The Oldest Known Zheng

One of the oldest depictions of a Zheng-like instrument, created from remnants found in a tomb in Changqiao,Wu Xian, Jiangsu Province. The tomb was dated to the fifth century BCE. It had twelve strings, was made of wood, and was coated in lacquer. It's 132.8 cm or ~52 inches long.

Source: Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. The Smithsonian Institute further attributes the image to Huang Xiangpeng 1996, Zhongguo yinyue wenwu daxi, volume on Jiangsu/Shanghai: 248-51, Zhengzhou: Daxiang Press.

ZhengJ BDecember 4, 2017HistoricComment

19th Century 16-String Zheng

From the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, USA comes this wonderful image.

Purchased in 1916 and believed produced in the 1800s in Guangzhou, China, this guzheng is constructed in the Song Dynasty style. It has 16 strings and 16 tie-off pegs on the far right. But only 15 triangular bridges are visible. Why? Because the 1st bridge is actually on the far side of the instrument, pushing the string almost perpendicular to the soundboard. This instrument is so close to a Vietnamese Dan Tranh it would be so easily confused, but the museum and the Chinese Characters on the tail of the instrument say otherwise.

Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

ZhengJ BNovember 30, 2017Historic Comments

19th Century 14-String Zheng

From the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels, Belgium we have this Carmentis record of a 14-stringed zither made sometime before 1900, coming in at 141.2cm or ~55 inches in length.

I don't know enough to date the instrument, but its style dates from before the modern changes and seems to be closer to the Tang Dynasty style, though it's proportionally closer to the Japanese koto. An earlier black and white photo shows this particular instrument before its strings broke, at which time it had 14 visible bridges.

Source: Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels, Belgium

ZhengJ BNovember 30, 2017HistoricComment

16-String, Steel, Exposed Tuning

This zheng was purchased around 1985 in a less developed area of Taiwan before being brought to Canada. It spent most of its years in storage and is visually in excellent condition.

It has 16 steel strings, two of them being bass strings wound in copper. Its fixed bridges are both straight. Instead of a hinged compartment holding tuning pins, this instrument's head is just part of the frame. The tuning pins are actually posts on the tail of the instrument. A wooden handle is needed to turn them; that is what is attached to the case's lid. Taken together with the instrument's straight backboard, it appears this instrument was built in an older style, but there is much yet to learn. Have you seen anything like this? Let me know!

Photographed by GZA in 2017. Used with permission of owner.

ZhengJ BNovember 30, 2017Taiwanese Comments

16-String, Steel, Hidden Tuning

The original source and age of this zheng is unknown as its current owner purchased it at anonymous auction, but a flyer in its tuning pin compartment advertised a concert in Taipei in 1988.

This instrument has two straight fixed bridges and 16 strings of steel with 2 of the bass strings wound with copper. The backboard is curved but appears to be made of very thin plywood. The tuning pins are inside a hinged compartment. The moveable bridges have holes in their center and are threaded together on a string.

Photographed by GZA in 2017. Used with permission of owner.

ZhengJ BNovember 30, 2017TaiwaneseComment