Instrument of Stillness: The Chinese Guqin

The guqin has a history that goes back 3,000 years. In ancient China, playing music on this seven-string plucked zither was one of the four art forms that a scholar was required to master. Confucius himself was said to be a virtuoso on the guqin. This musical instrument, which fuses sound and silence, is closely affiliated with Taoism.