Xie Xuemei

1. Xue Shan Chun Xiao (Snowy Mountains And The Dawn of Spring)

2. Yu Zhou Chang Wan (Fishermen Singing On Their Boats As The Sun Sets)

3. Dong Ting Xin Ge (The New Song Of Lake Dongting)

4. Han Ya Xi Shui ('Hanya' Playing On A Lake)

5. Gao Shan Liu Shui (High Mountains And Springs)

6. Mei Hua San Rong (The Plum Flower Tune, in three parts)

7. Xiu Jin Bian (Golden Threaded Embroidery)

8. Liu Yang He (The River Of Liuyang)

9. Shan Dan Dan Hua Kai Hong Yan Yan (The Beautiful Scarlet Flowers Of Shandandan)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Xie Xuemei was born in Fujian Province, China. In 1990, she entered the Fujian Art Teachers School and studied under Professor Chen Maojin and the famous artist Chen Aijuan. She graduated from the music department of that school in 1993 and then went to the Academy of Art in Wuyishan City, China.

Xie made her debut as a soloist on the Guzheng in 1993. During that same year, she performed on the Chinese television program Zhong Guo You (which means 'travelling in China'). The next year, she made her second television appearance, this time on the Fujian program Evening Concert of Hua Cha Dou Cha (which means 'discussion about tea').

Xie toured through Singapore and Malaysia in 1995, where some of her performances were broadcast on television in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In July 1996 Xie appeared on Chinese television for the third time, on the Fujian program The Evening Concert of Sunlight of July.

In 1997, Xie moved to Shimane, Japan and performed on the Matsue City Citizens' Concert. Professor Shozo Kobayashi of Shimane University composed a special piece for her entitled "Beside Lake Shinji." She also performed at a celebrity charity concert in Shimane which was televised by the local station of the Japanese national broadcaster, NHK.

In April 1998, Xie entered the music department of Shimane University to study composition under Assistant Professor Tatsuya Kawasoi. Later that year, she performed on The Moon Viewing Evening Concert, which was broadcast by a local commercial television station, and gave a live performance on the Guzheng on the local NHK television station.

In 1999, Xie reprised her role on The Moon Viewing Evening Concert, which was once again broadcast on the local television. She also gave a performance on the Guzheng at The International Exchange Conference of Neighboring Countries Around the Sea of Japan.

Xie has performed on the Guzheng as a representative of the city of Matsue in concert, which was held by the cities of Matsue, Takamatu and Kurasike.

Xie is currently a graduate student in Shimane University, Japan.

Product Description
The Zheng is a traditional Chinese string instrument similar to a zither. It was popular in the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) about two thousand years ago, when it was known as the ÔQinzhengÕ. With its long history and large variety of elegant and uncomplicated compositions, the instrument has deeply impressed people. In time the instrument became known as the 'Guzheng', 'gu' meaning ancient and illustrating the refinement of the instrument.

The Guzheng was traditionally played with the right hand plucking strings on one side of the string post and the left hand pressing the strings on the other side of the string post. However, some of the traditional right-hand techniques have been borrowed by the left hand so the instrument can now be played in the traditional way or in a more modern way. The left hand enhances the tone of the instrument and also cooperates with the right hand, plucking strings to produce polyphony and other more difficult musical effects which cannot be achieved with the traditional method of playing. With this development, the breadth of expression of the instrument has been greatly enhanced, opening up a whole new direction for composition.

The continual development in performance techniques has altered make up of the Guzheng. A type of Guzheng with five strings existed during the Qin Dynasty. The number of strings was increased to 13 during the Sui (AD518-AD618) and Tang (AD 618-AD 907) Dynasties. Fourteen and 16-string instruments were developed during the Yu, Ming and Qing Dynasties (AD1616-AD1912). From 1930 to the present, the number of strings has increased to 18, then to 21, 23 and finally 25, greatly expanding the capacity of the instrument.

Along with the changes in the Guzheng's construction, industrial developments have brought about changes in the materials used for making the strings. In ancient times silk was the most widely used material. Copper wire became the main material during the middle years of the Qing Dynasty (AD1644-AD1911). From the last years of the Qing Dynasty until 1960, strings made of copper wire wrapped in silk were used extensively. In the mid 1960s strings made of steel-wire wrapped in nylon replaced other kinds of string, becoming the type of string generally used by Guzheng experts. It is believed this type of string improves the tone of the instrument.

The instrument is becoming more popular and played in more regions than ever before, being well integrated with local operas, story telling and music based on local dialects and customs. The development of various schools, each with its own style and performing techniques, has also helped to promote the instrument and to encourage further development of performance techniques. As a result, the Guzheng has influenced professional music education in China as Guzheng departments have been established in most music schools throughout the country.

The instrument has strong artistic expression, due mainly to its flexible structure and the comparative freedom and elasticity of each phoneme. The main part of the instrument is its resonator. The quality of the instrument depends on the selection of vibrating board and the arrangement of the sound beam inside the resonator.

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