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| Gu－Zheng |
| CCTV.COM 2003-07-04 17:07:30 |
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Gu－Zheng, also known as the Chinese Zither, originated during the Warring States Period over 2500 years ago in China. The earliest known versions were constructed with a bamboo frame and used silk strings. Its scale was pentatonic, using the notes DO, RE, MI, SO, and LA with a major note for each of its five strings. Because the Gu－Zheng was developed in a region called "Qin Guo," its name became known as the "Qin－Zheng."
Gu－Zheng was improved during the Tang dynasty （618 A.D. － 907 A.D.）. The number of strings was increased from five to thirteen, and the bamboo frame was replaced with one made from wu－tong or paulownia wood. By the time of the cultural renaissance during the Tang dynasty, various forms of the Gu－zheng had appeared through cultural exchanges to Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam and many other Asian countries. Hou Jin, a scholar of the Eastern Han Period （25 A.D. － 220 A.D.） wrote that "the Gu－zheng's sound touches the heavens above and the gods and spirits below".
The Gu－zheng remained in vogue through the later Qing dynasty, continuing its popularity past the dynasty's end in 1911 into the twentieth century. Contemporary Gu－zheng musicians began the first attempts to formalize Gu－zheng music during this period. They compiled and arranged both classical and popular works that are still well－known across China today. In 1948, the renowned musician Cao Zheng established the first university level Gu zheng program in China. The old silk strings were replaced with nylon strings, which are still being used today.
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