21st October 2006

This, the 23rd meeting of the London Youlan Qin Society, was held at the home of Cheng Yu in central London.

Introduction

This yaji was arranged because Sheri Liao (廖晓义), president of an environmental organisation called Global Village of Beijing (GVB)  (www.gvbchina.org.cn), wanted to come with a CCTV camera crew to film it. The programme is to be broadcast by CCTV’s scientific and technological channel, Green Space Program, in 2008. The footage will also be used for a DVD to accompany a book she is writing on Chinese culture.

Programme

First of all, Sheri Liao introduced herself and her organisation. The organisation exists to promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle and a public awareness of environmental issues. The filming of our yaji was part of a documentary project on traditional Chinese culture, with its emphasis on the harmony between mind and body, the individual and society, people and nature. There followed a short discussion on the status of Chinese music in  the UK. Cheng Yu said it is under represented and is not promoted, so there is little opportunity for people to hear it, less still understand or appreciate it. Jinwei added that many of the Chinese people here know very little about their own music, and always want to hear the same small number of pieces. If they had a proper understanding of their own culture, they could help bring it to a wider section of society.

The following music was played:
  1. Xiao Xiang Shui Yun (潇湘水云) (Mist and Clouds over the Xiao and Xiang Rivers), played by Chen Jinwei. Xiao and Xiang are two rivers that flow into the Yangtze. The piece is attributed to Guo Chuwang of the Song Dynasty. He was inspired by the fact that when he was on the south bank of the river, he could see his homeland to the north, which had been invaded by the Manchu. But it was obscured when there was mist over the river. The first part of the piece is slow and lyrical, reflecting his melancholy. Then the mood turns to anger and the music gets faster. Towards the end there is resolution as he calms down again.
  2. Liang Xiao Yin 良宵引 (Prelude for a Pleasant Evening), played by Ma Jie. This is a very short piece, of which he played the version from the Song Xian Guan Qinpu 松弦管琴谱.
  3. Tian Lai 天籁 (Sounds of Nature), played by Julian Joseph. This piece was composed by Zhang Ruishan in the late 19th century and published in the Shiyi Xian Guan Qinpu 十一弦馆琴谱 in 1907. Zhang Ruishan was the qin teacher of the novelist Liu E 刘鹗 (Liu Tieyun 刘铁云). Unlike the vast majority of people whose work was published qin handbooks at the time, Zhang Ruishan was not a literatus but a "folk musician". 
  4. You Lan 幽 兰 (The Elegant Orchid) played by Dan Nung Ing. Dan Nung played the first section of the Guan Pinghu version, with some modifications of his own. This is the oldest qin score, reputed to have been written by Confucius. The original score is in Japan. Dan Nung put baby powder onto the surface of his qin, to make the surface smoother.
  5. Guan Shan Yue 关山月 (Moon Over the Mountain Pass) played by Liu You.
  6. Qiu Feng Ci 秋风词 (Ode to the Autumn Wind) played by Kazumi Taguchi.
  7. Liu Shui 流水 (Flowing Water), played by Cheng Yu. The oldest score for this is in Shenqi Mipu 神奇秘谱 (Mysterious and Secret Score). On one level, the music describes the sound of water, from a gentle trickle to a powerful waterfall. At another level, it symbolises a very deep friendship achieved through playing qin. This relates to the story of qin player Boya, who was resigned to the fact that no one could understand his music. One day Ziqi passed near him as he played under a pine tree and recognised the images of high mountains and flowing water the music conveyed. From that point they developed a deep friendship. When Ziqi died, Boya broke his qin at his graveside and never played again. Cheng Yu played the Guang Pinghu version she learned from Li Xiangting.
  8. Xiyang Xiaogu 夕阳箫鼓 (Flute and Drum at Sunset) played by Cheng Yu (pipa) and Sun Zhuo (zheng).
  9. Xiang Shan She Gu 香山射鼓 (Drumbeats on Mt. Xiang) by Sun Zhuo (zheng).




    Chen Jinwei being filmed by CCTV
    playing Xiao Xiang Shui Yun
    		 Liu You playing Guan Shan Yue
    		 Sun Zhuo (left) and Cheng Yu
    playing Xiyang Xiaogu


    Copyright the London Youlan Qin Society, 2006. All rights reserved.