Cao Zheng (1920-1998.4.13) Guzheng educator, theorist, performer, founder of Chinese guzheng academies, master of Chinese guzheng generation, and professor of China Conservatory of Music.

Mr. Cao Zheng's original name was Guo Chengxue, and his courtesy name was Jiguang. His ancestral home is Changli County, Hebei Province. He was born on December 31, 1920 in Xinmin County, Liaoning Province.

In 1936, the 16-year-old Cao Zheng went to Peiping to study alone, and at the same time worked in a mass charity "morality society". Lou Shuhua, a famous guzheng master in Hebei Yutian who worked in the "Morality Society", found that he had talent, accepted him as a student, and taught songs such as "The Fishing Boat Sings Evening". After being introduced by Lou Shuhua, in October 1945, Cao Zhengzheng studied with Liang Zaiping, a master of the Lingnan zheng school in Nanjing.

In 1947, Mr. Cao Zheng and Fan Letian (the former president of the China Conservatory of Music in the United States) co-founded the "Xun Kite Club" in Xuzhou, and held the first official guzheng solo concert in modern history in November of the same year. . In the spring of 1948, through the introduction of Cheng Wujia, Cao Zheng became a guzheng teacher in the Nanjing National Music Group (there were also Yang Yinliu, Chu Shizhu, Cao Anhe, Liu Beimao, Chen Zhenduo, Cheng Wujia and Xia Yifeng in the National Music Group at that time). The introduction of the guzheng instrument from the folk to higher music institutions has created a new era in the history of Chinese zheng.

At the end of 1948, after the Huaihai Campaign started, 28-year-old Cao Zheng went to the liberated area of northern Jiangsu and changed his name to "Cao Zheng" (homonym of "Chaozheng") to show his pursuit and determination to go in the right direction. On New Year's Day in 1949, Cao Zheng came to the northern Anhui rural cultural and art troupe leader and guzheng player.

In 1950, Cao Zheng was transferred from Hefei to the Northeast Luxun Art Institute in Shenyang.

In 1952, he served as the subject director of Shenyang "Northeast Conservatory of Music", the principal of the High School Affiliated to Shenyang Conservatory of Music, and a member of the Shenyang CPPCC. In 1957, he was named an associate professor at the China Conservatory of Music. In the same year, he proposed the idea of "Qin Zheng returning to Qin".

Appointed professor in 1981. Just this year, Mr. Cao Zheng was invited to attend the Asian Music Festival held in Hong Kong. At the invitation of the East Asian Music Center of Maryland State University in the United States, he went to the United States to give lectures in 1985.

In 1990, in the name of Beijing Guzheng Research Association and Taipei "Qin Yunzheng Sound" head office jointly held a concert in Beijing, Mr. Cao Zheng and his mentor Mr. Liang Zaiping performed separately.