Lin Youren

Who was Lin Youren?

Lin Youren was a noted player of the Chinese musical instrument guqin. He was famous for his unaffected playing style. Lin also taught guqin at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Lin was born on August 11, 1938 in Shanghai, China, but was brought up in nearby Nanjing. Early on in his musical development, Lin studied with Liu Shaochun. He enterd the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1958 to study the guqin. He was influenced by the playing styles of Liu Jingshao, Gu Meigeng, Shen Caonong, and Wei Zhongle in particular. He graduated in 1963 and stayed at the Conservatory and began research on guqin history and Chinese music after returning from Heilongjiang in early 1970's during the "Cultural Revolution".

Lin gave guqin recitals in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.