Memory of a Gathering of Gentlemen——Review of Xin Chou Chongyang Guqin Calligraphy and Painting Gathering

It’s the Double Ninth Festival again, and chrysanthemums are blooming all over Shigu Garden.

During the Xin Chou Double Ninth Festival, we held an elegant gathering of Guqin calligraphy and painting at the Zongyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Center in Chencang Old Street in the China Stone Drum Garden Scenic Area.

We invited Mr. Li Chaoyang, the president of the Baoji Guqin Society and the founder of the Qishan Guqin Society, and his disciples. Teacher Li’s ancestral home is Baoji, and he once studied under the famous Guqin master Li Xiangting in Beijing. The name of Qishan Qin Club was given by teacher Li Xiangting. Qishan Qinshe is located at Binhe Avenue, Gaoxin 4th Road, Baoji City, facing the ancient Wei River. Walking into Qishan Qin Society, the interior decoration is antique, as if you have traveled back to ancient times and entered Zhuge Thatched Cottage. What’s even more surprising is that the design and decoration inside were all done by Teacher Li and his disciples.

The Zongyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Center located in Chencang Old Street is also an antique courtyard, with free movable type printing, calligraphy, painting and seal cutting rubbings from Lezhi Study Room, and an exhibition of teacher Chao Dayu’s works on the second floor. Seeing that the Double Ninth Festival is approaching, why don’t we have a gathering together to have fun.

The chrysanthemums have been arranged, the tea melons have been put in place, the incense burner is slowly exhaling a long fragrance, the dragon root calamus in the mountains of the south and the agate stones in the Gobi in the north lie quietly on the purple sand plate. The time came and we started on time.

Just a layman, all the wise men have arrived. Everyone turns off their mobile phones, no photos or videos, just listen to the piano at this moment. The whole place was silent except for the sound of the piano. Some are gently caressed, some are played passionately and urgently, some are soloed by one person, or some are playing the piano and flute. It was the first time to hear such a wonderful live Guqin performance up close, which was really shocking.

The guqin is an instrument for gentlemen and literati. It was the guqin played by Confucius and Zhuge Liang. It is what the Chinese call the qin in chess, calligraphy and painting. It is the gentleman and aristocrat in Chinese classical music. It is proud and independent like a gentleman. It doesn't like to play in an ensemble, join in the fun, or be noisy. Occasionally, the ensemble is just a deep friend like Xiao.

A friend came and took pictures at the door with his mobile phone. We invited him in to listen to the piano. He came in, listened for a while, and then left. After going out, he turned around and bowed deeply to us. It seemed that he was also sublimated for a moment.

It is a pity that Daya has not been writing for a long time, and there are many petty bourgeoisie in the world. It's a pity that there are too few gentlemen and too many villains. It's a pity that the spiritual aristocracy is almost extinct, and the material tycoons are everywhere.

My university teacher Xu Jinru once wrote a book called "The Noble Destiny". The nobility he talks about is the nobility of spiritual personality, not the rich and powerful with high power and wealth. A friend said that there are no nobles nowadays, they are all hooligans!

Today, we quietly listen to the instrument of a gentleman and the sound of elegance. It seems that the soul has been sublimated.

After listening to the piano, as the host, we invited all the guqin teachers to visit our yard, as well as our movable type printing experience, calligraphy and painting works. Teacher Chao presented calligraphy and painting hanging scrolls and hand-painted canvas bags to all the teachers. Then we played the ancient pot-throwing game together. Our pot turned out to be He Zun. Of course, this is a replica.

The good times are always short. Everyone said goodbye reluctantly. Looking forward to the next gathering where we can meet again.