A modern twist to the guqin
Artists from Zi De Guqin Studio play traditional Chinese instruments while wearing ancient attire. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Stepping into the Zi De Guqin studio in Pudong of Shanghai, one would find skateboards resting against the wall where ancient Chinese music instruments are hung. This scene says everything there is to say about the personality of the group that practices here.
A popular music ensemble in the world, Zi De Guqin Studio has more than half a million subscribers on Youtube.com, and 620,000 followers on Bilibili.com, a leading video sharing website in China.
Zi De's creations, most of which are music videos featuring artists in ancient Chinese costumes performing traditional Chinese instruments, have won millions of views on both the Chinese and international websites.
One of Zi De's latest videos tells a fantasy tale about a dancer in the desert, who picks up a magical box. Musicians pop out of the box and began to play. "This video makes me feel like I'm on an adventure in a Chinese fantasy," wrote Youtube subscriber Haruhidude.