Unique Guqin Yaji

Playing a 1200 year old Tang qin and drinking 140 year old pu'er tea

"This is one of the most unusual guqin yajis I have ever attended. I couldn't stop playing this qin " Wang Fei said after attending the unique guqin yaji , playing a 1200 year old Tang Dynasty qin and drinking 140 year old Pu'er tea.

Most antique qins from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) are kept by museums or private collectors and have never appeared on the market. In July 2003 Jiu Xiao Huan Pei , a Tang qin from the Imperial Palace, was auctioned for the first time and sold for 3.465 million yuan (about US$417,470) in Beijing. The sale set a world record auction price for a guqin. Many qin players are curious about who bought this qin and want to know what it sounds like.

During this unique yaji , qin players played this qin and drank 140 year old pu'er tea. The owner of this Tang qin , Mr. He Zuoru, is a very kind and generous gentleman. Instead of keeping the qin in a private collection, he shares this first degree treasure with qin players. This action of his has made this qin become the best "living" antique qin in the world according to Professor Li Xiangting, who has played many antiques qins include several Tang ones. Qins kept by museums or private collectors and not played are considered "dead" by qin players because no one knows what they sound like.

Wang Feng