Zheng Minzhong, born in Beijing in 1923, is China's foremost expert on antique guqins. From a very early age he has enjoyed painting, calligraphy and guqin. From 1937 to 1939 he learned Chinese painting from Lin Yanbo and Wang Aishi, and guqin from Wang Xingdong and Li Yuxing. In 1940 he began five years of guqin study under Guan Pinghu. In 1947 he studied Chinese painting undrer Pu Xuezhai.

He has worked for the Forbidden City Museum, where he is a research fellow, since 1946. He is a vice president of the Beijing Guqin Research Society, a member of the National Relics Identification Committee and of the Calligrapher's Association of China, and consultant to the North American Guqin Association.

He has published more than 20 papers on guqin, calligraphy, painting etc., including "A Discussion on the Tang Dynasty Qin 'Jiu Xiao Huan Pei'", "A Discussion on the Features of Tang Dynasty Qins and their Identification" and "A Discussion on the Qin 'Jin Yin Ping Wen'" in the Shosoin Museum in Nara, Japan.