THERE is an old saying in China, says Bell Yung, the avuncular, twinkle-eyed professor and Kwan Fong Chair in Chinese Music at the University of Hong Kong. 'It translates as something like 'playing the qin for the cows'.' Perhaps the nearest English equivalent would be to cast your pearls before swine. And indeed, the qin is a pearl of great price - the rarest and most esoteric of all the traditional Chinese musical instruments.
Now, for the first time, 50 of these fascinating instruments from the world's biggest collector of qin - local businessman Shum Hing-shun - will be performed and displayed for the Hong Kong public in an exhibition dubbed Gems Of Ancient Chinese Zithers. Some of the instruments to be played date as early as the 10th century AD.
The recital, at the university's Fung Ping Shan Museum, will feature performances by Mr Shum, Professor Yung and fellow members of the Deyin Qin Society, Cheung Lai-chun, Lau Chor-wah, Son Si-tai and Tse Chun-yan. The society is also producing a CD of qin music.
Professor Yung says the qin is unique among the world's musical instruments in that it has an uninterrupted history of performance dating back more than 3,000 years. 'It has always been something played by the elite, for the elite. Confucius is recorded as having loved music played on the qin.' The instruments range in length from 120 to 135 centimetres. The qin is basically a long, tapered hollow wooden box, with seven silk strings. It is played sitting down, much like a slide guitar without the frets - although the comparison would horrify qin purists. The sound is nothing like that of twanging steel strings, however - the blend of silk and ancient timber produce a haunting, almost mesmeric murmur.
Qin are coated with a special blend of lacquer and ground deer horn, which over the centuries ages to give them a gorgeous marbled and slightly crazed pattern.
'This is why they are prized as pieces of art as well as musical instruments,' Professor Yung says. 'The strings are tuned by pegs, like a guitar. Because they are made of silk, they are extremely sensitive to temperature and humidity. In fact, even as you are playing, the humidity from your breath can quickly cause the strings to get out of tune.