This detail from “Playing the Qin under Pine Trees” in the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) depicts a man enjoying a melody played by his friend.

---

 

This is highlighted in a story about Confucius. One day, Confucius saw a baby as he was walking out of a city entrance. Moved by the innocence and purity in the baby’s eyes, he said, “ Shao yue (the most beautiful music) will soon be played.” Confucius compared the beauty of the baby’s eyes to the charm of music, revealing music’s power to soothe, purify and nourish the soul.

 

Music to promote social stability
Bianzhong, also known as chime bells, are an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. The earliest record referencing a set of bianzhong dates back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). Playing bianzhong was common as far back as the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 BCE). The bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng unearthed in 1978 in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Hubei Province is the most famous one in China.

The instrument contains a total of 64 bianzhong, hung at three levels on a delicately carved bronze rack. The 19 bells hung at the top level are called niuzhong, and the other 45 bells at the middle and the bottom levels are called yongzhong. At the bottom level, there is a bo hung among the bells, which is a percussion instrument with a similar shape to a bianzhong. The whole set of the bianzhong weighs over 440 kilograms. Instruments of such volume and weight were quite rare in the world at that time.

More than one musician is needed to play this set of bianzhong. All the bells are able to produce two different musical tones with three degrees’ interval between them, depending on where they are struck. The bianzhong has a tonal range from C2 to D7. Within the middle section of the tonal range, it can play all twelve half tones. Despite the fact that it was buried underground for over 2,400 years, the bianzhong still sounds great and is currently in use.

The bianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng epitomizes the significance of music to China as a way to promote social harmony and to improve the governance of the country. Rituals and music were integral to the early civilization of China, presenting a harmonious consistent appearance. Rites for maintaining social order and music for harmonious synthesis, these two factors were interconnected. In ancient China, rites were the regulations of conduct, reinforcing and stabilizing strict patriarchal clan hierarchy. Music best reflected a nation’s manners, promoting personal cultivation and social development.

The great Confucian thinker, Xunzi, stressed that music held unparalleled power over the human spirit. In his book, Xunzi said, “When music is performed, the inner mind becomes pure; and when ritual is cultivated, conduct is perfected. The ears become acute and the eyes clear-sighted; the blood humor becomes harmonious and in equilibrium, manners are altered and customs changed. The entire world is made tranquil, and enjoys together beauty and goodness.”

“Music brings harmony” is an important concept that has influenced Chinese culture for thousands of years. The systems of ritual and music were created to build a harmonious society, in which music plays an essential part.

 

Music to cultivate the mind
Qin, also known as guqin, is a seven-stringed Chinese musical instrument of the zither family. As one of the oldest stringed instruments in China, the qin has been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement for thousands of years. Because of its unique link to personal emotions, the qin represents a way of life and self-cultivation.

As highlighted by the quote “a gentleman does not part with his qin or se (A long, base stringed instrument) without good reason,” the qin is regarded as a means to cultivate one’s manners and social standing. Many people find the sound of the qin comforting and calming, helping reduce anxiety and create inner peace.

During the periods of the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States (770–221 BCE), a musician named Bo Ya (387–299 BCE) learnt to play the qin from the famous qin player Cheng Lian. After three years of learning and practicing, Bo thought that he had become a master of the qin.

However, Cheng told him that it was still not enough. Cheng took Bo to the seashore and asked him to wait for another teacher under a pine tree. Bo waited for a long time, but no one showed up. Moved by the amazing view of the ocean, Bo began to play the qin under the tree. The sound of the qin hovered above the blue waves as they pounded on the rocks. Suddenly, Bo realized that the other teacher that Cheng mentioned was nature, and that appreciating the beauty of nature was the key to becoming a good qin player.

Ancient Chinese had high requirements for the environment where one played the qin, because a suitable ambience and the qin bring out the best in each other. Some enjoyed playing the qin by a stream in the mountains, listening to the sound of the qin echo across the peaks,  leaves flickering. The people playing the qin felt they were part of nature. Many scholars preferred to play the qin in snow, because the qin was thought of as the purest instrument and nothing could be more fitting than playing the qin when it snowed. Playing the qin in the moonlight is also a romantic icon. The renowned Tang poet Wang Wei (701–761) was especially fond of the qin. In one of his poems, he captured the moment of playing the qin in a bamboo forest on a moonlit night. “Beneath the bamboo grove, alone,/ I seize my lute and sit and croon;/ No ear to hear me, save mine own;/ No eye to see me, save the moon” (translated by Herbert Allen Giles).

The qin also provided opportunities for communication among Chinese scholars and artists. After making remarkable achievements at playing the qin, Bo Ya found that fewer people understood the connotations of what he played as he composed finer and finer pieces of music. Eventually, Bo met a person who was good at appreciating the sound of the qin, Zhong Ziqi (413–354 BCE). When Bo’s direction was geared towards conjuring high mountains in his playing, Zhong would say, “How towering like Mount Tai!” When Bo’s will was geared towards invoking flowing water in his playing, Zhong would say, “How vast are the rivers and oceans!” Whatever Bo thought of when he played the qin, Zhong would never fail to understand. Therefore, they became good friends. When Zhong died, Bo broke his qin and vowed to never play it again. Since then, the qin has been endowed with the Chinese ideal of friendship. The melody of “High Mountains Flowing Water” has come to describe a friend that is close and sympathetic.]

 

The article was edited and translated from Insights into Chinese Culture, published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. Ye Lang and Zhu Liangzhi are professors at Peking University.