The Chinese guqin is a seven-stringed zither without bridges. It has a history of over 3,000 years and is a symbol of the Chinese musical tradition.

More than 100 teachers and students from Russia, Australia, Thailand, and other countries gathered at the Shandong Polytechnic College in Jining, Shandong province on Oct 28 to experience traditional Chinese zither culture.

"I've learned how to play the violin, but the Chinese zither was more difficult," said an international student from Thailand who has lived in Jining for two months. Though her Chinese is not fluent, she said she wants to go to college in China and has been trying to improve her Chinese.

The guqin is an important part of Chinese intellectual history, as it has been described in many historical literary documents and corroborated by archaeological findings. The ancient instrument was one of four arts – along with calligraphy, painting, and an ancient form of chess – that Chinese scholars were expected to master. Guqin-playing has developed into an elite form of art.

China's ancient guqin music was named an oral and intangible heritage of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization in 2003.

In 2006, the guqin was approved by the State Council to become a national intangible cultural heritage item.

More than 100 foreign teachers and students experience traditional Chinese zither culture at the Shandong Polytechnic College in Jining, Shandong province on Oct 28. [Photo/sdchina.com]