Traditional Chinese instrument making flourishes in Guandu

An unassuming instrument workshop in Guandu is the birthplace of countless “guqins,” a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family. When it comes to discussing the art of guqin making, artisan Lin Li-zhen (林立正), who started out as a simple fisherman, has a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective. Lin embarked on this path forty years ago, when without prior skill or experience, he built a guqin for a friend.

Because Lin insists on making all his guqins by hand using meticulously selected materials, the whole process of building a guqin takes around a year. Today, in addition to building and repairing guqins, Lin is actively cultivating a new generation of guqin artisans to keep this elegant craft alive long into the future.

以下為中文對照

藏身於關渡巷弄間的琴房，乍看並不起眼，但卻是孕育出許多古琴的原點。談起製琴，林立正師父總是有他獨到的見解，但其實原本林師父也只是個普通的打魚人，直到40年前因緣際會下，幫朋友按圖索驥做出了第一把琴，才踏入了鑽研之路。

林師父製琴強調純手工製作，對材料的選擇更不馬虎，往往做一把琴就得耗費一年的時間。現在林師父除了製琴、修琴外，更積極的培育後進，希望能將這風雅的技藝傳承下去。