Fengxuan Xuanpin

(This qin handbook is) in the collection of the Music Research Department of the Art Research Institute in the Bureau of Culture;³ printed in ten folios during the Ming dynasty by Huifan⁴ Zhu Houjue.⁵ In front is Zhu Houjue's own preface and a prefatory essay, dated 1539, by Zhang Kun,⁶ a commissioner responsible for disseminating governmental policies in Shanxi province.

(N.B., This makes Zhu Houjue one of several Ming princes to have published qin handbooks.)

The first folio records most of the material concerning the qin in Song dynasty Tian Zhiweng's Taigu Yiyin. (See the material concerning the qin in Taigu Yiyin and Taigu Daquanji, found in Qinqu Jicheng, Volume 1. "Taiyin Daquan" is in fact "Taigu Yiyin Daquan", with over 154 illustrations added). Folios two through 10 are qin tablature, altogether 101 pieces.

Zhu Houjue's own preface says, "I collected tablature from all the schools and examined them. Some had mistakes in tablature so the text was confused; in others the text was wrong so the tablature didn't make sense.... So I consulted specialists to make cross references and examine the editions so that the music and text would fit...."

This explains clearly that this book was a collation of the current qin pieces of that day. The original book was printed with very high quality, and it is a very valuable tablature collection; it is also a basic source for qin tablature special collections and traditional qin essays.

Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 風宣玄品
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2. 查阜西 Zha Fuxi, edited by 吳釗 Wu Zhao.
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3. 文化部藝術研究院音樂研究所； still there?
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4. 徽藩 Huifan and 朱厚爝 Zhu Houjue (or: Zhu Houjiao; Bio/567; 1506 - 1550)
See details here.
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6. 張鯤 Zhang Kun (10026.xxx; Bio/xxx)
Few details; see his preface here.
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Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.