Art of Silk and Wood

Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin period was said to be the author of the Zhuoqintu (Illustration of Qin Making). A Song Dynasty silk copy currently resides in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This extracted piece of scroll - sharpening a blade is from a fair copy made by Li Fei, a member of the Choi Chang Sau Qin Making Society. The Zhuoqintu depicts different scenes of ancient literati directing craftsmen in the process of qin making. People in the painting are chopping wood, making strings, or testing the qin. Some can be seen observing and giving instructions. Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin period was said to be the author of the Zhuoqintu (Illustration of Qin Making). A Song Dynasty silk copy currently resides in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This extracted piece of scroll - hollowing the cavity belly is from a fair copy made by Li Fei, a member of the Choi Chang Sau Qin Making Society. The Zhuoqintu depicts different scenes of ancient literati directing craftsmen in the process of qin making. People in the painting are chopping wood, making strings, or testing the qin. Some can be seen observing and giving instructions. Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin period was said to be the author of the Zhuoqintu (Illustration of Qin Making). A Song Dynasty silk copy currently resides in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This extracted piece of scroll - string making is from a fair copy made by Li Fei, a member of the Choi Chang Sau Qin Making Society. The Zhuoqintu depicts different scenes of ancient literati directing craftsmen in the process of qin making. People in the painting are chopping wood, making strings, or testing the qin. Some can be seen observing and giving instructions. Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin period was said to be the author of the Zhuoqintu (Illustration of Qin Making). A Song Dynasty silk copy currently resides in the Palace Museum in Beijing. This extracted piece of scroll - tone testing is from a fair copy made by Li Fei, a member of the Choi Chang Sau Qin Making Society. The Zhuoqintu depicts different scenes of ancient literati directing craftsmen in the process of qin making. People in the painting are chopping wood, making strings, or testing the qin. Some can be seen observing and giving instructions. Selection of materials is of the utmost importance in the process of qin making. The material has to be particularly “light, porous, crisp, and smooth”. Naturally air-dried old Chinese fir, Chinese parasol and Chinese catalpa, that have been stored for years are the best materials for making a qin. On top of possessing good sound qualities, naturally air-dried wood seldom cracks. The top board of the qin is usually made of Chinese fir or Chinese parasol; the bottom board is usually made of Chinese catalpa or other hardwood. The wood for making the qin should have smooth grain lines and even width. There should be no knots or moth damage to the wood. This photo shows the first step of qin making process which was demonstrated by Choi Chang-sau.