The origin and development of the guzheng

The origin and development of the guzheng are as follows:

Origin: In the 1980s and 1990s, there were two unearthed relics, which were regarded as guzheng by some people in the guzheng industry, and were once known as "Yuezheng" because of the fact that they were unearthed in the ancient Yue land in the southeast of China. Two of them were unearthed from Guixi Cliff Tomb in Jiangxi Province in 1979, and the other one was unearthed from Wuqiao in Jiangsu Province in 1991. Some articles have used these two excavations as evidence for the existence of the thirteen-stringed zither in the late Spring and Autumn period or the early Warring States period.

Development:

The zheng was popularized as far back as the Warring States period in the territory of Qin (Shaanxi Province), where it was known as the "Qin zheng". Since then, it has been spread to Henan, Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Inner Mongolia and other places. Due to the changes in history and the influence of the region, there are different local styles, playing techniques, etc., and as a result, different schools of guzheng have been formed, which makes the development of guzheng become more and more prosperous day by day.

The zheng had twelve strings before the Han and Jin dynasties (see Wei Ruan Li's "Zheng Fugue", "There are twelve strings").

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the zheng increased from twelve strings to thirteen strings (see Tang Cen Sen's "Song of the Qin Zheng, Sending My Nephew Xiao Zheng Back to the Capital", "Don't you hear that the Qin zheng is the most bitter, with thirteen strings wrapped in five colors").

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of strings was gradually increased to fifteen, and in the Qing dynasty, it was recorded in the "Qing Canon" that "the Qin zheng has fifteen strings, and it seems to be like the serpent and ......"

The new sixteen-stringed zhengs appeared at the end of the Qing Dynasty and at the beginning of the Republic of China, and the sixteen-stringed zhengs were also popular in China for nearly a hundred years. traditional zheng that has been popular in China for nearly a hundred years.