The qin melody titles Shishang Liu Quan (Springs Flowing over Rocks) and Sanxia Liu Quan (Springs Flowing into the Three Gorges²) have been mentioned next to each other in melody lists from as early as the 6th or 7th century CE.³ Sanxia Liu Quan is also mentioned in several Tang dynasty poems (see footnote). In addition, both melodies have sometimes been connected in old sources to Bo Ya.

Because of this it is tempting to imagine a parallel relationship in which Sanxia Liu Quan (the Three Gorges are very dramatic) could have compared to Shishang Liu Quan the way the modern "72 gunfu" version of Liu Shui (said to describe the flowing streams of mountainous Sichuan) compares to earlier versions of Liu Shui descriptive of tamer streams of eastern China.

However, although this and the pairing of the titles on old lists may suggest that there might have been a melodic relationship between the two, the fact that they are listed next to each other without comment may also be evidence against such a connection. In addition, no surviving qin melodies use Sanxia Liu Quan as a title or alternate title, and none of the extant commentaries or subtitles for Shishang Liu Quan mentions Sanxia. Also, the Bo Ya stories are quite rare; and while some old writings say Sanxia Liu Quan was composed by Ruan Xian, no connection has been made between Ruan Xian and Shishang Liu Quan.

Of course, there is no evidence for or against any of the surviving versions of Shishang Liu Quan, the earliest of which was published in 1549, having any connection with the melodies indicated in the old melody lists. And the title of the Guangdong school version of this melody, Bijian Liu Quan,⁴ seems to be newer. Perhaps not coincidentally the second section of the 1549 tablature is called Bijian Lingling.

Tablature for Shishang Liu Quan has survived in at least 20 handbooks (see Appendix ⁵) from 1547 to 1894, plus two where it is called Bijian Liu Quan. Only the second, Xilutang Qintong, attributes the melody to Bo Ya. More common is the attribution to a supposed 4th century CE Daoist practioner named Liu Juanzi. The connection of Shishang Liu Quan with Liu Juanzi can perhaps be traced to a Song dynasty source, but the attribution does not appear in any handbook with the melody until the seventh one, dated 1670.⁶

A tentative study of tablature for the melody as it developed from the 16th century to the present suggests that, although all the later versions seem to remain clearly related to the earliest ones, at least at the beginning, there are so many changes throughout that my performance based on the 1549 tablature will probably not be recognizable to those familiar with the modern version.⁷

There are several recordings of the modern Shishang Liu Quan.⁸

 
Original Afterword ⁹
(Recording 聽錄音: 4.57)

 
Music (8 sections, titled ¹⁰)

1. Go to the source of a flowing stream
2. Tinkling sound of a green torrent
3. Pine trees all have the same musical sound
4. Quietly listening through an imaginary window
5. Sounds follow the flow as it changes direction
6. Winding cliffs embrace torrent beds
7. Floating flower blossoms fly about
8. Streams as pillows and rocks to rinse clean¹¹

1 石上流泉 Shishang Liu Quan (Springs Flowing over Rocks)
24574.18 only shishang; 7/980xxx; 17762.130 流泉 Liu Quan does not mention shishang. See the text above and the next footnote below its possible connection to Sanxia Liu Quan.

An interesting though probably unrelated image comes from a story about the 5th century qin player Xiao Sihua playing the qin on a rock by a clear stream. To connect this story to the melody would require translating the title as (While Playing Qin) on a Rock, a Stream Flows By. (Return)

2 三峽流泉 Sanxia Liu Quan (Springs Flowing into the Three Gorges)
The pairing of Sanxia Liuquan with Shishang Liuquan in a number of old melody lists (see below) might suggest a connection between the two titles, but there is no direct mention of this in the lists, and Sanxia Liu Quan does not seem to be mentioned in connection with any of the surviving versions of Shishang Liu Quan.

The Sanxia Liu Quan entry in Yuefu Shiji, Folio 60, #6, quotes Qin Ji saying it was created by Ruan Xian. It then has lyrics by Li Ye (see below; they are also in QSDQ, Folio 19) about listening to the melody. Poetic references to Sanxia Liu Quan on this site include poems by

• Li Ye (see above)
  Includes the line, "I recall how long ago Ruan Xian composed this tune".
• Cen Shen
  On an Autumn Evening Listening to Mountain Recluse Luo Play Sanxia Liu Quan

Xu Jian, in his discussion of Liu Shui (QSCB, p.177 [Chapter 9]), says that Tang poetic references suggest a connection between Liu Shui and Sanxia Liuquan. Both melodies have been attributed to Bo Ya, and Xu Jian suggests that the Sanxia Liu Quan attributed to Ruan Xian was actually a version of Liu Shui. But while he finds connections between Sanxia Liu Quan and Liu Shui, he makes no mention of Shishang Liu Quan.

Dictionary references:

• 10.1255 三峽 San Xia (Three Gorges; no mention of Liu Quan)
  This reference lists several Three Gorges including the most famous, the Three Gorges in the 巫山 Wushan district, on the Yangzi river in Sichuan province; it mentions Zuo Si and Li Bai but not Bo Ya (sometimes said to have had his home in Sichuan), the poems above, or anything about a melody.

  No surviving old qin tablature uses or even mentions San Xia in a title or subtitle. In fact, the Yangzi as it runs through the three gorges is hardly a spring, so the image could be one of water cascading down from the nearby slopes. This is a particularly memorable image to people who have sailed down the Yangzi during or after a rain shower, though in this case the water is not from springs (here quan may be translated as "streams").

• 17762.130 流泉 Liu Quan (Flowing Springs; no mention of Sanxia)
  This reference quotes Ban Gu and Li Bai, but also does not mention a melody or the poems above.
  (Return)

3 For the pairing of Sanxia Liu Quan and Shishang Liu Quan see the following:

1. Tang dynasty You Lan manuscript, Melody List #39
2. Song dynasty list in Qinyuan Yaolu, First Section #29/30
3. Song dynasty list of Seng Juyue, Most Ancient, #41/2
   (Return)

4 碧澗流泉 Bijian Liu Quan (Springs Flowing into a Green Torrent)
24916.231 only bijian. Bijian Liu Quan is apparently the Guangdong school version of Shishang Liu Quan, said to have been in the lost Ming handbook Gugang Yipu (see 1836). However, Zha's Guide (40/--/--) lists it as a separate melody, giving two occurences: 1828 and 1836. The 1884 preface to Shishang Liu Quan says it was by Liu Juanzi, while Bijian Liu Quan was by Zhu Xi. There are a number of modern recordings: do a net search for Bi Jian Liu Quan (popular translation: A Spring Flowing in a [Jade] Green Valley). (Return)

5 Zha's Guide 17/173/-- and 40/--/--; the former misses 1623. (Return)

6 See Appendix below. The late Qing dynasty biographical dictionary Qin Shi Bu also says that Liu Juanzi composed Shishang Liu Quan. Its source for this attribution is not clear but if it is the Gu Qin Shu by Yu Ruming it could be Song dynasty. (Return)

7 The tentative results of my examination of the available tablatures are in the Appendix below; I have carefully examined only a few of these, so the details of development of Shishang Liu Quan remain quite uncertain. One of the most notable characteristics of the modern version is the passages with left hand plucking in Sections 2 and 3 (帶起 daiqi; see the available transcription). Hints of these can also be found in Section Three of the 1549 edition, but the modern ones centered on lower positions in the 7th and 5th strings seem to date back only to <1509. There is quite a lot of variety between the versions in different handbooks. (Return)

8 There is a silk string recording of a performance by 詹澄秋 Zhan Chengqiu on the CD An Anthology of Chinese Traditional and Folk Music, Vol. 7. The transcription in GQQJ is also said to be of a performance by Zhan Chengqiu, but there are many differences. (Return)

9 The original Chinese afterword is:

10 The original Chinese subtitles are:

1. 泝源徂流
2. 碧澗泠泠
3. 松籟同音
4. 虛窗靜聽
5. 聲隨流轉
6. 縈崖抱壑
7. 浮泛飛花
8. 枕流漱石
   (Return)

11 枕流漱石 14832.18: suggests the lofty and pure inclinations of a recluse. (Return)

Return to the annotated handbook list or to the Guqin ToC.

 
Appendix: Chart Tracing Shishang Liu Quan;
based mainly on Zha Fuxi's Guide, 17/173/-- (plus Bijian Liu Quan 40/--/-- ).

琴譜     (year; QQJC Vol/page)	Further information (QQJC = 琴曲集成 Qinqu Jicheng; QF = 琴府 Qin Fu)
1. 琴譜正傳       (1547; II/433)	6 sections; 徵 zhi mode; not in 梧岡琴譜 Harmonics only in middle of Sec. 6 and at end; left hand plucks (帶起 daiqi) in Sec. 1 not like today's
2. 西麓堂琴統       (1549; III/155)	8 Sections, titled; 徵 zhi mode; Attributed to Bo Ya Sec. 1-3 rather like 1547 Sec. 1-2, then very diff.; harmonics in Sec. 7 and at end; daiqi in Sec. 3 not like today's
3. 太音續譜       (1559; III/431)	6 sections; no mode indicated; preface mentions only nature Like 1547
4. 文會堂琴譜       (1596; VI/242)	6 sections; 徵 zhi mode Like 1547
5.   真傳正宗琴譜       (<1609; VII/199)	8 Sections; 徵音 zhi yin More like 1547, but quite elaborated; Sec. 3: earliest daiqi similar to today's
6. 樂仙琴譜       (1623; VIII/400)	8 Sections, section titles similar to 1549; 徵音 zhi yin; preface has general comments Compare <1609; see daiqi in Sec. 3
7. 徽言秘旨       (1647; X/170)	8 sections; 徵音 zhi yin See daiqi in Sec. 3
(7a.) 徽言秘旨訂       (1692; X.2)	Presumably identical to previous
8. 琴苑新傳全編       (1670; XI/376)	7 sections; 徵調 zhi diao; begins as above; preface has first attribution to Liu Juanzi See daiqi in Sec. 3; pu re-copied in 1876
9. 澄鑒堂琴譜       (1689; XIV/262)	10 Sections; 徵音 zhi yin Begins as above but then quite different; daiqi mainly in Sec. 1; harmonics Sec. 8
10. 琴書千古       (1738; ?)	5 sections; 徵音 zhi yin
11. 裛露軒琴譜       (>1802; ?)	8 Sections; 徵音 zhi yin "德耕堂譜 Degengtang tablature" (? not in 1691)
12. 琴學軔端       (1828; ?)	5 sections; 徵音 zhi yin; attrib. Zhu Xi Called 碧澗流泉 Bijian Liu Quan
13. 悟雪山房琴譜       (1836)	8 Sections; 中呂均商音 zhonglü jun，shang yin Called 碧澗流泉 Bijian Liu Quan and said to be from 古岡遺譜 Gugang Yipu
14. 琴學尊聞       (1864)	7 sections; 商音宮調 shang yin, gong diao
15. 琴學入門       (1864 [facsimile])	5 sections; 中呂均商音; zhonglü jun，shang yin; related to earlier Qin Fu, p.610; modern interpretations are said to come from here
16. 天聞閣琴譜       (1876)	8 Sections; 羽音商調 yu yin, shang diao； 琴苑譜 ("Qin Yuan" [1670)
17. 天籟閣琴譜       (1876)	8 sections; 徵音 zhi yin
18. 希韶閣琴譜       (1878)	8 sections; 徵音; zhi yin; attrib. Liu Juanzi "此清之商音用變宮"
19. 雙琴書屋琴譜集成       (1884)	11 sections, including 尾聲 coda; 徵音 zhi yin preface attributes it to Liu Juanzi, says Bijian Liu Quan was by Zhu Xi
20. 希韶閣琴瑟合譜       (1890)	9 sections, including 尾聲 coda; 徵音 zhi yin has preface
21. 琴學初津       (1894)	6 sections; 商音 shang yin has afterword
22. 古琴曲集 I       (1962; p. 197)	5 sec. plus coda; staff notation said to follow 詹澄秋 Zhan Chengqiu, but somewhat different from his recording Note characteristic left hand plucks (帶起 daiqi) from lower positions on th 5th and 7th strings in Section 3
.

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