Guqin, known as Qin, Yaoqin, Yuqin and Seven-stringed Qin in ancient times, is the oldest musical instrument in China, with a history of more than 3,000 years. In my country, Guqin ranks first among the four arts, with a history of cultural heritage of more than 3,000 years. It is not only a musical instrument, but also has rich and profound cultural connotations and high aesthetic value. The ancients once regarded the qin as a symbol of spiritual cultivation, self-cultivation and even literati. The creators of the qin have always said that "Fuxi made the qin in the past", "Shennong made the qin", "Shun made the five-stringed qin to sing the south wind" and so on.

In the ancient times of the third or fourth millennium BC, Fuxi established his own kingdom in the east with the help of the virtues of the gods. Fuxi wanted to add fun and joy to human life, so he tried to create a wonderful musical instrument. One day, when Fuxi came to the Tonglin Forest in Xishan, he saw the blossoming auspicious clouds carrying two beautiful birds landing on a plane tree. . Fuxi said in amazement, "Isn't this the legendary Phoenix King of the Hundred Birds?" The two big birds chirped "as soon as they hit their feet", and all the birds next to them chirped in unison.

The male bird and phoenix who shouted "Immediately" is the female bird phoenix, because the phoenix can reach the sky and respond to the earth, cooperate with the five sounds and combine the nine virtues. Drink, non-indus do not live. Therefore, Fuxi believed that the big tree where the phoenix came must be a god in the tonglin, so Fuxi cut down the tree and made a musical instrument. "Made as a piano" ("Sounds of Taigu"). Since then, it has owned the Chinese nation's own iconic musical instrument - the qin. It is said that the sound of the fuxiqin can make people feel peaceful and peaceful, and has a mysterious power that can control the soul of all things.

Tianshui is located in the north of the Qinling Mountains. The territory is rich in forestry resources, with a high forest coverage rate and a warm climate, which is especially suitable for the growth of tung trees and sumac trees. The unique lacquer and high-quality wood resources provide the development and inheritance of Tianshui Guqin craftsmanship. sufficient raw materials. Tianshui Guqin is made of high-quality wood such as paulownia or fir into the body, and the finished product is made by shoveling the abdominal cavity, rounding the surface, assembling the piano, installing accessories, draping hemp, scraping ash, painting, and tuning the strings. a traditional handicraft.

The production of Tianshui Guqin has a history of more than 200 years. It probably began to recover gradually after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Its production skills are mainly distributed in Yuquan Town, Qinzhou District, Tianshui City, especially Xiong's Qinfang in Qinzhou District. The production process of guqin is quite complicated. First of all, we must start with the selection of materials. The wood should be light, loose and brittle, and it will be smooth after a little polishing. The wood should be made of old wood. The sources of old wood include old beams, unearthed coffins, etc. However, because coffins have been buried in the ground for many years, they absorb earth qi all year round, which is full of yin qi, and the coffins often crack. In seven years, experts call it Huiyang. In addition, the old wood is not as old as possible. If the wood falls off when the wood grain is crossed, the wood is rotten and cannot be reused. When the wood is old, the original wood properties have changed a lot, so it is better to choose the wood that is old and immortal. . Tianshui Guqin is made from the middle part with straight grain of paulownia or fir, the bottom plate is made of maple, catalpa, colored wood, etc., and the accessories are made of red sandalwood, rosewood, old mahogany, jujube and other materials.

A good guqin takes two or three years to make. The final process of the guqin is to dry the lacquer on the body of the guqin, and the most important thing is to use the unique large wood lacquer grown in the forest area of Xiaolong Mountain in Tianshui, which is the top grade of the guqin. To make a guqin, in order to prevent deformation and cracking, the wood should be placed in a place with natural room temperature and ventilation for five or six years before it can be used. It cannot be exposed to the sun or dried by a heat source. Dry slowly. There are fourteen styles of guqin, Fuxi style, Zhongni style, Luoxia style and Lingji style are the more common styles, and each style is different.

Huantan's "Xin Lun" said: "Among the eight sounds, only silk is the most dense, and the qin is the first. The words of the qin are forbidden, and the gentleman guards himself. Annihilation but not heard." The characteristics of the sound quality and tone of the guqin are mentioned. This implicit artistic feature is in line with the spirit of harmony and moderation advocated by the ancients of China, so it is also one of the reasons why the art of guqin is loved by scholars and officials. Tianshui Fuxi-style guqin is well-known in the country's guqin industry for its pine, deep and ancient sound, broad and clear, clear and high quality, and is regarded as a rare treasure.

Guqin is regarded as the thing of the gentleman, the thing of the saint, and has a high social status. The Tianshui Guqin made by traditional methods is like jade, with good hardness, strong sense of thickness, wear resistance, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, environmental protection and non-toxicity. After decades of continuous efforts by artists, the lacquer carving process of Tianshui lacquer is perfectly combined with the art of guqin making. The existence of this traditional technique proves that ancient music has not completely disappeared. It has continued the blood of Chinese music since the Han and Tang Dynasties with its large number of scores, ancient musical instruments and self-contained notation methods. Therefore, we should Protect and inherit it well, and let this distant reverberation last forever!