Chen Yilin

Chen Yilin began studying the guqin — the ancient seven-stringed zither — at age seven under his grandfather, a renowned musician in the Sichuan Conservatory tradition. The guqin, revered by Confucius himself, is one of the oldest instruments in the world, with a history spanning over 3000 years.

Master Chen's repertoire includes classical pieces like "High Mountains and Flowing Water" (高山流水) and "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank" (平沙落雁). He performs on a 200-year-old guqin passed down through five generations of his family.

Today, he teaches from his studio in Chengdu, where bamboo groves and misty mountains provide the same atmosphere that inspired the guqin's earliest melodies. His students come from across the world to learn not just technique, but the philosophy of silence and resonance that defines this ancient art.