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Artist
Xiang Zuhua
1+ albums
chineseyangqinZhengyangquin
about
Xiang Zuhua (项祖华, 1934 – 2017) was one of modern China’s foremost yangqin (hammered dulcimer) virtuosi, composers, and educators. Born in Nanjing, he began studying the yangqin as a child and soon showed exceptional aptitude, mastering both Jiangnan sizhu chamber style and the emerging conservatory repertoire. After the founding of the People’s Republic, he joined the Central Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra, later becoming a soloist and arranger with the China Broadcasting Traditional Instruments Orchestra, where he helped define the modern concert role of the yangqin. Across more than five decades of performance, Xiang Zuhua developed a distinctive style noted for its clarity, rhythmic vitality, and expressive lyricism. His best-known compositions and arrangements include Su Wu Tending Sheep, Spring Morning in the South, and The Silvery Moon on the Tianshan, all of which became staples of the instrument’s repertory and were featured on national radio and in the Masters of Traditional Chinese Music series. As a pedagogue, he trained generations of leading dulcimer players and contributed to standardizing notation and teaching materials for the instrument. His artistry helped elevate the yangqin from a folk and ensemble instrument to a respected solo voice within China’s modern orchestra tradition, ensuring his place among the central figures of 20th-century Chinese instrumental music. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional ter