Mei An Guqin [Photo/ntsfy.cn]

Mei An Guqin was an emerging sect of Guqin, a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family, in the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1949). The Mei An sect is centralized in Nantong, Jiangsu province and can be found in many regions of China, including Nantong, Zhenjiang and Hefei. Wu Zonghan, student of Xu Lisun, a Guqin master from Nantong, introduced the Mei An Guqin sect into Hong Kong in the 1950s and into Taiwan in the 1960s. Wu was the first Guqin player to teach this art in Taiwan’s universities. Wu emigrated to the United States in the 1970s, introducing the Mei An Guqin sect to that country. The Mei An Guqin sect has been spread more widely than any other form of Guqin in the 20th Century.