stress to the players. Sometimes, people may put guqin at too high a level, saying that guqin art is too refined and elegant. As a result, many people have held back because that sense of distance. Actually, the guqin art also derives itself from life experience. Guqin songs that tell the stories about Su Wu, Nie Zheng, Yue Fei and Cai Wenji and so on, all got their inspirations from people’s real feelings. It just processes the stories into concentrated and abstract works. In a word, I hope that guqin can have a justified image, so as to win more bosom listeners and players.

J: As a master player of guqin, what do you expect for this art of music?

G: I don’t deserve the title of master, but I’d like to share my expectation about this art. The Ministry of Culture chose 10 artists as the inheritors of this form of non-material cultural heritage in the year 2008, but right after the publishing of the name list, one of them passed away. The other nine artists also have been over sixty or seventy years old. As one of them, I hope a systematic and planned agenda be worked out and implemented to pass down the art of guqin through generations, before it is too late to regret.

Edited and Translated by Si Xiangnan