When the guzheng becomes a bridge between cultures

Sometimes, cultural exchange begins not with a grand international event, but with a simple conversation between two people.

Last semester, while teaching an Introduction to International Business at Sanming University in East China's Fujian province, I experienced such a moment with one of my Chinese students, Liu Jiaxi. During her self-introduction in the first class, she mentioned that she had been playing the guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, for more than 10 years.

Her statement immediately caught my attention because, unexpectedly, I had tried to learn the guzheng for more than a week as a hobby when I was a PhD student at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics.

My attempt did not last long. At that time, my academic schedule was extremely busy, and I soon stopped. But hearing Liu talk about her long relationship with the instrument made me look back at my own experience from a different perspective.

When she asked why I had stopped learning, I explained that pressing the strings accurately and coordinating both hands were challenging for me. I was unfamiliar with the numbered musical notation commonly used for guzheng music. As someone more accustomed to Western staff notation, I initially found the system difficult.

Interestingly, Liu had studied piano for four years and was comfortable with staff notation. For her, numbered notation was easier. This difference showed me how our cultural and educational backgrounds influence the way we experience music. What seemed unfamiliar to me was natural to her.

Our conversation gradually became a small but meaningful lesson in cultural exchange.

More than a musical instrument

The guzheng has a history of more than 2,000 years and is one of the most representative traditional Chinese musical instruments. With its long wooden body and strings, it produces a sound that can be gentle, peaceful, and deeply expressive.

A modern guzheng typically has 21 strings. Players use fingerpicks to pluck the strings with one hand, while the other hand presses them to create changes in pitch, tone, and expression. Although its basic principles may appear simple, producing beautiful music requires coordination, sensitivity, and practice.

For me, however, the guzheng represents more than music. Its sound often evokes images of flowing water, spring landscapes, ancient poetry, and nature. It reflects aspects of traditional Chinese aesthetics, including harmony, balance, simplicity, and the relationship between people and nature.

Learning the guzheng can therefore become a way of discovering Chinese culture. A learner is not simply studying musical techniques but also encountering a different artistic tradition and a different way of expressing emotion.

This is why traditional instruments can play an important role in international cultural communication.

Welcoming learners across cultures

My brief experience made me think positively about how traditional Chinese instruments can reach more international learners. Rather than seeing unfamiliar notation and techniques as barriers, we can view them as opportunities to develop new and creative approaches to cultural education.

For example, introductory guzheng courses for international learners could explain the relationship between numbered notation and staff notation. Bilingual or multilingual learning materials, visual demonstrations and digital tutorials could make the first steps easier. Beginners could also start with simple exercises before progressing to more advanced techniques.

These approaches would not change the cultural identity of the guzheng. Instead, they would make its beauty easier for people from different cultural and educational backgrounds to appreciate.

In my view, cultural exchange becomes stronger when people are given an accessible starting point. Once someone develops an interest, they can gradually explore the deeper history, techniques, and cultural meaning behind a tradition.

The guzheng has already demonstrated that traditional culture can welcome people from around the world while preserving its distinctive identity.

Young people as cultural bridges

My conversation with Liu reminded me of the important role young people can play in cultural exchange.

For more than 10 years, she has maintained her connection with the guzheng. Her knowledge of the instrument is not simply technical. It is also part of her understanding of Chinese culture.

At the same time, her willingness to discuss the instrument with a foreign teacher created an opportunity for mutual learning. I shared my difficulties, while she explained why certain aspects felt easier or more natural to her.

This kind of two-way conversation may be one of the most effective forms of cultural exchange.

International cultural communication does not always require large festivals, conferences or official delegations. Sometimes it begins in a classroom. A Chinese student introduces her culture to a foreign teacher, and the teacher shares his own experience of encountering that culture.

Such personal exchanges can reduce cultural distance because they replace abstract ideas about another culture with real human experiences.

Tradition and modernity can grow together

The guzheng demonstrates that tradition and modernity do not have to conflict.

Today, traditional Chinese instruments are being combined with modern musical styles and technologies. Guzheng performances can incorporate elements of pop music, classical music and contemporary arrangements. Young musicians are finding creative ways to introduce the instrument to audiences who may have little previous knowledge of traditional Chinese music.

This evolution is encouraging. A tradition can preserve its identity while finding new ways to communicate with younger generations and international audiences.

Preserving cultural heritage does not necessarily mean keeping it unchanged. Sometimes, allowing tradition to interact with modern life is precisely how it remains vibrant and relevant.

A one-week lesson that lasted for years

I learned the guzheng for about a week, so I certainly cannot call myself a player. Yet that short experience stayed with me. Years later, a student's simple introduction brought the memory back.

Looking back, I now understand my experience differently. My busy schedule was one reason I stopped, but unfamiliar techniques and notation also influenced my learning experience. More importantly, I realized that accessibility can encourage people to move from curiosity to genuine cultural appreciation.

If traditional Chinese culture is to reach wider international audiences, instruments such as the guzheng can serve as wonderful cultural ambassadors. Its long history, distinctive sound and connection with Chinese aesthetics give it a unique place in global cultural exchange.

But perhaps its greatest strength is its ability to create human connections.

My conversation with Liu showed me that cultural exchange is not simply about one side teaching and another side learning. It is a process of listening, comparing, questioning and understanding.

I may have stopped learning the guzheng after one week, but the instrument taught me something that has lasted much longer. Sometimes, the first step toward understanding another culture is simply being willing to try — and that first step is always worth taking.

Mohammad Saiyedul Islam, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Overseas Education (School of Foreign Languages) at Sanming University in East China's Fujian province, and a Research Fellow at the Sanming University-Shanghai International Studies University Joint Research Center for Hungarian Studies. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Daffodil International University Belt and Road Research Centre in Bangladesh.