Page 27 - Beyond Compare Christie's Hong Kong RU WARE .pdf

horizontal, each crackle is about one to two cun apart, creating an overall appearance similar
to the lower abdomen of a snake.’ The lacquer on the lower board of the current qin also has
conspicuous snake-belly crackles, with further and finer crackles in between, which is one of
the most desirable attributes found on qin from the Tang and Song periods.

Su Shi had a turbulent life marked by a series of demotion and political exiles. In the last
year of his life on his journey from Danzhou (modern-day Hainan Island) back to the court
in Kaifeng, he writes ‘Shall one ask about the achievements of my life, they are Huangzhou,
Huizhou, and Danzhou’. The ironic undertone of the author is evident. Huangzhou, Huizhou
and Danzhou were the three places where Su Shi was exiled. Conversely, it was during these
periods of banishment that Su Shi demonstrated his most formidable genius, producing some
of the greatest literary and artistic works known to Chinese civilisation.

Su Shi’s poses two questions in a poem titled Master Shen’s qin, ‘If the sound of qin comes from the
qin, why doesn’t it produce any sound when it is in a box? If it comes from your finger tips, why
can’t I hear it?’ The answer seems naively obvious but belies rich philosophical underpinning: a
qin without a player cannot produce sound on its own, neither can a player produce the sound of
qin without the instrument. It is the meeting of the two that leads to the creation of sound. The
poem can be perceived as a reflection of Su Shi’s life, where he is the qin player, the challenges
of life are the qin, and the creation of sound being his artistic output. Su Shi responds to the
challenges like a player plucks the strings of a qin. As each qin is different, the sound produced
each time is different. Some qin are harder to master than others, but the player adjusts his skill
Mr. Hu Zifu (fourth from the left)
⣠᭑Ա⁥䢮˖ॱ๽ो䢯 according to the character of the qin and plays each instrument beautifully, as Su Shi responds to
the hostile environment with a perennial sense of contentment and happiness, producing works
reflecting such attributes that have been long respected and admired ever since.
The present qin was in the collection of Hu Zifu (1877-1972). Hu Zifu was one of the four
founders of the renowned Guangling qin society of the early Republic period. Not only was
he known for his musical talent, Hu Zifu was also an accomplished calligrapher, painter, and
scholar in many disciplines, including literature and geography. The present qin was illustrated
in the May 1937 issue of Jinyu qinkan [Journal of the Jinyu qin Society], where an image of
the qin is shown and indicated as the collection of Hu Zifu, and a caption describing the qin is
included on p. 273 which is consistent with the present qin.

ی҂ႻҎᕱߐݸ˂૶፽ණ̚ೞ፫‘ʕႭj˜̚ೞ˸ᓙ७މᗇdႊೞʔዝʞϵ๋ʔᓙfฏɮۆ
ᓙฏεf್ᓙϞᅰഃfϞஊ໖ᓙfϞ७ዑ࿚ೞࠦd޴̘אɓʂאɚʂdືື޴Чνஊ໖ɨ७f™
Ϥೞ͵Ԉஊ໖७dՉගᒔϞഹˬˣeΏ൓୚੗ᓙ७d฽Չᗭ੻fͷνࡥ҂Τೞࠠኜᓙ७ʘًf
ᘽ༲ٙɓ͛ൻᥚd࿂຾ݴ׳dίɛ͛ٙ௰ܝɓϋd੽஗൰ᔭٙψ€ʦऎیࢥᐏரΫಃࣛdᄳ
ɨə˜ਪϧุ̻͛̌dරψe౉ψe⢅ψ™ٙชԊfරψ€ಳ̏ර֥e౉ψ€ᄿ؇౉ψeޫ݊
ᘽ༲ಀ஗൰ᔭʘήdމՉ͛նʕ͛ݺ௰Ѣ཭ٙ఻ࡈචݬfᘽ༲ൖʘމՉଭุ͛̌dᒱϞІҢ
ሜԹʘจdۍɰڌ༺̈Іʉίዝ຾ࠬईܝה᜗ࢻ̈ٙІቇʘ༸ٙІႴf
ᘽ༲ಀЪೞ་ᕚӏёೞ‘ɓ࠯j˜߰ԊೞɪϞೞᑊd׳ίтʕОʔჼk߰Ԋᑊίܸ᎘ɪdО
ʔ׵ёܸɪᛓk™೵೵ٙՇ̩ʕdᘽ༲ෂ༺ə൴್ٙɛ͛ᝈfೞЪމ܄᜗d߰ೌೞ٫ᅁᅡdೌ
ج೯ᑊiೞ٫Ъމ˴᜗dӚϞೞٙπίdɰೌج௴ிᑊࠪfೞᑊٙπίd՟Ӕ׵ೞ٫ၾೞٙΪ
ᇝձΥfᘽ༲ఱνΝɓЗೞ٫dՉɛ͛ה༾ٙӊࡈ৕ྤdఱλЧʔΝٙೞdӊϣٙ޴༾dே
ึ௴ி̈ʔɓᅵٙೞᑊdӚϞவԬ৕ྤdɰӚϞ௴ிೞᑊٙყ༾fᘽ༲ߐۃԏኣረ‘ܝݬխ
Ꮠəவᅵٙᝈᓃj˜ႊਗ਼ІՉᜊ٫Ͼᝈʘdۆ˂ήಀʔঐ˸ɓᐛiІՉʔᜊ٫ϾᝈʘdۆيၾҢ
ޫೌးɰf™࿁׵ɛ͛නྤe৕ྤٙଣ༆eஈଣd၌޶ɓɛٙᝈᓃe঍ᕿf
Ϥೞމ౮ψᄿ௒ݼೞ࢕dߡಿӱ΋͛ʘᔚᔛdߡ࢕ɧ˾዁ೞdᔛೞ݅ᔮ˲ၚdဧܝהᔛ̬౳d
Ϙϋᒎᔷݴໝ࠰Ϫd݊ೞಀ፽া׵ɓɘɧɖϋ̈وʘ˜ʦ໬ೞ̊™ʕʘ̚ೞᅄஞ፽ୋɚɖɧࠫj
˜ࡥཤ˖ೞ ஹम մԒݴ˥ᓙ ږᏏ™f

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