Education

The UK Chinese Music Ensemble and the London Youlan Qin Society present online courses on Chinese instrumental music by expert musicians and teachers.

The guqin, with its refined and other-worldly tones, is the quintessential instrument of the Chinese literati, and mastery of this instrument along with chess, calligraphy, and ink-painting has historically been the mark of scholarly sophistication.

Group online guqin classes - guqin

Beginners, taught by Elaine Yu: Wednesdays 19:30-21:00, starting 5 October
Intermediate, taught by Wencheng Zhu: Thursdays 19:30-21:00, starting 6 October
One-to-one lessons are available at all levels, intermediate/advanced taught by Dr Cheng Yu

Other online instrumental group lessons (min. 5 people, 5人以上) 其它乐器小组课

Erhu fiddle 二胡：beginners 2 初级, taught by Wang Xiao 王潇: Sundays 14:00-15:30, starting 2 October
Pipa lute 琵琶：beginners (level 0) 初级, taught by Zhang Zhuoqun 张卓群: Sundays 09:00-10:30, starting 2 October
Guzheng zither 古筝：beginners 初级, taught by Liu Zixuan: Sundays 16:00-17:30, starting 8 October
Guzheng zither 古筝：one-to-one lessons are available at all levels, intermediate/advanced taught by Jason Lau

11 weekly classes (group classes, minimum 5 participants. 小组课5位起，位置有限)。

Group course fees 学费

Beginners 初级班: £220
Intermediate and Advanced 中/高级: £275
10% discount for members, students and concessions. 受10%学费优惠 (欲加入会员者， 联系我们）。

Fees include teaching materials. A limited number of instruments are available for sale and hire. 学费包括提供电子教材，并有部分乐器可以出租和购买, 会员享。
Class size is limited 位置有限.

One-to-one classes

One-to-one classes at all levels are available on enquiry, with flexible teaching times, on instruments including guqin, pipa, erhu, yangqin, guzheng, dizi/xiao and hulusi. 一对一课程， 全年开课，针对各种程度和以上各种乐器，时间灵活，请询问。

One-to-one course fees

Beginners (levels 0-3): £40 per hour
All higher levels: £45 per hour
10% discount for members, students and concessions. 受10%学费优惠 (欲加入会员者， 联系我们）。

Location

Online, using Zoom

Our 6-week online Chinese music courses was the 19th summer school organised by the UK Chinese Music Ensemble and the London Youlan Qin Society, this time in collaboration with the Asia Music Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. The six weekly classes provided a good opportunity to study and experience Chinese instruments including the 古琴 guqin (7-stringed zither), 古筝 guzheng (21-stringed zither), 琵琶 pipa (4-stringed lute), 二胡 erhu (2-stringed fiddle) and 笛子/箫 dizi/xiao (bamboo flutes). Both group and one-to-one classes were offered to participants at different levels by our expert teaches including Dr Cheng Yu (guqin), Wang Xiao (erhu), Li Muqi (guzheng), Zhang Zhuohan (pipa) and Hu Ruijun (dizi/xiao). A limited number of instruments were available for hire during the course.

Venue

Online, using Zoom

The UK Chinese Music Ensemble and the London Youlan Qin Society present online courses on Chinese instrumental music by expert musicians and teachers.

The guqin, with its refined and other-worldly tones, is the quintessential instrument of the Chinese literati, and mastery of this instrument along with chess, calligraphy, and ink-painting has historically been the mark of scholarly sophistication.

Group classes - guqin

Beginners, taught by Elaine Yu: Wednesdays 19:30-21:00, starting 4 May

Intermediate, taught by Jenny Zhao: Tuesdays 19:30-21:00, starting 3 May

Intermediate/Advanced, taught by Dr Cheng Yu: Thursdays 19:00-20:30, starting 5 May

Other instrumental group lessons 其它乐器小组课

Erhu fiddle 二胡：Beginners 2 初级, taught by Wang Xiao 王潇: Sundays 14:00-15:30, starting 1 May

Pipa lute 琵琶：Beginners (level 0) 初级, taught by Zhang Zhuoqun 张卓群: Saturdays 09:00-10:30, starting 30 April

Pipa lute 琵琶：Intermediate (level 3) 初级, taught by Cheng Yu 程玉: Sundays 09:00-10:30, starting 1 May

Guzheng zither 古筝：Beginners 初级, taught by Liu Zixuan: Sundays 16:00-17:30, starting 1 May

Guzheng zither 古筝：Intermediate 中级, taught by Li Muqi 李牧祺: Saturdays 16:00-17:30, starting 30 April

11 weekly classes (Group classes, minimum 5 participants, 小组课5位起，位置有限).

Due to the Covid-19 situation, it was not possible for us to hold our regular summer school this year. Instead we held it online, using Zoom. The online summer school consisted of 6 weekly 2-hour classes at each of 3 levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), plus 2 masterclasses with Zeng He (the son of Zeng Chengwei, Sichuan Conservatory of Music). The classes were taught by Cheng Yu (intermediate and advanced levels) and Jenny Zhao (beginners).

Classes

6 x 2-hour weekly guqin classes, 22 July to 30th August:

Beginners: Wednesdays, beginning 22 July, 7:30-9:30 pm (taught by Jenny Zhao)
Intermediate: Thursdays, beginning 23 July, 7:30-9:30 pm (taught by Dr Cheng Yu)
Advanced: Sundays, beginning 26 July, 10 am to 12 noon (taught by Dr Cheng Yu)
Masterclasses: Saturday 8 and 22 August: 12:30-2:30 pm (taught by Zeng He)
The two masterclasses will cover two pieces in depth: Shan Shui Qing 山水情 and Gu Guan Yu Shen 孤馆遇 神. Scores will be emailed to attendees after registration.

China Arts and the London Youlan Qin Society presented their ongoing cultural education project – systematic long-term guqin zither courses in the Fo Guang Shan Temple in central London.

The guqin, with its refined and other-worldly tones, is the quintessential instrument of the Chinese literati, and mastery of this instrument along with chess, calligraphy, and ink-painting has historically been the mark of scholarly sophistication. The pipa (4 string lute) has a history of over 2,500 years and is an expressive and colourful instrument which is widely loved by both Chinese and Western people. The Fo Guang Shan Temple is a quiet Pure Land in the busy heart of London in a Grade Two listed building. Since 1992, the Temple has been a major venue for Buddhist practice and cultural activities. It is a perfect environment for qin music practice.

Courses

Every Tuesday from 24 September to 10 December except 22 October and 12 November (10 weekly classes):

Group classes - guqin

11:00 – 12:00 Beginner
12:00 – 13:00 Intermediate
18:30 – 19:30 Intermediate
19:30 – 20:30 Upper Intermediate

One-to-one or one-to-two lessons - guqin or pipa also offered.

Teacher

Guqin: Dr Cheng Yu

This 5-day guqin course combined workshops, a concert and a film about the art of guqin making. New this year were complimentary sessions on the xiao flute and calligraphy. This year we also offered 5-day courses on the guzheng (21-stringed zither), pipa (4-stringed lute), erhu (2-stringed fiddle), dizi and hulusi flutes, as well as sessions on musicianship skills and a concert featuring the teachers. See Chinese Music Summer School below. All courses were open to participants at all levels. Participants could choose and combine different instruments (subject to availability). Participants could also attend taster sessions on any of these instruments (one session per instrument, subject to availability).

Teachers

Guqin - Dr Cheng Yu 程玉博士, (SOAS, University of London), with Gu Yunpei 顾芸培 (London Youlan Qin Society). 10am to 5pm.
Xiao flute - Dennis Lee 李光泰 (LYQS). 2-4.30pm, 30 August, 3-5pm 31 August.
Calligraphy - Hu Ruijun 胡瑞君 (Ming Ai Institute). 2-4.30pm, 28 and 29 August.

Concert - The Sound of Silk and Bamboo - See below.

This film documents the qin making art of Master Choi Chang Sau and the CCS Qin Making Society, both listed by the Chinese Government as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage Unit Preserved at the National Level".

This summer school consisted of 5-day courses on the guzheng (21-stringed zither), pipa (4-stringed lute), erhu (2-stringed fiddle), dizi and hulusi flutes, as well as sessions on musicianship skills and a concert featuring the teachers. All courses were open to participants at all levels. Participants could choose and combine different instruments (subject to availability). This included the guqin (see guqin Summer School above). Participants also attended taster sessions on any of these instruments (one session per instrument, subject to availability).

Teachers

Concert - The Sound of Silk and Bamboo

Showcasing masterpieces and new music by LYQS and the UK Chinese Music Ensemble, including Wild Geese Descending on the Sandy Beach, Song of Chu (guqin), Flying Apsaras of the Silk Road (pipa). Musicians include Cheng Yu (guqin), Chen Dacan (erhu), Liu Menglin (dizi), Dennis Lee (xiao), Cai Yina (pipa), and more.