A performer plays during the Wu Jinglue guqin concert at Poly Grand Theater in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province on Nov 4. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The ancient city of Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu province held a special weekend of activities on Nov 4-5 to celebrate the talent of one of its greatest musicians, Wu Jingyue (1907-1987).

Wu was a virtuoso player of the guqin, a traditional Chinese musical instrument often called the Chinese zither.

Growing up in Zhangjiagang, a city whose history is intimately tied with the development of the guqin, Wu became one of the greatest players of the seven-stringed instrument of his day and even invented a new style of playing that was named after him: Wu pai guqin.

Zhangjiagang hosted several events to mark the 110th anniversary of Wu's birth on Nov 4-5, including two guqin concerts and a seminar on how to pass on China's musical traditions.

One of the concerts was attended by Wu Jingyue's son, Wu Wenguang, who is also the head of the China Conservatory of Music's musicology department, as well as several famous musicians.

Zhangjiagang is also helping to promote guqin culture by holding a series of special music events during the Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival.