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Li Mian
- Qin Shi #122		 李勉 1
琴史 #122 2

Li Mian (717 - 788), style name 元卿 Yuanqing, was a grandson of 鄭王元懿 Li Yuanyi, Prince of Zheng, the 13th son of 李淵 Li Yuan, founder of the Tang dynasty. Li Mian himself was 汧公 Duke of Qian. One of his sons was Li Yue.

Qinshu Cunmu #49 quotes extensively from a 琴說一卷 Qin Shuo, One Folio attributed to Li Mian, but apparently lost.3

He is also quoted extensively in several parts of Qinshu Daquan (1585):

  1. Folio 5 (V.102ff) often quotes from a 李勉琴記 Qin Ji by Li Mian, describing various qin. Also discussed are his own qins, 響泉 Xiang Quan and 韻磬 Yun Qing. These are also included in Taiyin Daquanji together with a 百衲 baina qin Li Mian is said to have made; however, neither book has images of these.
  2. Folio 16, #44 (V.360) has an article about him looking for good qin. Here he is called 李汧公勉 Li Mian, Duke of Qian.

He is also quoted in Qinyuan Yaolu.

A melody named Jing Guan Yin, quite popular in the Qing dynasty, was sometimes attributed to him. None of the other materials about him seem to mention this melody.4

Li Mian had a nephew named Li Kuangwen, author of a book called Xixia.5 Perhaps this is the book referred to by Van Gulik when he writes that Li Mian is said to have invented a technique for making artificial fingernails out of bamboo.6 These became quite popular, but were criticised on the basis that they "rejected the true for the false".

The original biography says,7

Li Mian, style name Yuanqing, was a descendent of Li Yuanyi, Prince of Zheng....

He made qin that were widely prized. The chronicals of musicians say that ones named 響泉 Xiang Quan and 韻磬 Yun Qing were loved by 勉 Mian. It was also said of the qins he made, whenever he found new or old 桐 tong wood he would knock on it. The ones with harmonious sound he would cut and put together (to make) the so-called 百衲琴 baina qins (because they were each made from 100 pieces of wood). Xiang Quan and Yun Qing, the first string could be on it for 10 years without breaking. His tools were the very best. If you were not one of those people deeply into qin how could you compare this? Only people like Xi Kang and Dai Kui can do so. Later, 張茂樞 Zhang Maoqu (d. 906; Bio/1281) obtained these two qins....

(Much more)...

 
Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1 14819.877 [2]; Bio/911 (Return)

2 The section with his biography is missing from Qin Shi, but it is included in Qinshu Daquan, Folio 15, #18 (V.326). See further comment below. (Return)

3 Folio II, p. 13. (Return)

4 靜觀吟 Jing Guan Yin
Jing Guan Yin, also called 靜觀音 (same pronunciation), survives in 35 handbooks from 1579 to 1899 (25/210/--). Prefaces connect it to 程子 Chengzi as well as sometimes saying it was composed by Li Mian (Return)

5 Bio/966, 李匡文 Li Kuangwen, style name 濟翁 Jiweng, wrote a 資暇 Zixia (see next footnote). (Return)

6 Van Gulik, Lore, p.120, footnote 86: 李匡乂 Li Kuangyi wrote a 資霞錄 Zixia Lu about this. (Return)

7 The first third of Li Mian's biography here is based on the one in Qinshu Daquan, Folio 15, #18 (V.326). This is because, although my edition of Qin Shi has him in the ToC, calling him 李丞相勉 Prime Minister Li Mian, the actual text has only the latter part of his entry, placed under #120 Fan Guan (after a gap in the text). (Return)

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