Peking University, Beijing, Oct. 9th, 2005: The world renowned guqin player Qiao Shan (乔珊) gave an evening performance at the Southern Hall of PKU Library with a full house of enthusiastic audience. The event, organized by the Peking University Guqin Society had drawn students and teachers alike. Besides the classics such as Flowing Water and Hujia in 18 Sections, Qiao also performed many lyrical pieces where the guqin serves as accompaniment to her singing.
The following is a record of the interview of the reporter of PKU Ennews with this famous Guqin player.
PKUEN: What brought you here to Beijing and PKU this time?
Qiao: A few months ago at a Guqin conference in Changshu, some friends from PKU invited me to perform in PKU when I have a chance to. It just so happened that I have to return to China to rehearse with the Tianjin Chinese Orchestra for an upcoming performance in Italy. Yesterday, I just had a performance at the Conservatory here in Beijing. Today is the second one.
PKUEN: What kind of music would you like to introduce to the students of PKU this time?
Qiao: I understand that in the past many world renowned guqin masters have performed here, at the invitation of the Peking University Guqin Society. Students are generally more familiar with guqin pieces and instrumental music in general. Personally, I am particularly interested in guqin songs. The program I have prepared this time included mostly lyrical pieces where the guqin serves as both accompaniment as well as solo at a time.
PKUEN: As a student of Pipa at the Music Conservatory, how did you end up mastering the guqin?
Qiao: When I was at the Conservatory, it was during the time not long after the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, traditional music was not allowed to be played. The Conservatory at that time, therefore, intending to revive the tradition, invited Wang Di, student of the renowned guqin master Guan Pinghu [reporter's note: whose recording of Flowing Water (Liushui) was carried by the NASA space shuttle for the outer space mission] to give us lessons. Moreover, since I was very young, I have always been interested in singing. My teacher Wang Di has also been a specialist in Guqin songs, who compiled old pieces as well as wrote new songs.
PKUEN: You mentioned that you were interested in promoting around the world traditional Chinese culture through guqin music and you have performed in many countries. Could you share with us some of your most memorable experiences?
Qiao: In the West whenever we talk about the guqin and its long history of over thousands of years, people listen with such admiration and respect. The guqin produces such natural and beautiful sound. The music of antiquity really wins hearts of the people and people are often drawn to it beyond the initial curiosity. I have spent quite some time already in Canada. Over there at the universities, there are courses on Chinese music. For those students, a thorough understanding of guqin music is essential. I was especially touched when once a student translated the lyrics of one of my guqin pieces and recited to the audience during the performance. The translation itself even rhymed! I feel guqin music, especially the lyrical pieces is closely connected with Chinese literature and Chinese culture in general. We may view guqin music from different angles, not just strictly musical one.
PKUEN: Guqin often gives the impression of something wonderful but rather difficult to grasp, that is, an art form from the remote past. How do you see people of this age find relevance in guqin music? Or let us say, for students like us at PKU?
Qiao: I see that the Peking University Guqin Society has attracted a lot of students during the past years. I have a feeling that people's interest in traditional arts will continue to grow. During the rapid economical development of the past decade, people here have been so eager in learning about the West. Perhaps our traditional values have been somewhat neglected. Meanwhile, the West is getting to understand us much better than before. As China continues to prosper economically and become an important power politically, the world is paying greater respect to the Chinese culture. It has always been said that the Chinese have made such a great effort to understand the West much more so that people from the West trying to understand China. So even for the foreigners, Chinese culture is becoming something of great importance. As Chinese ourselves, shouldn't we too be interested in our own culture? I feel that this would be the way in the future.
PKUEN: What is next for you?
Qiao: I would like to go on promoting Guqin lyrical music and to see more PKU students being able to play the Guqin and sing along at the same time. Perhaps even younger students at secondary and primary school may learn to sing and play guqin music. Instead of learning to play the piano at the age of 5 or 6, why not try the guqin?
PKUEN: We wish you good luck and thank you for your wonderful performance and sharing with us.
Qiao: Thank you!
[Reporter’s Note: Qian Shan, world renowned guqinist. Student of famous performers Wang Di and Li Xiangting. Qiao has performed widely in collaboration with various Chinese instrumental ensembles worldwide and made a number of recordings. In 2005, Qiao was invited to perform at the prestigious Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein and was warmly received by the public. Qiao is currently living in British Columbia, Canada, actively promoting the art of Guqin music.]
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