Art + Music
Zither Master Jar x Haiqiong Deng
Jar with Scenes from the Story of the Zither Master Yu Boya, circa 1600-1644
Late Ming dynasty
Fahua "bounded pattern" polychrome enamel on porcelain biscuit, made in Jindezhen, Jiangxi province
Gift of A.A. Juviler, 67.15
The scene on this vessel depicts the ancient story of a famous zither master named Yu Boya who lived during the Spring and Autumn period (777 - 476 BCE). He is credited with writing two celebrated Chinese melodies for his friend Zhong Ziqi: High Mountains and Flowing Water and the Melody of the Water Immortal. We are sharing this artwork with a link to a performance of High Mountain, Flowing Water, played by Haiqiong Deng. Based in Tallahassee, Deng has performed music for the guzheng at the Norton Museum several times since 2006. Deng writes:
“The zither Yu Boya played is the 7-string guqin and the instrument I play in this video is the guzheng, which is the 21-string zither. Regardless of which instrument is used, music is a way to cultivate inner harmony, bring equilibrium, and connect to nature. The fundamental function of traditional Chinese music and art is to induce wellbeing; music and art are mediums for meditation, reflection, and pursuing an expressive life.”
About Haiqiong Deng
Haiqiong Deng is a master performer on the traditional Chinese instruments the guzheng (21-string zither) and guqin (7-string zither). She was the recipient of the Florida Folk Heritage Award (2017), the Florida Individual Artist Fellowship (2013) and the Master Artist of the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Award (2012). She was also the winner of the Outstanding Performance Prize at the Chinese National Zheng Competition in Shanghai 1995. Both of her CDs, "Mountain, Water, Sentiments - Traditional Chinese Zheng Masterpieces Performance by Haiqiong Deng” and "Echoes of Strings - Classical Indian Music by Sitar and Zheng" were nominated for the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards in "World Traditional" Category in 2014.
As an international renowned soloist and chamber musician, Haiqiong has given numerous performances and lectures at concert halls, universities, museums, and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, China, Japan, and Singapore. Her discography ranged from solo, ensemble, concerto, and cross-cultural works that being released from Sony BMG, BIS, Delos International, Capstone Records, Tribal Record, and Celebrity Music. She is also the featured artist in the chapter on Chinese music in the widely used textbook World Music: Traditions and Transformations (McGraw-Hill, 2007), by Michael B. Bakan.
Haiqiong received her Bachelor of Music from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Ethnomusicology, and Ph.D. in Musicology from the Florida State University. She has been the Director of the FSU Chinese Music Ensemble since 2001.