Pingsha Luoyan (Wild Geese Landing on Sand)

The piece first appeared in a manuscript of the late Ming Dynasty. One of the most widely played pieces of the last three hundred years, it exists in scores of notational versions. The version in the Tianwenge Qinpu (Tianwenge Qin Handbook) (1876) has a note that suggests programmatic content: “The autumnal sky is high and the air is clear; the wind is calm and the sand is smooth; the clouds stretch for ten thousand miles; the wild geese fly freely in the sky, sharing the thoughts of this wanderer.” This recording is played based on the score handed down by Pei Jieqing and is played by Ho Chun-wah, Johannes with his own made Shennong Style Qin (silk strings).

Date 2013
Maker's Note Passing Wang Toi Shan in Shap Pat Heung, Yuen Long, I spied a pile of wood beams that had been recently removed from an old house stacked by the road side. One of them appeared to be the fir main beam which I thought would be good enough for making qin. I immediately asked my friends in the district to liaise with the locals and acquired the beam. The beam was then taken to Hong Kong’s last fir sawmill in Ngau Tam Mei. Master Choi Chang-sau was invited to supervise the sawing and the wood was cut into a few pieces. This qin was created from one of the pieces hewn that day. At the time of making this qin, a Shennong style qin known as Yichibo was being auctioned in the mainland. I was inspired by its simple and smooth shape and rounded elegance. I asked Master Choi for the paper pattern and created this qin based on it.
People Ho Chun-wah, Johannes
Material Type Audio
Collection The Legend of Silk and Wood: A Hong Kong Qin Story
Source Intangible Cultural Heritage Office and Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Repository Intangible Cultural Heritage Office
Note to Copyright Permission for use in Hong Kong Memory is given by Intangible Cultural Heritage Office and Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Accession No. lcs-hkqs-0224
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