Village in SE China's Fujian brings ancient guqin instrument to world stage

Photo shows a guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument, in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province, is a renowned production hub for the guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument. Longren Guqin Cultural Village, situated within the village, is a national-level cultural industry demonstration base.

Shang Yiyang, an inheritor of the guqin-making craft and an instructor at Longren Guqin Cultural Village, said the guqin is one of China's oldest plucked string instruments, with a history of more than 3,000 years.

The village's guqin industry thrives not only because of the surrounding forests that provide ideal wood, but also thanks to Changtai district's rich guqin heritage, which dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Longren Guqin Cultural Village regularly hosts guqin festivals, lectures on Chinese classics and concerts, and has published China's first guqin curriculum for middle school students. Its instruments have been collected by institutions at home and abroad, including the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum and the World Calligraphy Museum in Russia.

Photo shows Longren Guqin Cultural Village in Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows Longren Guqin Cultural Village in Houfang village, located in Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows Longren Academy, located in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Photo shows a guqin, a traditional Chinese seven-stringed instrument with a history spanning over 3,000 years, in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

Knowledge of traditional Chinese music is presented on display boards in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)

A man plays a guqin in Houfang village, Changtai district, Zhangzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Li Weiyi)