The Intentions of Zhang Zhidong and Tan Sitong’s Guqin Philosophy (Chinese Zither) as Well as the Political Preferences behind

Abstract: This article begins with the Guqin score “The personal collection  of Zhang’s in Nanpi county” once belonged to Zhang Zhidong which is now  carefully stored in the library of Wuhan Conservatory of Music, it presented  the music philosophy passes down in Zhang’s family and his relationships with  his masters. Ji Xiaolan have gifted a treasuries Guqin of Li Qingzhao’s who  lived in the Song Dynasty, this Guqin was then in the hand of Zhang’s maternal  grandfather Jiang Ce. Zhang’s mother, a woman goes by the name Zhu was  good at practicing. Zhang practiced the art of Guqin with a master in the field— Huang Mianzhi and who was crafty at making Guqin himself. As for Tan  Sitong, his knowledge on Guqin all originated from Liuyang Guqin Style and  was heavily influenced by its philosophy—all knowledges must be useful for  the betterment of nation. He studied after Liu Renxi and Tang Shoutian, there  are two Guqin last till this day made by Tan named “thunder echo” (Can Lei)  and “thunder burst” (Beng Ting). Tan Sitong had a different philosophy than  Zhang Zhidong, he believed that the core value of bourgeois should be “To  base on the form of ether then implement on love.” Whereas Zhang hold a  stream of Guqin value that stress on peaceful mentality which enables him to  reconcile the old and new forces in late Qing Dynasty. In contrast, Tan’s life  is much like the magnificent tragic rhythm of Guangling Verse (an ancient  Chinese verse).

CAQ Vol.6,No.3,04.pdf