Guqin

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/guqin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Not applicable (Musical Instrument)
2. What is the place of origin?Ancient China
3. How many strings does a guqin have?A guqin has seven strings.
4. Why do people play the guqin?Scholars play the guqin to practice self‑cultivation, meditate, and express refined emotions.

Zither: A stringed instrument with a flat body, played by plucking or strumming, with strings stretched across its length.
Literati: An educated class in traditional China, comprising scholars, artists, and intellectuals, for whom the guqin held significant cultural importance.
Harmonics: Clear, bell-like tones produced by lightly touching a vibrating string at specific nodal points, a key expressive technique on the guqin.
Glissando: A smooth, continuous slide in pitch from one note to another, adding a fluid quality to guqin music.