Special concert at Dajue Temple will celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival

A concert highlighting a mix of the guqin and Kunqu Opera will be held at Minghui Tea House in Beijing's Dajue Temple on Sept 16 during Mid-Autumn Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The guqin, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, and Kunqu Opera are listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. A concert highlighting a mix of the two will be held at Minghui Tea House in Beijing's Dajue Temple on Friday during Mid-Autumn Festival.

Songs from the Kunqu Opera, The Peony Pavilion, rendered on traditional musical instruments like the guqin, bamboo flute and pipa, are rare. Kunqu Opera is mild and sweet while the sound of the guqin is deep and thought-provoking. But it will be achieved at the concert. Besides music, the event will feature commentary from scholars. The audience can experience the life of ancient literati by enjoying the music while sipping tea.

Since the guqin's admission onto the rolls of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003, the Minghui Tea House has held an annual guqin concert. This year marks the 400th year since the death of playwright Tang Xianzu, who wrote The Peony Pavilion. So the concert is also a tribute to the literary giant and traditional art.