Guqin Art of Zhejiang School was founded by Guo Chuwang in the Southern Song Dynasty, who passed it onto Liu Zhifang. Liu later passed it onto Mao Minzhong and Xu Tianmin. This led to the formation of Zhejiang School which played an important role in the field of guqin in the Southern Song Dynasty. After Xu Tianmin, Guqin Art of Zhejiang School was handed down through four generations in Xu Family in Yuan and Ming dynasties and reached its peak then. At that time, the sayings of “Xu Family of Zhejiang School” and “Guqin Art of Xu Family” became very popular. In Qing Dynasty, it gradually declined. On November 7, 2003, the Chinese guqin was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. And as an important branch of the Chinese guqin art, Guqin of Zhejiang School was also bundled into the World Heritage List. In 2008, it was announced by the State Council as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list extension projects.
After the Song Dynasty moved to the south, Jiaofang, the court music institution, was also established in Lin'an (in the 14th year of Shaoxing Reign). The existence of Jiaofang was not long. It only existed for 17 years and was abolished when Jin invaded. But a large number of musicians and dancers in Bianjing (now Kaifeng) flocked to Lin'an, which led to a great blend of northern and southern music culture and the unprecedented flourishing of music culture in Lin'an then. There were many talents in Zhejiang School, with more than forty of them being recorded in documents. Top representatives include Liu Zhifang, Mao Minzhong, Xu Tianmin and Yang Zuan in the late Song Dynasty, Yuan Jue, Jin Ruli and Song Yinwen in Yuan Dynasty, and Xu Hezhong, Zhang Zhu and Huang Xian in Ming Dynasty.
Zhejiang School Guqin has a strong philosophy of making it useful to the state. In addition to skills, it also attaches great importance to the expression of one's emotions in the music. Guo Mian was born in Yongjia and was strongly influenced by Yongjia School and Ouyue Culture. Therefore, the concept of “making it useful to the state” was gradually rooted in his mind. Therefore, Guo Mian's purpose in learning guqin and writing music was very different from that of Jiangxi and Bianjing schools. The latter ones placed more emphasis on playing skills. Rather than playing ancient music in a step-by-step manner, Guo Mian preferred to express his emotions in the music. His music often contained a strong patriotic passion. The purpose was not only to express his grief and anger over the war-torn land, but also to awaken the patriotism of the Southern Song people and input new blood to the old system.
Guqin of Zhejiang School not only lays stress on the inheritance of the art of previous generations, but also attaches great importance to innovation. It incorporated the strengths of several major schools of guqin that were popular in the Southern Song Dynasty, such as the strength of Bianjing School and the delicate beauty of Jiangxi School. These two different styles were perfectly blended together, resulting in a unique artistic style that is “simple but not vulgar, restrained but not dull.” It does not just follow the original sheet music. Innovation is its biggest highlight. Through adaptation, the music has been reborn with the charm of the times. This was best illustrated by Xu Tianmin's adaptation of "Zixia Cave Music". Guo Mian also placed great importance on linking the new music with reality. He was not bound by tradition and was able to express his thoughts and feelings in his compositions with ease. A large number of new compositions enriched the repertoire of Guqin, and made the art of Guqin, which was originally a highly refined art, recognized by all sectors of society.