In the afternoon of July 17, 2024, all the campers of the “China Roots Journey” Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province “Longyinqinyun” camp went to Wuliu Hall to visit the Meian School Guqin Art Museum and experience the long history of Chinese traditional guqin culture.

Stepping into the Wuliu Hall, the ancient building seemed to make the Chinese youth travel through time and space. Under the leadership of Li Jie, the municipal inheritor of the Meian School, the campers opened up the historical memory of the Chinese guqin that has accumulated for thousands of years.

   Ms. Li Jie briefly introduced the knowledge of guqin to the campers, and the members of the Meian Children's Guqin Club gave a wonderful performance. 

  Immediately after that, Ms. Li Jie explained the basic fingerings of the guqin to the campers with pictures and invited the Chinese youth to experience it on the stage, and the campers, such as Mia Fu and Wang Zihong, actively went up to the stage to exchange and learn how to play the guqin with the teachers of the children's guqin club. In addition, Dai Li, the leading teacher of this summer camp, and Ms. Wu Yunli from the College of Arts and Letters of Jiangsu University were also invited to perform a guqin solo on the stage, and Ms. Wu expressed her gratitude to Ms. Li Jie with a piece of “Autumn Wind Lyrics”, a masterpiece of the Meian School.

   Through visiting and listening to the detailed introduction of the non-genetic inheritors, the campers gained an in-depth understanding of the history of the formation of the Meian School, the characteristics and status of the school, as well as the famous masters of the guqin and the current status of its inheritance.

   After returning to Jiangsu University from the Meian School Guqin Art Museum, the campers felt that they could not get enough of it and were eager to try it out. Ms. Wu Yunli gave them a special lesson, skillfully combining ancient sounds with historical allusions, and interestingly taught them about guqin schools, repertoire and other related knowledge.

    Ms. Wu Yunli played “Wine Mania”, which made the campers experience the life situation of the literati, and sang “Autumn Wind Lyrics”, which made everyone experience the charm of Chinese ancient music again.

Under the guidance of Ms. Wu Yunli, the campers experienced and learned the Guqin piece “A Laugh at the Sea”, which brought the Chinese youths and the land under their feet closer to each other in the sound of the instrument.

The guqin contains deep cultural connotations, and this guqin experience activity enabled the campers to listen to their hometown voices and trace their roots, which was not only a traditional cultural exchange and inheritance, but also an emotional communication and resonance.