In simple and unsophisticated design, coated with chestnut brown paint, and with its weathered appearance, the Chinese Guqin, Jiuxiao Huanpei, made in the Tang Dynasty, more than 1200 years from now, is quietly placed on the desk of a workroom in Liaoning Provincial Museum, where the staff carefully and gently clean the dust on its surface for maintenance.

There are only four pieces of the Chinese Guqin, named Jiuxiao Huanpei, across the country right now and one of them is in the collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum. It will be exhibited to the public again next month.

As the most ancient plucked string instrument in China, the existing Chinese Guqin enjoys the history dating back to as early as the Tang Dynasty. The one collected by Liaoning Provincial Museum was made in the middle of the Tang Dynasty and is now listed as the Class A heritage under national protection.

The Chinese Guqin is 122.7 cm in its length, 21.1 cm wide in its middle part, 15.5 cm wide in its rear, and 1.2 cm thick at its base. It is made of sycamore, loose and straight in texture, to make sure that it sounds clear and beautiful. Its bottom is carved with four characters, Jiuxiao Huanpei. 13 raised circular dots made from clamshell, were inlaid on the surface to mark the locations of strings.

According to report, “Jiuxiao Huanpei” is not the name of this Chinese Guqin, but the general classification for its kind, meaning that the music it plays is like the sound of jade pendants (Huanpei in Chinese) worn by fairies that goes up into sky (Jiuxiao in Chinese).

The history of the existing Chinese Guqin dated back to as early as the Tang Dynasty, but in fact, Chinese Guqin had already become popular in the Zhou Dynasty, more than 3000 years ago. For example, the story of the well-known deep friendship between Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi and the music High Mountains and Running Water Boya played on Chinese Guqin took place in the Zhou Dynasty. Chinese Guqin entered a new stage of development in economically and culturally prosperous Tang Dynasty, when it reached a new peak not only for its design but the music it played. Compared to the flat Chinese Guqin in the Song Dynasty, the one in the Tang Dynasty is round-shaped with a relatively appropriate proportion for each part, making it convenient to play.

4 years ago, the Chinese Guqin Jiuxiao Huanpei was once on display in the exhibition for calligraphy, painting and cultural relics, named Meet the Tang Dynasty Again held by Liaoning Provincial Museum. As a significant piece of cultural relics, the Chinese Guqin attracted tourists from both home and abroad to visit the museum. 4 years later, the Chinese Guqin from the Tang Dynasty is going to meet the audience once again. According to the plan for exhibition, the show Melodious Sound: Chinese Guqin Culture Exhibition will be open to the public on May 18th this year, when many pieces of Chinese Guqin, including Jiuxiao Huanpei, will be on display.