Shenzhen University professor Sha Lijing will give a free guzheng concert at Shenzhen Library tomorrow night. Audience members aged over 6 are free to attend.

The guzheng, also known as a Chinese zither, is a plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history. The modern guzheng commonly has 21 strings, is 1.6 meters long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from Paulownia wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear fingerpicks made from materials such as plastic, resin, tortoiseshell, or ivory on one or both hands.

The guzheng has gone through many changes during its long history. The oldest specimen yet discovered held 13 strings and was dated to around 500 B.C. The guzheng became prominent during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). By the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the guzheng may have been the most commonly played instrument in China.

Playing styles are first divided between northern and southern before being further subdivided into specific regional schools. Regional schools that are part of the northern style include Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, and Zhejiang. Regional schools included in the southern style include Chaozhou, Hakka and Fujian.

Examples of northern pieces include “High Mountain and Running River” and “Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace” from the Shandong school. Southern style can be represented by “Jackdaw Plays With Water” from the Chaozhou school and “Lotus Emerging From Water” from the Hakka school. Many pieces have been composed since the 1950s both with new techniques and mixing elements from the north and the south, ultimately creating a new modern school.

At tomorrow’s concert, Sha will play the Zhejiang school pieces.

Time: 7-9 p.m., March 29

Venue: 5/F, Shenzhen Library, Futian District (福田区深圳图书馆五楼)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit A(SD News)