After Li Yuan established the Tang dynasty (see chart) he enfeoffed his son Li Shimin as Prince of Qin and also appointed him Chief Guardian of the Emperor. In this capacity (i.e., before Li Yuan abdicated, allowing his son to become the Tang dynasty Taizong emperor in 626), in order to promote good government after the unrest accompanying the change of dynasty, Li Shimin brought together 18 scholars to advise the government. He appointed Du Ruhui (Wiki) to be first among them.

During the reign of the emperor Tang Xuanzong (r. 713 - 756) this group was formally organized as the Hanlin Academy (Wiki). Joining the academy became known as called "ascending Yingzhou".

Because, in classical Chinese, pronunciation of the word for crane (hok in Cantonese but in Mandarin "he") is the same as the that of the word for study (xue in Mandarin), in art a common motif is to have 18 cranes as an allusion to the 18 scholars.⁵ As for 18 scholars themselves, another common motif is to have 18 scholars depicted in an elegant gathering or otherwise engaging in the "Four Arts".⁶

Two versions of this piece are played here, dated 1525 and 1530.⁷ These are the earliest two of the five versions known to have survived. All five date from the Ming dynasty, as follows:⁸

1. Xilutang Qintong (1525)
2. Faming Qinpu (1530)
3. Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539)
4. Longhu Qinpu (ca. 1571)
5. Wenhuitang Qinpu (1596)

• 1530 has the only version with the complete title, Shiba Xueshi Deng Yingzhou; 1571 titles it Shiba Xueshi (18 Scholars) while the other three simply title it Yingzhou, a fabled island of immortals in the Eastern Sea.⁹
• The earliest of these, 1525, seems the most different from the others. It is also the only one without lyrics. However, all five seem to have some musical connection, particularly in the opening phrase.¹⁰
• The melodies from 1530 and 1539 are clearly related throughout (in spite of the different lyrics).
• The versions from 1571 and 1596 are perhaps even more similar to each other. On the other hand, their lyrics are quite different from those of the other two (1530 and 1539), the lyrics of which are also quite different from each other.¹¹
• There is commentary only in 1525 and 1571. Both are short, and neither says anything about the origins of either the lyrics or the melody itself.¹²

The variety of these versions, in both music and lyrics as well as title, suggest that both the theme and the melody were quite popular at the time. However, no version of the melody was picked up by any of the qin schools active at that time; it is perhaps for this reason that the melody did not survive into the Qing dynasty.¹³

The style and content of the 1530 version of this melody, in addition to its stylistic connections to the version in 1539, is quite strikingly similar to that of another piece from 1539, Great Ming United).

 
Original commentary¹⁵
From 1525 (none in 1530, but see 1571).

 
Music, section titles and lyrics: 1525 and 1530

1. Eighteen Scholars Ascend Yingzhou (十八學士登瀛州 Shiba Xueshi Deng Yingzhou)
Only the 1530 version of this piece uses this full title. The earliest surviving version, dated 1525, calls it simply 瀛州 Yingzhou while the 1530 Table of Contents refers to it as 學士登州 Xueshi Deng Zhou. None of the dictionary references for the full or partial titles mentions a melody.

Further details on these references:

See also mention of references in art.
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2. Shang mode (商調 shangdiao)
Xilutang Qinpu includes this melody under shang mode and it indeed has standard shang characterestics (relative tuning 1 2 4 5 6 1 2 with 1 being the main tonal center and 5 secondary; in addition, the note 2 (shang) often leads to 1. And Faming Qinpu does not arrange piece by mode and (as here) generally does not name them, its melody also has shang characteristics and other versions group it under shang as well. For further information on this mode see Shenpin Shang Yi
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3. 18 Cranes represent 18 Scholars

The image above shows four sides of a ceramic pen or brush holder from Jingdezhen; the title is on the side shown here upper left: 十八學仕 18 Scholars. In contrast, the ceramic piece shown at right and discussed next shows six cranes from the same source. In Cantonese (the pronunciation of which is said to be closer to that of early Chinese than modern Chinese is) both "學 study" and "鶴 crane" are pronounced "hok"; in this context cranes can be called 鶴士 Mr. Cranes.
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5. Cranes as Scholars
In contrast to the 18 Cranes at top and discussed just above, the ceramic brush holder at right (also from Jingdezhen) has six cranes (2+4) on its four sides. Here the title is 六公同(套?) Six Worthies Form a Group: here 4 + 2 cranes stand for the 18. The text on the two of the other sides is not yet translated.
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6. Artistic representation of the four arts
To supplement the images under Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar there is good commentary on this in English on pp. 43-53 of Scarlett Jang, Representations of Exemplary Scholar-Officials, Past and Present, in Liu and Ching (ed), Arts of the Sung and Yüan; Princeton, The Art Museum, 1999. cx
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7. Two versions
Normally I focus on the earliest version of any melody I reconstruct, but when I originally worked on this title in around 2013 the general assumption was that Xilutang Qintong was published in 1549. It was only after I had reconstructed the 1530 version that I discovered that Xilutang Qintong actually dated from 1525. I reconstructed the 1525 version in 2019 and have also put my recording first.

One reason I usually don't do two versions of the same piece is that this can be confusing. However, these two versions are different enough that this should not be a problem.
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8. Tracing 十八學士登瀛洲 Shiba Xueshi Deng Yingzhou (Zha Fuxi's Guide [Shiba Xueshi 15/157/341] lists four occurrences of the present melody and it is also in Longhu Qinpu, making five in all.)
Here are some further details on these five versions:

1. 西麓堂琴統 Xilutang Qintong (1525; Ying Zhou; III/122; pdf of tablature)
   
   • Shang mode; played here; stylistically related to later versions but seems very different
   • Six titled sections
   • This (see above) and 1571 (see below) are the only versions with commentary
   • No lyrics; the only one of the five to have none.

2. 發明琴譜 Faming Qinpu (1530: Shiba Xueshi Deng Yingzhou; I/393; pdf of tablature)
   
   • Mode not named, but shang characteristics; also played here, after the 1525 version.
   • Five untitled sections, but Section Two seems like two separate sections
     (Also: compare Sections 4 and 5 to the two parts of Section 2; also compare 1539)
   • No commentary
   • lyrics.

3. 風宣玄品 Fengxuan Xuanpin (1539; II/117)
   
   • Grouped with shang mode, melody quite similar to 1530 throughout.
   • No commentary
   • Six titled sections (divides Section 2 of 1530 into two sections):
     1. 大唐學海 Da Tang Xue Hai
     2. 時謂登仙 Shi Wei Deng Xian
     3. 士按三才 Shi An San Cai
     4. 圖形二九 Tu Xing Er Jiu
     5. 君臣聚會 Jun Chen Ju Hui
     6. 重貴尊賢 Zhong Gui Zun Xian
   • No commentary
   • Completely different lyrics.

4. 龍湖琴譜 Longhu Qinpu (ca. 1571; QF/235)
   
   • Shang mode
   • Six untitled sections
   • Short commentary
   • Lyrics are again almost completely different (compare 1696).

5. 文會堂琴譜 Wenhuitang Qinpu (1596; VI/212)
   
   • Grouped with shang mode but again very different: perhaps closest to 1525 but with lyrics.
   • Nine untitled sections
   • No commentary
   • Lyrics similar to those of 1751: those of Section 1 are identical to 1571 Section 1, but later they have differences, especially as they are split into 9 sections.

I have not yet examined all five versions in great detail. A reconstruction by Chen Qinglong in Taiwan of the 1539 version (also done without the lyrics; search for "十八學士登瀛州" "陳慶隆") can be heard online; his interpretation is much slower than mine, more like a meditation than a song.
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9. Variety of titles
This perhaps stengthens the likelihood that there were other versions that were perhaps played and/or even hand-copied but have not survived.
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10. Earliest surviving version: 瀛州 Yingzhou, in Xilutang Qintong, 1525
The six sections of this version show clearly why the 1530 version should be divided into six sections, with 1525 Section 2 really considered as two sections. This can easily be seen by comparing my recording from 1525 (transcription still needs editing) with that from 1539. Although after the first eight notes the melody is very different, it still shares many characteristics:

• Six sections, with Section 1 related to Section 4, 2 to 5 and 3 to 6.
• Sections 1 and 4 of both versions are largely in harmonics
• Section 3 of 1525 has an unusual number of occurrences of the note 4 (fa)
• 1525 seems to use the note re (2, shang) as a leading note to 1 (do)

Closer analysis of the differing versions will certainly provide more material for comparison.
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11. Four sets of lyrics
The lyrics of 1530 are given here and will be translated above. The other three are as follows:

1. 1539 lyrics
   1. 大唐學海
      龍鳳之姿，恩濟世，惠博施，喜儒臣，開學舘，學士會於斯時。
   2. 時謂登仙
      名仙行儒，堯舜禹孔孟眞吾師，登瀛洲難至因名之，每論治平策，不及昏默詞，幸際聖明時。
   3. 士按三才
      聖明君好學，集賢士遐邇，賢者至。按三才六位輪一次，王暇日輙至。論道德，夜分時，美玉售於斯。致君堯舜當為之，修齊治平事，陳王前，念在茲。元首明時，股肱良時，明時幸遇之時。
   4. 圖形二九
      圖畫十八賢，號神仙。閻立本繪像，褚亮贊其言。誠經濟之良規，非荒塘之虛玄，當時人慾入列隔弱水三千難。
   5. 君臣聚會
      君臣討論綱常理，朝暮於其間，共三番直日，杜如晦最為先。啟齒唾珠玉，觀書見聖賢，嘉猷陳王前。天上鳴琴瑟，日邊論簡篇，孰雲不是仙。
   6. 重貴尊賢
      十八士錦心繡口，對天顏才德兼全，聖天子崇儒重道，好學不倦。文學舘，集英賢，糾謬繩愆，君臣朝夕間。講道德而開筵，難矣哉，賢才眾多斯為盛，當時人號瀛洲仙，貽芳名，萬古流傳。

2. 1571 lyrics

   1. 開府置屬，只見天下海宇昇平。崇文學，蒐羅俊英，禮延納一十八人。三番值宿，五夜究遺經，眞英主大唐之盛。
   2. 一個個都是人中龍，文中虎，斐然孔思周情，當代文章，志氣凌雲，風流人豪誰與論。百川那歸學海，三峽也湧詞文。杜如晦和那房玄齡，顏相時和那陸德明，孔潁達和那盖文達， 卓冠羣英。
   3. 文光那射斗牛，筆陣也掃千軍。金馬那東風軟，明月也玉堂清。玉堂金馬沐榮恩，時人擬之如登瀛。
   4. 蓬萊浪苑瀛洲處，弱水之東三萬里。驂鸞跨鶴而來，乘氣馭風而去，非仙不能到。想諸公陪聖主，三槐九棘，與仙無異。
   5. 天顏瞻咫尺，環珮響鏗鏘。褚亮蘇勗薛收姚氏思廉，李氏守素，于氏志寧，立本根如元敬，想他們鷺序鴛班，玉階仙伏。
      蔡兄恭和那虞世南，李玄道和那蘇世長，十八人列其行，日光那明紫綬，霞彩那煥金章。趨朝時香滿袖，待漏時靴滿霜，有時節登金門，有時節步玉堂，好風光。
        朝朝那青瑣院，夜夜也廣寒遊，碁敲夜月，琴操南薰，壺聲嚮徹一天秋，忘情日月，紫霞甌內長春景，得意乾坤，碧桃花底醉也方休，荷登瀛洲。
   6. 當年他輩，何日吾遊，上國悠悠，月中鼓舞，天上風流，桃花浪捲彩雲浮，平地一聲雷吼，獨步占鰲頭，逐飛龍霖雨，蒼生彌綸宇宙。
      四海歌謠，天長地久，何須三島，天下瀛洲。

3. 1596 lyrics (The lyrics are very similar to 1571 but are rearranged into nine sections)

   1. 開府置屬，只見天下海宇昇平，崇文學蒐羅俊英，禮延納一十八人，三畨直宿，五夜究遺經，眞英主大唐之盛。
   2. 一個個都是人中龍，文中虎，斐然孔思周情。當代文章祖，志氣凌雲，風流人毫的那誰與論，百川的歸學海，三峽的涌詞文。
   3. 杜如晦和那房玄齡，顏相時和那陸德明，孔潁逹和那郝文逹，卓冠羣英，
      文光的射鬥牛，筆陣的掃千軍，金馬的東風軟，明月的玉堂春，玉堂金馬沐恩榮，時人擬之如登瀛。
   4. 蓬萊浪苑瀛洲處，弱水之東三萬里，驂鸞跨鶴而來，乘騎馭風而去，非仙不能至，想諸公陪聖主，三槐九棘，與仙無異。
   5. 天顏瞻咫尺，環佩的那向鏗鏘，褚亮，蘇勗，薛收，姚氏思廉，李氏守素，和那于氏志寧，許敬宗和那薛元敬，想他們鷺序鴛班，玉堦仙仗。
   6. 蔡允恭和那虞世南，李道玄和那蘇世長，十八人的那列其行，日月的明紫綬，霞彩的煥文章。趨朝時香滿袖，待漏時靴滿霜，有時節登金門，有時節步玉堂，風光，風光，好風光。
   7. 真箇是朝朝的青鎖闥，日日的廣寒游，棋敲夜月，琴操南熏，壺聲向徹的那一天秋，忘情日月，紫霞甌內長春景，得意乾坤，碧桃花下醉方休，何啻瀛洲，時人擬之登瀛洲。
   8. 當年他輩，今日吾儕，上國悠悠，上國悠悠，月中的那鼓舞，天下的那風流，桃花浪煖彩雲浮，桃花浪煖彩雲浮，平地一聲雷吼，獨步占鰲頭，遂飛龍霖雨，濟那蒼生，彌綸宇宙。
   9. 四海歌謠，天長地久，何須三島，不必瀛洲，天下率土緫瀛洲，登瀛洲，闡入絲桐，萬古千秋。
   
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12. Two commentaries
Of the five surviving versions there are commentaries only in 1525 and 1571. 1525 is above. That of 1571 is as follows:

Neither of these says anything about the origins of the melody or anything that shows its connection (other than the title) with the other versions discussed here.
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13. Popularity
The melodies, at least of 1525 and 1530, are quite appealing, straightforward and not difficult to play. They are thus quite suitable for beginners.
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15. Preface
Faming Qinpu has no commentary for any of its melodies.
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16. Further comment on the music of 1530
In 1530, Sections 1 and 3 are completely in harmonics, while in 1539 the comparable harmonic sections (1 and 4) end on a stopped note, the same note that begins 1530 Sections 2 and 4. My musical interpretation of this is that each of these two notes should be held long enough that they are naturally heard as transition notes not necessarily belonging to either the section before or the section after.

Related to this is the fact that my phrasing and rhythms used here in the 1530 version are influenced by the traditional word-for-stroke pairing method (described above) that was used for almost all traditional qin songs. As indicated in the previous paragraph, my understanding of this method seems to require that the first word sung in Sections 2 and 4 of the 1530 version be sung in such a way that, if you ignored the words, these notes might also be interpreted as the last notes of the previous sections.

In general, the pairing method for qin songs and the variety of versions under this title leave it unclear as to whether this piece is really using a melody intended actually to be sung, at least as a qin song with these lyrics.
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17. 十八學士登瀛洲歌詞 Chinese lyrics from 1530 (聽錄音 －未唱的； pdf)
The original Chinese lyrics from Faming Qinpu are as follows.
Ming dynasty lyrics are generally applied to qin music following a largely syllabic formula, described here, that pairs syllables to right hand strokes and certain left hand plucks but not to slides; Faming Qinpu pieces such as this one are different in that they also apply syllables to slides, making the music even more word intensive. It should also be noted that there is no existing commentary on how or even whether they were ever actually sung. Punctuation here largely follows that given in Zha Guide (341), but the line by line arrangement below follows the phrasing of my musical interpretation, which generally but not completely follows the rhyme scheme. Repeated punctuation marks such as ， ， mean that there were instructions for the previous musical phrase to be repeated; // means a whole line or two is repeated. It is not clear whether it was intended that the lyrics also be repeated (but note that in the last section a line including its lyrics are written out twice rather than having the instruction "play again").

18. Translation
Thanks to 章琛 Zhang Chen for her translation of Sections 2 to 4. The recording of the 1530 version was made in 2011; her translation was done in 2021, around the time I recorded the 1525 version.
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