Guan Pinghu

Who was Guan Pinghu?

Guan Pinghu, was a leading player of the guqin, a Chinese 7-string bridgeless zither. Born in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Guan came from an artistic family, and started to learn the guqin from his father, Guan Nianci. After the death of his father when he was thirteen, Guan continued with his father’s friend Ye Shimeng and Zhang Xiangtao. He also studied with the leading players of three different schools; Yang Zongji, the leading player in Beijing, the Daoist Qin Heming, and the Buddhist monk Wucheng.

Before 1949, Guan did some teaching at the Yenching University, but had most of his meager income from selling paintings and repairing old musical instruments and furniture.

In 1952, he became a teacher and assistant researcher at the Zhongyang Yinyue Xueyuan and a leading force at the Beijing Guqin Yanjiuhui, both in Beijing. He also recreated and performed many pieces, including Guangling San, Youlan, and Hujia Shiba Pai, that only existed as notation through a process known as dapu. These pieces have become part of the core repertory of guqin music. Though he trained few prominent students, Guan's numerous recordings – notable for their austerity, subtlety, and bold presentation – have exerted wide and continuing influence.