The Craft of Qin Making

Through generations of practical experience, qin makers have amassed a wide range of know-how in the production process, including material selection, styling, lacquering, shaping and hollowing. Various methods for qin making are recorded in ancient archives. An exemplary work was Yuguzhai Qinpu (Yuguzhai Qin Handbook), written by Zhu Fengjie (1795-1850) of the Qing dynasty, because of the details recorded. Zhuoqintu (An Illustrated Guide to Qin Making), attributed to Gu Kaizhi (344-405) of the Eastern Jin period, offers a pictorial record of step-by-step qin making. It is interesting to note that whether it was Xu Wenjing’s technical skills passed down to Choi Chang-sau, or Choi’s passed on to his students, the lineage showed the steps to be basically the same as those in the ancient archives.

The crafting involves nine steps, viz.: Seeking, Chopping, Hollowing, Fitting, Assembling, Cement Priming, Sanding, Lacquering and Stringing.