Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today’s solo guzheng improvisation is for all the couples who may be going through difficult times. The Chinese title of this piece “美人虹” means “Beautiful Lady Rainbow.” It comes from a Chinese folklore documented in 《异苑》 (Yì Yuàn), a book of supernatural tales from the Southern Dynasties period, written by Liu Jingshu (刘敬叔) in the 5th century.

The exact text from Yì Yuàn is:

古语有之曰：古者有夫妻，荒年菜食而死，俱化成青绛，故俗呼美人虹。

(Translation: An old saying goes: In ancient times, there was a couple who, during a year of famine, ate wild vegetables and died. Together, they transformed into a blue-green (or colored) rainbow. Therefore, it is commonly called “Beautiful Lady Rainbow.”)

As soon as I started playing, a melody from a Mongolian folk song about white clouds and blue sky that I’ve known since I was a kid jumped into my head. The guzheng in the recording is a Jinyun (金韵) piece from Yangzhou, China.

Hope it brings you peace and joy into your day.

Wu Fei 吴非

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