Since the modern Meian Qin School developed from the Zhucheng school, whatever its date Longyinguan Qinpu is often referred to as a proto-Meian school handbook: it contains what seem to be the earliest surviving versions of eight of the melodies later published in the popular Meian Qinpu (1931, plus later editions). There are several more handcopied qin manuscripts connected to the Zhucheng school that were apparently written after Longyinguan Qinpu but before Meian Qinpu; at least one of these is known still to exist.⁷

The only original copy of Longyinguan Qinpu is in the Van Gulik collection at Leiden University.⁸ It has two folios, with essays in the first folio and eight melodies in the second. On the opening page is the statement:

According to Dai Xiaolian, Yue Lian was a Buddhist monk and well-known qin player from the Wuxi area (around Taihu) who was active about a century before 1799. Thus if this tablature has passed down unchanged since this Yue Lian, the music might even date from the late 17th century. However, in a later article Yan Xiaoxing (see reference) argues that this is unlikely, naming as one other possibility an early 19th century Yue Lian, a female Daoist monk.

Then in the last column of the table of contents (fourth page of the handbook) are the following two statements:

It is not clear how trustworthy that date is considered with regard to the actual tablature in that handbook. Lieberman relates the common belief that this was the handbook of Wang Binlu (1867 - 1921). The earliest known Zhucheng players are the two Wangs born in 1807, mentioned below under Qinpu Zhenglü. If these dates are correct, in particular 1799 for the surviving copy of Longyinguan Qinpu, this would mean that the Zhucheng characteristics were developed earlier than was previously thought. On the other hand, the handbook might turn out simply to be an early handbook that happened to be used by the players who eventually formed the Zhucheng school, and perhaps the version we have already incorporates changes made by Wang Binlu, without identifying the original versions. Perhaps a study of other early Zhucheng handbooks would provide further details about this.

The Longyinguan Qinpu opening page lists the eight melodies it has in Folio 2. Below they are compared to their versions in the 1959 edition of Meian Qinpu:

	1.  Pingsha Luo Yan	6 sections + coda; Meian #10 generally follows Longyinguan note for note, but it adds some ornaments and changes many single notes to 2-note unisons or octaves. Meian also divides two sections differently and adds a Section 6 not in 1799.
	2.  Changmen Yuan	6 sections + coda; Meian #9 (see separate introduction) differs little, adding some ornamentation and dividing two sections differently. It does not appear in non-Zhucheng school handbooks.
	3.  Guanshan Yue	1 section, with instructions to repeat it; Meian #1 is almost same but divides it into 2 sections plus coda then instructions to "再作玉環體 repeat the jade disc structure". It does not appear in non-Zhucheng school handbooks. See separate introduction.
	4.  Qiu Gui Yuan	3 sections + coda; Meian #5 Qiuye Chang ("also called Qiu Gui Yuan") is almost the same. This melody is unrelated to the earlier Qiu Gui or Qiu Gui Yuan, and it does not seem to appear in non-Zhucheng school handbooks. The melody uses many finger rolls (lun) and Xu Lisun's 1959 preface says that according to Wang Yanqing (1867-1921) this melody was arranged from the pipa repertoire.
	5.  Xia Xian You	10 sections + coda; Meian #12 is almost identical. The tuning method (taicu: lower the 1st, 3rd and 6th strings) is mentioned elsewhere in the handbook. Very different from the earliest related melody, the Baji You of 1589. The version in 1864 is almost identical but I have not traced the source of this version further.
	6.  Chun Gui Yuan	3 sections + coda; Meian #6 Yulou Chunxiao is only a few notes different; the tuning method (raised 5th string) is given elsewhere in the handbook. It does not appear in non-Zhucheng school handbooks.
	7.  Qiujiang Ye Bo	4 sections + coda; Meian #8 is almost the same. The tuning method (lowered third string) is given elsewhere in the handbook. Despite changing this tuning method and also changing the earlier fa notes to mi, the melody is still quite similar to that of the Qiujiang Ye Bo of 1614.
	8.  Dao Yi	12 sections + coda; Meian #13 is almost identical. The tuning method (called wuyi but actually the same as guxian: raise the 2nd, 5th and 7th strings) is given elsewhere in the handbook. Not related to Dao Yi Qu, but clearly related to the Dao Yi surviving from 1589).

From the above it can be seen that the main difference between these melodies and those in the modern Meian Qinpu is that the latter sometimes show some elaboration. The reason for this lack of change is perhaps the fact that the Zhucheng school handbooks before Meian Qinpu were all hand-copied, and this available mainly to students within that school. Melodies in printed handbooks, with their wider circulation, would get absorbed into different schools and thus show more change over time.

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. Qin Handbook of the Dragon Hum Mansion (龍吟館琴譜琴譜 Longyinguan Qinpu)
Included in the 2010 QQJC. Other translations of the title include Qin Tablature of the Mansion of the Singing Dragon, Qin Tablature of the Dragon Chant Study, etc. Studies of this handbook in Chinese include:

1. 戴曉蓮 Dai Xiaolian: 荷蘭存見的古琴譜與高羅佩
2. 謝小苹 Xie Xiaoping: 海外發現《龍吟館琴譜》孤本—為慶祝梅庵琴社創建60年而作。
3. 嚴曉姓 Yan Xiaoxing: 《龍吟館琴譜》補說

There is said also to have been a Longyinguan Incomplete Handbook (龍吟觀殘譜 Longyinguan Canpu. Dai Xiaolian points out that this other character "guan" suggests a Daoist temple (see further on this below).
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2. Handbook opening page
The original photocopy has been cleaned and cropped. This page seems to be written with a different hand than the rest of the book. The large print, which is at left 龍吟館琴譜，二卷 and below 岳蓮別塾鈔, is written using some antique style characters. The smaller print, rather roughly written, is a table of contents, thus repeating what is also written three pages later. According to Dai Xiaolian the stamp at right was made by a seal belonging to Van Gulik and it says 集義齋 Jiyi Zhai (Studio for Collecting Righteousness). The stamp behind the antiquarian characters at bottom says 毛倧之印 Seal of Mao Zong. There is some disagreement about whether this is the same person whose name appears three pages later.
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3. Zhucheng School (諸城派 Zhucheng Pai)
Xu Jian discusses the development of this school in his section on the Wang Family of Zhucheng (a town west of Qingdao in Shandong province) in QSCB, p.174. Today it seems largely to be known through the fame of the Meian School (see next footnote).
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4. Meian Qin School (梅庵琴派 Meian Qinpai)
The transition of this school from the earlier Zhucheng School is discussed by Xu Jian in his writings on the Wang Family of Zhucheng. Zha Guide still classifies Meian school players as Zhucheng (see his chart of traditional qin schools).
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5. Meian Qinpu (梅庵琴譜)
2 folios, 14 melodies; also romanized Mei An Qinpu. This handbook of the Zhucheng school was originally published in 1931, with later editions dated 1959, 1971 and ca. 1979; some originals are still available and there is also a ZGSD facsimile reprint. Zha Guide lists and indexes the 1931 edition, which has 14 melodies. The 1959 edition adds at the end a new melody, Moon Rising over the Wutong Trees, created by 徐理蓀 Xu Lisun in 1938 (see #15).

The original edition of Meian Qinpu was compiled in 1931 by 徐卓 Xu Zhuo (徐理蓀 Xu Lisun, 1897-1969) with help from 邵森 Shao Sen (邵大蘇 Shao Dasu). Their aim was to preserve the tradition of 王賓魯 Wang Binlu (1867 - 1921), which can in turn be traced to the Zhucheng School handbook Longyin Guan Qinpu (1799?). The various editions show some differences. Xu Lisun added essays for the 1959 edition, including afterwords to all the melodies; these afterwords are not indexed or included in Zha's guide, which was published in 1958. Later editions may also have new and/or different essays.

The melodies in Meian Qinpu are as follows (those also in Longyinguan Qinpuu are so indicated):

	1.  Guanshan Yue	Longyin #3
	2.  Qiu Feng Ci	Lyrics; lowered 3rd string tuning; music unrelated to the earlier Qiu Feng melodies; 秋風詞 not 秋風辭
	3.  Ji Le Yin	Lyrics as <1491 and still raised 5th tuning, but new music
	4.  Feng Qiu Huang	Lyrics as 1539, but without coda; music related to other earlier versions
	5.  Qiuye Chang	Longyin #4 Qiu Gui Yuan. Unrelated to earlier Qiu Gui or Qiu Gui Yuan
	6.  Yulou Chunxiao	Longyin #6 Chun Gui Yuan is only a few notes different; raised 5th tuning
	7.  Feng Lei Yin	Earliest with this melody; lowered third string tuning
	8.  Qiujiang Ye Bo	Longyin #7; lowered third string tuning
	9.  Changmen Yuan	Longyin #2
	10.  Pingsha Luo Yan	Longyin #1
	11.  Shi Tan Zhang	See in Chart Tracing Shitan Zhang / Pu'an Zhou
	12.  Xia Xian You	Longyin #5; taicu tuning: lower 1st, 3rd and 6th strings
	13.  Dao Yi	Longyin #8; raise the 2nd, 5th and 7th strings. See details: the earliest surviving version in this mode has lyrics and dates from 1589.
	14.  Sao Shou Wen Tian	Earliest surviving version of this melody seems to be the Qiusai Yin of 1722
	15.  Yueshang Wutong	月上梧桐 Moon Rising over the Wutong Trees; 6 sections plus coda only from 1959: created in 1938 by 徐理蓀 Xu Lisun himself

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6. 王賓魯 Wang Binlu (1867 - 1921)
See QSCB, p.174. The preface by his student, 邵大蘇 Shao Dasu (see above), as translated in Lieberman, p. 6, says that as Wang Binlu was dying Shao helped 徐理蓀 Xu Lisun finish editing Wang's incomplete Longyinguan Qinpu. After Wang died Shao and Xu continued the editing, eventually changing the name to Meian Qinpu when they published it in 1931. The original version of Shao's preface is not in my edition of Meian Qinpu. This would explain how it is that the versions in Longyinguan Qinpu are nearly identical to those in Meian Qinpu, but does not help in finding out whether there were at one time earlier versions of Longyinguan Qinpu.
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7. Early 諸城派 Zhucheng School handbooks
When he wrote his Guide in the 1950s Zha Fuxi was apparently not aware of the early Zhucheng handbooks, which were all handcopied, not printed. I have only seen Longyinguan Qinpu, so cannot comment on the others.

1. Longyinguan Qinpu (龍吟館琴譜 ; 1799?)
   Included in 2010 QQJC and discussed above

2. Qinpu Zhenglü (琴譜正律 ; 1839?)
   ? folios, ? pieces. Included in 2010 QQJC, but I have not yet seen it. QSCB (pp.174-5) and some online information say this was the handbook of 王雩門字冷泉 Wang Yumen, style name Lengquan (ca. 1807 - 77); he and 王溥長字既甫 Wang Fuchang, style name Jifu (ca. 1807 - 1886), were the 諸城二王 "Two Wangs [who founded] the Zhucheng School". Wang Fuchang and Wang Yumen originally had different styles, but after their association they developed a new style. Wang Yumen compiled the new melodies, or new versions of the melodies, into Qinpu Zhenglü. It included the characteristic Zhucheng melody Changmen Yuan and also a melody that François Picard says is a "missing link" in the development of Pu'an Zhou

3. Tongyin Shan Guan Qinpu (桐蔭山館琴譜; ca. 1880?)
   ? folios, ? pieces. Online information says that 15 melodies of Wang Fuchang (see above) were compiled into the Tongyin Shan Guan Qinpu; François Picard dates it ca. 1900 and credits it to Wang Fuchang's son 王作禎字心源 Wang Zuozhen, style name Xinyuan (1842 - 1921). Wang Xinyuan is mentioned in Zha Fuxi's chart of qin schools.

4. Yuhexuan Qinpu (玉鶴軒琴譜; date?)
   ? folios, ? pieces; François Picard dates this ca. 1903 and credits it to 王心葵 Wang Xinkui (1877 - 1921), son of Wang Zuozhen (see previous).
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8. Van Gulik Collection at Leiden University
Photocopies and microfilm of this document have circulated. I have not seen information as to where Van Gulik acquired this handbook.
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9. 岳蓮 Yue Lian and 岳蓮別塾鈔 Yue Lian bieshu chao
Regarding bieshu 別塾 1955.xxx (compare 別墅 bieshu); 5496 塾 says 門側之堂 etc., so it could refer to various types of rooms.

As for 岳蓮 Yue Lian, according to Dai Xiaolian he was a monk and qin player from the 梁溪 Liangxi area of 無錫 Wuxi. She says he may have changed the name from 龍吟館 to 龍吟觀 (both pronounced Longyin Guan) because the latter "guan" is overtly Daoist and he was a Buddhist. She quotes a lengthy passage from 蚕尾集 Can Wei Ji by 王士禎 Wang Shizhen (Bio/162; 1634-1711), which suggests the music might date from considerably earlier than 1799.

However, Yan Xiaoxing (last paragraph of Section 2) mentions a 嘉道間 early 19th century female Daoist monk named 王蓮又名岳蓮 Wang Lian, also called Yue Lian who 精書畫，亦通音律 excelled at calligraphy and painting and was good at music. He concludes that although she was not necessarily the person who copied Longyinguan Qinpu, the identification of Yue Lian with the earlier Buddhist monk seems somewhat far-fetched.
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10. Great Qing Jiaqing (emperor) jiwei dongyue (大清嘉慶己未冬月)
If this date is reliable, then presumably the melodies originated earlier than 1799.
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11. Copied by Mao Shixun of Licheng (歷城毛式郇拜稿)
Mao Shixun was apparently born ca. 1774 and died in 1844: Bio/xxx, but Dai Xiaolian mentions a biography in 續歷城縣志 Continuation of the Licheng Country Chronicles Licheng is an area around 濟南 Jinan in Shandong province. Dai Xiaolian also discusses the possibility of Mao Shixun being the same person as Mao Zong. Elsewhere one can find references that call this 山東毛氏抄本 the Hand-copy by Mr. Mao of Shandong. It is not clear whether this is the same person as the 毛倧 Mao Zong whose seal is on the opening page. Yan Xiaoxing writes at length about the significance of the last two words, 拜稿 bai gao.
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