AS rain falls, two great warriors stand face to face, neither moving nor speaking as they engage in a powerful mental battle waged to the plucked string music of a guqin (zither) played by a blind man.

For an hour the inner battle goes on while the warriors stand still, eyes closed. Rain falls on a black tile roof and on a dark green stone floor. It drips into water vats.

"Loud is its sound, but never a note it played," warrior Wu Ming later quotes Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu as saying.

The music becomes faster, stronger and louder and at the climax, all the seven strings of the guqin break. The warriors open their eyes and wield their weapons. Eventually Wu Ming fatally stabs Chang Kong.

This interior battle scene is a highlight of the Chinese film "Hero" (2001) directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Jet Li as Wu Ming and Donnie Yen as Chang Kong. The part of the old, blind guqin player was taken by Xu Kuanghua (1917-2007), a guqin master of the Zhejiang School.

The scene focused attention on the guqin, an ancient traditional instrument with seven strings, likened to a zither. It was the instrument of scholars and literati, who played it for reflection and self-cultivation - it was not a popular instrument to be played for an audience. The guqin is considered the essence of Chinese musical arts. It can have an ethereal, lingering quality or it can mimic the sounds of battle. Usually, it is played as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.

The guqin is sometimes called the "instrument of the sages," since Confucius also played it, as well as the "father of Chinese music."

For the most authentic performance, director Zhang turned to Xu Kuanghua, at the time considered the authority on guqin.

The instrument's original name was qin, meaning a zither, but the name was applied to many instruments and the prefix gu, meaning ancient, was later added for clarification.

Over the centuries many qin schools developed in various geographic regions. Styles of playing and composition vary considerably.

Of all the schools, the Zhejiang School of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) is considered the oldest. It is famous for the elegance of its melodies and the clarity of "cleanness" of technique.

Xu Yuanbai, Xu Kuanghua and Xu Junyue are known as representatives of three generations of the Zhejiang School in modern times. The family home is Hangzhou. Today only Xu Junyue is living. He is the director of the West Lake Qin Society.

Shanghai Daily visits Xu Junyue at his home, which is also the headquarters of the West Lake Qin Society initiated by his grandfather Xu Yuanbai half a century ago.

"After the movie 'Hero,' many people became aware of the guqin," Xu says.

It sounds strange that the "father of Chinese music" was not better known by many Chinese people, but in fact, the instrument was limited to scholars and always played solo to cultivate a player's mind and taste. If it wasn't played solo, it was only played before one or two friends.

Zhejiang school

West Lake Moon Association (the former of West Lake Qin Society) was founded by Xu Yuanbai and his friends, including Ma Yifu, renowned philosopher, calligrapher and linguist, and Zhang Daqian, a famous modern painter. The aim of the society is to protect traditional Chinese culture and pass on the Zhejiang School of guqin.

Though it was the earliest school, the Zhejiang School declined during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Xu Yuanbai learned to play from a monk master Da Xiu; he then visited other guqin masters around the country and developed his own style to revive guqin of Zhejiang School.

The art of guqin was halted during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) because it was considered an individualistic, aristocratic and feudalistic tradition. It was revived in the 1980s when Xu Kuanghua and Song Jinglian, master of the vertical bamboo flute, were invited to perform in Hong Kong. The performance was a huge success and their performance of "Si Xian Qu" ("Memorializing the Sage") was honored by UNESCO.

In 1986 the West Lake Qin Society was founded. In 1992 it organized the country's first guqin competition.

In 2003, guqin music was named a masterpiece of humanity's intangible heritage by UNESCO. Guqin was played in 2008 at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Today and tomorrow

Xu Junyue started learning the guqin when he was six, studying with his grandmother Huang Xuehui and father Xu Kuanghua. He studied with other masters.

Xu has been promoting guqin in many kinds of activities.

The West Lake Qin Society has around 500 members and Xu himself has taught around 1,000 students. He has performed in many countries.

Though guqin is considered a noble instrument, the techniques are not difficult to master, what's important is the sentiment.

"We say that if you want to learn, you can master the skills and if you are fascinated, then you can learn well," Xu says.

Times change, but guqin lovers are similar. Xu says his students are mostly scholars, university teachers, officials and business owners. Many are obsessed.

One woman takes a three-hour trip each weekend to attend class. A manager of a luxury restaurant almost gave up work - he only wanted to play the guqin, eat and sleep. His partners had to order him back to work.

Many people who take up guqin are familiar with other aspects of Chinese culture, such as go (Chinese chess), tai chi, Chinese painting, calligraphy and tea ceremony.

"Guqin perfects one's spirituality and behavior - that's why it's so appealing and why it doesn't appeal to the masses," Xu says.

There are few new compositions. Since guqin culture is considered profound, not many ordinary composers dare to make guqin music and most guqin players don't know how to compose.

"My grandfather laid the foundation, my father consolidated it, and it is my job to protect, promote and develop the art," Xu says.

Xu is compiling an elementary textbook of guqin. He plans to write more books, compose more pieces and to find lost guqin tablatures.

His son is studying at the Xi'an College of Music, majoring in guqin.