Throughout history, "love" has always been an eternal topic. In ancient times, there were phrases like "Harmonies Qin and Se", phoenixes singing together" to describe the deep and harmonious relationship between couples. The poem "Xiao Ya Tang Di" says, "A good wife and husband are like playing the qin and se together." The qin and se, with the qin as the body and the se as the soul, symbolize the close bond between husband and wife. Throughout history, mutual support and love have been the norm for couples. The qin and se also embody such emotions. When a wife misses her husband, she plucks the qin strings, playing a song, hoping for his return to express her longing.
XuanGuang with ingenuity, meticulously crafted craftsmanship. Launched a new design of the new guzheng - "Harmonies Qin and Se"Paying tribute to the most beautiful appearance of love with ingenuity. May it accompany you in the eternal music of love and harmony
This guzheng (Chinese zither) is made from precious Japanese Paulownia Wood that is close to 70 years old, with beautiful wood grain. Japanese Paulownia Wood thrives in cold regions and grows slower than trees in Southeast Asia, resulting in denser growth rings. When used in guzheng making, it produces distinct and mellow tones, making each shining guzheng unique.
The wood grain of Paulownia Wood infuses each shining guzheng with soul, witnessing the growth of trees in its recurring growth rings. The texture becomes more unique with age, giving each shining guzheng a one-of-a-kind life.
Using Japanese Paulownia Wood of 60-year grade for the body of the instrument is an extremely rare and precious configuration. It is an invaluable treasure that cannot be easily obtained, as the instrument is enveloped by the aura of the wood. The shining guzheng of this grade showcases its unique sound quality and beauty, constructing impenetrable sound walls that lead people to touch the soul of the instrument.
Using "Indian red sandalwood" as the headstock material is not only because of its precious rarity, but also for its wood characteristics. Indian red sandalwood is a premium variety of rosewood, known for its high density, stability, and hardness, making it the top choice for headstock material, resistant to deformation and cracking.
The front bridge is carved out of an integral piece of Indian red sandalwood. Its flawless arc is the result of numerous adjustments by the craftsman such that the tenon fits perfectly on the zheng body to facilitate optimal sound projection.
The zheng head interior features the art of yosegi-zaiku, a type of traditional marquetry originated in Hakone, Japan. Natural timbers of different colors and textures are cut into thin plates of wood, and then inlaid into the inner surface of the zheng head to create mosaics of geometrical design patterns. Yosegi-zaiku gained popularity in Hakone during the culturally rich Edo era, and has been designated as the official traditional Japanese woodcraft by the authorities since 1984. Regrettably, there are only a handful of yosegi-zaiku masters nowadays, which has led to artpieces of the craft becoming ever more precious.
The Indian red sandalwood on the zheng tail
The string holes are cast in 18K gold, which further adds to the aura of nobility and harmony of “Harmonies Qin and Se”.
The XuanGuang bridge is made of old material big red acid branch, and the zither maker crafts it by hand according to the body of the instrument. The zither made of old material big red acid branch is carefully crafted by hand, following the wood grain to create each piece, greatly improving the stability and uniformity of the zither, making the sound smooth and progressing layer by layer. The zither of Glowing Pillar is highly durable and does not easily wear out during repeated playing, enhancing the stability of the sound and preventing misalignment while playing. Such meticulous selection and intricate production process mean that the production cost of Glowing Pillar zither is several times higher than that of ordinary zithers, but in order to elevate the sound of the zither, we spare no expense.
Mounting the fringe by tenon gives the zheng body a more three-dimensional, classy look. Yet, the process is more painstaking than it seems. To ensure the wood has a smooth and lustrous surface, it needs to be polished manually over and over again, and no gap should be left between the tenon joints so as to avoid any disruption to the sound transmission. The ultimate destination of this process is beauty in both form and substance without coming across as trying too hard, and this happens to be one of the signature traits of Xuan Guang guzhengs, whose one-of-a-kind beauty can hardly be replicated.
Carving double-layer triangular engraving takes twice as much time than single-layer triangular engraving because of the ultimate precision it demands. Even a tiny mistake could lead to a complete redo of the instrument from scratch. As the interior of the zheng body is a curved surface instead of a flat one, the craftsman needs to take into consideration the contour of the body as well as the way sound is transmitted during playing. Double-layer engraving allows more surface area of the interior to come into contact with the atmosphere, thereby adding depth to the sound layers with aftertones that are more dramatic and compelling.
The sound hole on the backboard panel is also cloaked with red sandalwood to ensure that the sound comes across as solid and well rounded, rather than diffused and scattered.
