Guqin, is a traditional Chinese musical instrument with a history that spans at least three thousand years. Ranked first in the following top four traditional Chinese arts – Guqin, Chess, Calligraphy and Painting, Guqin has long been considered as the symbol of elegance and has been the long-chosen musical accompaniment for singing ancient scholars. To know or to master the art of the Guqin, then the following influential places in Hangzhou are a good place to start.

Xiaying Guqin School (霞影琴馆)

Xiaying Guqin School was founded in January 2001 with the honorary curator being the former vice-governor of Zhejiang Province, Zhai Xiwu, and the curator being the noted Guqin master, Xu Xiaoying. The aim of the Xiaying Guqin School is to use Guqin as the means to inherit, study, explore and collect the precious Guqin historical relics; and to cultivate the successors of the Guqin art.

The curator, Xu Xiaoying, has been engaged in Guqin for over fifty years. Since the 1980s, as the representative of Zhejiang’s Guqin, she has attended all sorts of international and national Guqin events. Currently, Xu Xiaoyang is a member of the Guqin Master Committee of China Nationalities Orchestra Society and the executive director of the China Guqin Association.

Since its foundation, hundreds of people have successfully studied Guqin in Xiaying Guqin School and students have come from all corners of the world, like the US, Australia, Japan, and Singapore.

Address: 96-4 Dadou Road, Hangzhou (杭州大兜路96-4号) / 407 Hushu South Road, Hangzhou (杭州湖墅南路407号)
Telephone: +86 571 85080063 / 87553060

Taiyin Guqin Club (太音琴社)

In 2000, the young Guqin performer Chen Chengbo founded the Taiyin Music Studio, the original Taiyin Guqin Club in Hangzhou. The Guqin Club has for years specialized in the teaching and social promotion of Guqin, and has cultivated a large group of Guqin talents. In early 2017, the head office of Taiyin Guqin Club, covering an area of 1000sq m, was set up on the bank of the West Lake and is themed on Guqin culture and features other Chinese traditional arts such as tea, calligraphy and painting.

It has held many events in Hangzhou like the "National Young Guqin Musician Concert", "Lectures of Guqin Music in Zhejiang Library", and "China National Guqin Gathering". The owner of the club has for years studied at the Zhejiang School Guqin music, covering musical scores from the Southern Song Dynasty period and he has also helped promote the development of Zhejiang-School of Guqin music.

Address: 620 Fengqi Road (凤起路620号) / 586 Wen’er West Road (文二西路586号)/ 123-1 Laodong Road (劳动路123-1号)
Telephone: +86 571 88858562

Xihu Guqin Club (西湖琴社)

Xihu (West Lake) Guqin Club can be traced back to the "West Lake Moon Association", founded in 1946 by renowned Guqin artists like Xu Yuanbai. The "West Lake Moon Association" was originally set up in the personal residential house of Xu Yuanbai near Leifeng Pagoda and was later moved to its current site, No. 17 Goushanli. The "West Lake Moon Association" is mainly about Guqin art exchange and the founder, Xu Yuanbai, took it upon himself to oversee the protection of the Chinese traditional Culture and promote the art of Zhejiang-School of Guqin. Xu Yuanbai was born to a musical family and he developed a great interest in Guqin and was later heralded as the founder of the new Zhejiang-School of Guqin.

In 1986, the son of Xu Yuanbai founded the Xihu Guqin Club. To spread Guqin culture, the Xihu Guqin Club annually organizes and attends more than ten international or national Guqin events and holds Guqin concerts all over the country. 

Address: 17 Goushanli, Shangcheng District (上城区勾山里17号)
Telephone: +86 571 87066189