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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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today’s three-track guzheng composition was recorded on all harmonics. During my visit to Yunnan, China last month, I saw many Buddhist temples. Every temple had the four heavenly kings 四大金刚 at the entrance. They are Dharma protector statues that guard the Buddhist temples. One of them holds a pipa (four-string or five-string lute, in the photo). He is my favorite guardian! Don’t judge a book by its cover. Today’s piece matches my favorite king just perfectly.

Wish you all a fun weekend!

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today is the beginning of a new week. I would like to share this new piece called Dali. It was inspired by my memory of driving with my family next to Erhai Lake in Dali City, Yunnan Province, China. Erhai 洱海 is a lake that feels like an ocean. It is situated at 1,972 meters (6,470 ft) above sea level.

There is a famous folklore about the lake: a princess of the Nanzhao Kingdom married a young man who had to go fight a war. A decade later, rumors of his death reached the princess. Her tears pooled together to form the vast, crystalline waters of Erhai Lake. At last, her husband returned from battle with victory after she passed away. He swore a solemn oath to remain by her side forever. And then, he transformed into the Cangshan Mountain, which still rises next to the lake today. The mountain and the lake stand as guardians of one another. It has become a symbol of unwavering love and devotion.

Wu Fei 吴非

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The guzheng in the recording is called Light Year 光年, made by Jinyun Guzheng Company 金韵古筝 in Yangzhou, China.

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Today’s guzheng composition is inspired by my visit to Yangzhou, China, last month. Every morning, I took quiet walks along Slender West Lake, absorbing the city’s elegant landscape and rich history. I felt like I was living inside a painting—every direction I turned offered another view.

Yangzhou is considered the birthplace of the Grand Canal. In 486 BC, King Fuchai of the State of Wu dug the Han Gou (邗沟) near Yangzhou to transport troops and grain. This is recognized as the “first spade” of the Grand Canal, marking the start of its 2,500-year history. If you are interested in this part of the history, the Grand Canal Museum is well worth a visit.

Sitting next to a cluster of lotus flowers (pictured above) reminded me of a poem called A Small Pond by Yang Wanli (1127–1206 AD, Southern Song Dynasty):

“The spring’s silent outflow trickles thin and slow;

The trees cast shade on the water, loving the sun’s gentle glow.

A tiny lotus bud has just shown its pointed peak—

A dragonfly has already landed there, as if to seek.”

(Translated by Totran Nguyen)

宋代诗人杨万里的七言绝句 《小池》

“泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。

小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头。”

As Yangzhou is known as the Home of Guzheng, the guzheng I played in this recording comes from the renowned Yangzhou-based manufacturer, Jinyun Guzheng Company. In the next posts, I’ll share with you about their food 😋

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

How have you all been? Hope you are all having a restful and fun summer or winter!

I’m back home in Nashville now after my time in China. It was an amazing trip traveling through several provinces. The absolute highlight was visiting the Jinyun 金韵乐器 Guzheng company in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Jinyun is one of the most prominent and respected guzheng manufacturers in the industry in China. Mr. Xiong Liqun 熊立群, the founder, gave me a personal tour of the workshops (photo above). It was my first time seeing in person how guzhengs are made—utterly fascinating! After playing several guzhengs for an entire day, I chose one called 光年 - Light Year to bring home with me. Today’s piece was recorded on my Light Year guzheng. The sound is incredible. I didn’t use any mixing or sound editing for this recording—you hear everything completely naturally. It sounds even better live. The resonance it creates is enchanting. Hope it brings a moment of peace to you.

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer (or winter)! This composition is my last one until the end of June. I will be traveling with family to China for the summer holidays. It’ll be my children’s first time returning to their birth city, Beijing, since they were a toddler and an infant when we moved to the U.S. in 2015. We are all very excited about seeing old friends, meeting new friends, visiting family members, and of course—eating all the amazing food!

If you are on Substack, I will be sharing part of my trip on Substack Notes, especially short music videos that I will be making in China.

Thank you so much for your patience and support again! Hope this piece brings you a moment of joy. See you in July!

Wu Fei 吴非

Wufeimusic.com

Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I just recorded this Guzheng improvisation in my Nashville studio. It’s nearly 10pm here. Sometimes night time is perfect to clear my brain and unleash the stress from the daytime. Tonight was the night. I’m a big fan of music from India, the Middle East and Central Asia, especially their string instruments and the structure of their compositions. This improvisation is very much inspired by their shared ways of phrasing and breathing—in flowing the music out in one take. It is utterly satisfying to play like this - 太过瘾了。

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

This new composition was composed and recorded today. I was inspired by the Great Spangled Fritillary resting on the Haas Halo blossom by the creek in the forest in Nashville (photo above). I paused and enjoyed the beauty of these two creatures’ intimate moment. It reminded me of this poem by Su Shi (1037–1101 AD):

苏轼《蝶恋花·记得画屏初会遇》

记得画屏初会遇。

好梦惊回，望断高唐路。

燕子双飞来又去，纱窗几度春光暮。

那日绣帘相见处，

低眼佯行，笑整香云缕。

敛尽春山羞不语，人前深意难轻诉。

(English Translation)

Remember our first encounter by the painted screen —

A lovely dream, but waking cut it clean,

And left me staring where the goddess once had been.

Pairs of swallows come and go,

Spring after spring wanes through the window screen.

That day when by the embroidered drapes we met,

You dropped your eyes and walked with feigned neglect,

Then smiled and smoothed your fragrant hair.

Your brows were knit, too shy for words to speak;

In public, how could deep affection dare declare?

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

I composed and recorded this three-track guzheng piece today while it was raining outside in Nashville. It was inspired by the white Haas Halo blooms wild in the west Nashville forest (photo above by me). It fascinates me that the lace-capped blooms and the white flowers are one plant. Each white “petal” is actually a sepal. They look elegant yet can stand through rain, holding droplets like tiny glass bells. I have seen a similar kind of flower in purple-pink on the Atlantic coast of the Basque Country in Spain. How amazing that these cousin plants are completely identical even though they’re separated by a vast ocean. Hope this piece brings you a moment of joy!

Wu Fei 吴非

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening,

Hope you all had a restful weekend. Late spring and early summer is among my favorite times in Nashville. The bugs are not fully out yet. Wild fruits are starting to show up in the forest. I ate one wild blackberry on the hill today (photo above). It was still sour, though I loved the strong flavor that only wild fruit can give to your taste buds. It instantly woke me up from a somewhat sleepy head. The wild blackberry reminds me of a poem from the Northern Song Dynasty in China (1002-1060 CE):

《舟中行自采枸杞子》宋 · 梅尧臣

野岸竟多杞，小实霜且丹。系舟聊以掇，粲粲忽盈盘。助吾苦羸苶，岂必采琅玕。自异骄华人，百金求秘丸。昔闻王子乔，上帝降玉棺。

English Translation“Picking Wolfberries from the Boat”by Mei Yaochen (Song Dynasty)

Along the wild bank grow many wolfberry shrubs,Their small fruits, touched by frost, turn a brilliant red.

I tie my boat and pause to gather them,Soon bright and gleaming, they fill my plate.

They ease my weary, weakened state—Why must I seek the pearl-tree of the immortals?

I am not like those who flaunt their wealth,Spending a hundred gold on secret elixirs.

In ancient times, I heard of Prince Wangzi Qiao—Heaven itself, they say, sent down a jade coffin for him.”

Hope this guzheng night song start your week with a joyful moment.

Wu Fei 吴非

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