Concert celebrates an ancient Chinese musical instrument

As the first doctoral candidate in ruan performance at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, young musician Di Lin staged a concert at the school on July 3, taking the audience on a musical journey that revealed how the ancient ruan, a traditional Chinese plucked instrument, continues to find fresh expression in the modern world.

The musician presented a program that moved between philosophy, history, cross-cultural dialogue, and folk tradition. Her playing was marked not by dazzling display, but by restraint, precision, and emotional depth.

The first half of the concert explored the inner world of the instrument. In a musical piece titled Freedom, Di shaped delicate, flowing phrases into a meditation on serenity, allowing silence to become as expressive as sound. In the duet Form and Emptiness, performed with guqin player Gao Xinran, the ruan blended seamlessly with the ancient zither, creating a musical conversation inspired by Chinese aesthetics and Buddhism.

Images of Chang'an, another piece, transported listeners to China's imperial past, where moments of grandeur and sorrow were conveyed with quiet strength rather than theatrical force.

The second half of the concert expanded the ruan's horizons. Switching effortlessly among several members of the ruan family, Di demonstrated the instrument's versatility.

The concerto Porcelain transformed shimmering tones into the texture of glazed ceramics, while the concert concluded with Songs of the Sun and Moon, a vibrant celebration of the Hani and Yi people's deep connection with nature.