The night before we set out to visit Cheng Po, we visited Mr. Li, the greatest qin (zither) maker in China. The photo above is of his calligraphy which says: Tranquil Distance.
He played three songs for us: two from the Tang Dynasty and one from the Han. They were haunting, exquisite, from deep in the heart. His eyes are pained and his wife clearly has suffered as he did during the Cultural Revolution. Still, he holds the art and plays from the deep recesses of the heart. Nathaniel videotaped his playing. Can you see the beauty of his soul in his calligraphy?
He played three songs for us: two from the Tang Dynasty and one from the Han. They were haunting, exquisite, from deep in the heart. His eyes are pained and his wife clearly has suffered as he did during the Cultural Revolution. Still, he holds the art and plays from the deep recesses of the heart. Nathaniel videotaped his playing. Can you see the beauty of his soul in his calligraphy?
The person who took the photo below was Bill's travel agent friend in Xian. We were supposed to meet him at 6:30 but couldn't get a taxi so he called his friend who drove us and then stayed for the half hour concert and was also very moved. When I heard Mr. Li play, I realized when reading about Chinese poets during the Tang dynasty playing the qin, this was the music I had imagined. I'd never heard it and it was in my dreams.
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