Shenren Chang survives as a qin melody title in some ancient lists, and it is also mentioned in some early poems, but as an actual qin melody it survives only in this 1549 handbook.⁴ Its story of a celestial coming to warn the legendary Emperor Yao about the dangers of flooding is not in the Shi Ji accounts of Yao or his successors, but it is in several other ancient sources.⁵

According to the preface here, the music was created by Yao to express the happiness he felt when a celestial came to warn him about potential flooding. Because Yao's successor Shun is reported to have played a five string qin, this piece ascribed to Yao appropriately uses only the lower five strings.⁶ However, the preface directly mentions not Shun but Shun's successor, Emperor Yu, famous for solving the problem of the floods.⁷

According to these sources, as quoted in the qin lyrics section of the compilation Yuefu Shiji (including Chinese original⁸), the celestial being appears before Yao while he is conducting a sacrifice.⁹ In one of the sources Yao is said to have been playing a qin, so perhaps it was his playing that brought the celestial, who proceeds to tell Yao of the danger from floods. Yao then composes a song to commemorate this event. He also summons Yu to work in the palace. When the flood eventually comes it is Yu who clears channels and solves other related problems.

Other ancient sources say that whenever a qin piece expresses pleasure it is called a chang.¹⁰ Yao was happy to have seen the celestial, so he wrote a chang.

There are recordings of Shenren Chang by Dai Xiaolian, Ding Chengyun, Ding Yang, Gong Yi (with ensemble), Xu Junyao, and Zeng Chengwei.

 
Original preface:¹¹
Compare the introduction in Yuefu Shiji¹²

00.00   1.
00.47   2.
01.21   3.
01.55   4.
02.31   5.
03.01   6.
03.31   7.
04.01   8.
04.36   end

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Shen Ren Chang 神人暢 (QQJC II/226)
25211.4 Shen Ren Chang says "qin melody name", then quotes Yuefu Shiji; 25211.3 and 7/856 shenren add nothing relevant.
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2. Linzhong Mode 林鐘調 (and Linzhong Modal Prelude 林鐘意)
For more on Ming dynasty modes see Modality in Early Ming Qin Tablature. However, as a mode title linzhong appears only here in 1549. Linzhong ("forest bell"; 14856.409 林鐘 refers to .381 林鍾, which discusses notes but not a melody) is the 8th of the 12 tones. As with Shenren Chang the main tonal centers are on 6 and 1, shifting to 1 and 5. It has at least two odd modal characteristics. As with Shenren Chang, there are many non-pentatonic tones, both making important use of 7 (natural). But whereas Shenren Chang frequently and invariably uses 4 sharp, Linzhong Yi only has 4 natural.
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3. No online image as yet.
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4. Tracing Shenren Chang
Zha Guide 22/194/-- includes only the 1549 melody. However, it is the first entry in the Qin Yuan Yao Lü melody list and in the Most Ancient section of the Seng Ju Yue list.

Poetry on the theme of Shenren Chang, in addition to the lyrics in YFSJ (see below), includes two poems (which also seem to be in the form of lyrics) with this title by Xue Jixuan (1134 - 1173), included in Qinshu Daquan, Folio 13 (QQJC V/278/9).

5. Stories about celestials warning Yao
Perhaps most prominent are the accounts in Gujin Yuelu (Old and New Records about Music) and Qin Lun (Qin Essay), mentioned further below.
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6. Emperor Yao and the qin
Note that TYDQJ has no image of a qin connected to Emperor Yao.
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7. Emperor Yao and his successors
唐堯 Tang Yao (r. 2358 - 2255; see in Wikipedia) is said to have passed over his unworthy son and granted the throne to 虞舜 Yu Shun in 2255 BCE. Shun in turn gave the throne to 大禹 Da Yu (Great Yu). The Shi Ji biographies are translated by Nienhauser in The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume I, p. 6ff. Yu is said to have worked for Yao and his successor Shun for many decades before finally succeeding the latter as first emperor of the Xia dynasty (2205-1766 BCE). For a later event in the life of Yu see the qin melody Yu Hui Tushan.

In Shi Ji, both Annals 1 and 2 (Nienhauser, op. cit., pp. 8 and 21) tell of Yao assembling the 群臣四嶽 "vassals and chiefs of the Four Sacred Mountains" to ask about solving the problem of floods. They recommend 鯀 Gun, who fails; it is Shun who eventually choses Yu.
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8. Shenren Chang in Yuefu Shiji
    樂府詩集 Yuefu Shiji (Chinese edition, p. 824) has commentary and lyrics as follows:

These lyrics, which have the structure 7+7+7+4+7+7+7 , are not used with the tablature here, and do not fit by the normal pairing method.
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9. No such sacrifice seems to be mentioned in Shi Ji.
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10. Chang 暢
See for example 大周正樂 Correct Music of the Great Zhou Dynasty, "Whenever a qin melody is created as an ensemble piece, it is called chang. It speaks of the beauty of its Dao. Chang would never dare express self satisfaction. If it is successful, it helps to share things with others." Part of this is quoted in the biography of Yao in 朱長文，琴史 Zhu Changwen's History of the Qin (古之琴曲和樂而作者命之曰暢). The biography goes on to say that if it is a sad piece it is called a 操 cao.
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11. Shenren Chang original Chinese text 神人暢中文解題

12. Although the preface here says it is quoting the same two sources used in the Yuefu Shiji introductions (in reverse order), the words are somewhat different; the lyrics are not included.
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13. Section timings are from my recording (listen).
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Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.