IAK China Cultural Journey · First Stop: Chengdu

The Qin · The Heart · The Heritage · The Horizon

IAK中国文化之旅 · 第一站 成都

有琴 · 有心 · 有传承 · 有远方

In the golden season of October, the IAK Culture Association embarked on its China Cultural Journey from Chengdu — the “Land of Abundance.”

For me, this city is more than a destination; it is my birthplace, my spiritual homeland.

To return here is not merely to visit, but to listen again to the quiet pulse of tradition —

a homecoming of heart and heritage.

金秋十月，IAK文化协会的中国文化之旅，从天府之国成都启程。

这座城，是古意与烟火共生的所在，也是我生命的起点与心灵的原乡。

重回故里，于岁月的温度中，再次聆听古琴的回响——

这不仅是一场旅程，更是一场归来。

With deep reverence, we visited Mr. Tang Zhongliu, the grand master of guqin culture and my mother’s mentor — my “grand teacher.”

That morning at Ban Chi Ju — Reading Qin Terrace, autumn sunlight filtered through bamboo, mingling with the scent of ink and wood.

The courtyard breathed tranquility;

the heart of the Guqin seemed to flow through every soundless space.

我们怀着深深的敬意，拜访了古琴文化泰斗、我母亲的老师——我的太老师唐中六先生。

那日的“半池居·读琴台”，秋光静好，琴香氤氲，书卷与松影相映成趣。

故乡的风，吹过庭院；古琴的意，融入心声。

Our group represented the IAK Cultural Association —

a gathering of hearts across generations and nations.

It included myself as President of IAK,

my husband — a German and the executive director of IAK,

my mother — a student of Mr. Tang, a lifelong educator in music and vocal arts;with a heart devoted to music, she carries forward the warmth of culture.

our children — who are also IAK young scholars from Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom;

a master luthier from Yangzhou who crafts guqin for IAK,

and our dedicated cultural team.

It was a circle of family and culture —

a journey not only across lands, but across time and tradition.

同行的，是IAK文化协会的代表团队——

有我本人，作为IAK协会会长；

我的先生，一位德国人，同时也是IAK协会理事长；

我的母亲，唐老的学生，一生从事音乐与声乐教育；她以音乐之心，延续着文化的温度。

我们的孩子们，也是来自德国、瑞士和英国的IAK青年学者；

还有来自扬州、为IAK协会斫琴的制琴师；

与IAK文化团队的同仁们，共同成行。

这支跨越国界与世代的队伍，汇聚了家庭的温度、文化的深度与工艺的精神——

既是一场回乡之行，亦是一段文化的同行。

In the serene study of Ban Chi Ju, I had the great honor, on behalf of the IAK Asian Culture Association Switzerland, to present the Lifetime Achievement Award for Guqin Cultural Heritage to Mr. Tang.

It was more than an award —

it was a gesture of heartfelt reverence,an offering to a scholar who has devoted his life to the preservation and renewal of Guqin culture.

在半池居那充盈着古意与心韵的书房中，

我谨代表瑞士IAK亚洲文化协会，向唐老颁发“古琴文化传承终身荣誉奖”。

这份奖，不仅是一纸荣誉，更是一曲心的礼赞——

献给一位以学识与生命守护古琴文化的智者。

After the ceremony, Mr. Tang personally guided us through his private collection —

Guqin, manuscripts, hand-copied scores, seal imprints, and rare documents, each holding decades of history.

His words flowed like a gentle stream —

clear, unhurried, timeless —

each story carrying the fragrance of scholarship and devotion.

颁奖之后，唐老亲自带我们漫步他的收藏室。

陈列的古琴、手稿、印谱与文献，皆是他数十载心血的结晶。

他娓娓叙说，声若清泉，意若古韵，讲述着那些被时光温柔珍藏的故事——

关于琴、关于文脉、关于一生的坚守。

As the visit drew to an end, Mr. Tang presented us with his newly published books, each inscribed with warm blessings and encouragement.

His calligraphy — steady yet alive — reflected the depth and calm of his lifelong study.

Each stroke carried the quiet strength of a cultural soul that continues to inspire generations.

行将离开之际，唐老亲自赠予我们他的新著，并题字寄语。

字里行间，皆是期望与托付。

他那遒劲而沉静的笔迹，正如他一生对古琴文化的深邃探求与清明心境——

不在声，不在形，而在文心与气度之间，蕴着温润而恒久的力量，启迪后来之学人。

Later that day, Mr. Tang accompanied us to the Wuhou Cultural Museum to visit the Exhibition of his Guqin Literature Collection.

Ancient manuscripts, rare scores, and handwritten notes filled the hall with quiet brilliance.

From A Study of Bashu Qin Art and Melodies of the Qin to The Clear Sound of the Guqin and Ban Chi Ju Seal Collection —

each page embodied decades of dedication and the timeless echo of his craft.

稍后，唐老又亲自陪同我们前往成都武侯文化馆，参观“唐中六先生古琴文献收藏展”。

展厅之中，古谱与书卷静默如思，纸墨之间，岁月悠长。

从《巴蜀琴艺考略》《琴韵》《古琴清音》到《半池居印谱》《心言集》，

每一页，都如一段流动的清音，见证着他以一生心血守护文化之根。

Amid the gentle light of the gallery, I performed Wen Wang Cao — a humble offering from the heart, dedicated to my teacher and the lineage of guqin scholars before us.

Each trembling note carried reverence and gratitude —

a moment of resonance between sound and silence, heart and heritage.

在展厅温润的光影之中，我献上一曲《文王操》。

虽自觉献丑，却愿以此一曲，寄托对师者的敬意，对先贤的遥想。

那一瞬，音与心共振——一场文化的回响，一次灵魂的叩问。

The Qin, the Heart, the Heritage, and the Horizon.

Mr. Tang’s life is a living chronicle of cultural devotion.

In 1990, he founded China’s first International Guqin Art Exchange Conference in Chengdu —

a groundbreaking event that awakened the art and spirit of the qin.Since then, seven such conferences have followed, shaping Chengdu as a global center for guqin culture.

有琴，有情，有传承，有远方。

唐老的一生，是以脚步丈量文化沃土的旅程。

他曾于1990年在成都发起中国首届“古琴艺术国际交流会”，

那是中国古琴史上唤醒人心的一声清音，

唤醒了濒危的传统，也让成都成为世界古琴文化的汇流之地。

此后七届盛会相继举办，传声不辍，奠定了当代古琴复兴的基石。

Now in his nineties, Mr. Tang continues to guard the roots and soul of guqin culture —

with the gentle grace of water and the steadfast strength of iron.

He often says, “The way of the guqin lies not only in its sound, but in the heart.”

His words linger like music — steady, resonant, eternal.

九十高龄的唐老，仍以水般的温润，铁一般的信念，守护着古琴文化的根与魂。

他说：“古琴之道，不止于音，更在于心。”

此言如弦，余音不散。

This encounter was more than a visit —

it was a resonance across time and spirit, a journey of return and renewal.

From the green mountains and the ancient qin of Bashu China,

to the Rhine Valley of Switzerland;

from Ban Chi Ju in Chengdu,

to the IAK’s cultural home in the spa town of the Rhine Valley Rheintal Cottage.

Between these two havens, across mountains and rivers,the resonance continues —

not only in sound, but in heart and heritage.

Here, where East and West meet,the timeless breath of culture flows anew.

And this is the living mission of the IAK Culture Association —

to let the wisdom of East and West,

and the light of past and present,meet once again in our modern world.

这场相遇，不仅是一场拜访，更是一场跨越时空的文化回响与心灵归程。

从中国巴蜀的青山与琴韵，

到瑞士的莱茵河谷；

从成都的半池居读琴台，

到IAK在瑞士莱茵河谷温泉小镇的常设之所——莱茵谷居 。

这一往一返之间，跨越山海，亦贯通古今。

清音在此延续，文化在此再生。

在山与水的交汇之间，东方的琴心与西方的智慧彼此呼应。

这，正是IAK文化协会的初心——

让东西方的智慧，与古今的光影，在当代世界再次相遇。