Miao Xiushi¹ (?-1232), literary name Yanshi, style name Qiyan (Cliff-Perched), was from Pingyang.² As a child, while studying qin from Yi Zhunzhang,³ he received rigorous training: "When first taught fingering, coins were piled on the back of his hands, prohibiting careless movement, so that not even one note would be changed." He took the Jinshi examination twice, but did not pass. After this he engaged only in qin studies.

The literati-official class in the capital⁴ all respected [Miao's] great performing skills. During the Taihe reign (1201-1208) he was recommended as Imperial Qin Performer,⁵ [and] received a certain amount of attention from the Jin dynasty's Zhangzong emperor, Wanyan Gong.⁶ From over 100 traditional qin tablatures he "selected the ones which had an ancient mood and made a compilation of them," editing them under the title Qin Bian.⁷ Yuan Yishan⁸ wrote for him a Qinbian Yin Preface.⁹

Yelü Chucai¹⁰ (1190-1244), literary name Jinqing, style name Zhanranjushi (Profound Retired Scholar), was an 8th generation descendent of the Eastern Liao Cinnabar Prince (Danwang) [Yelü?] Tuyu.¹¹ He served the Yuan rulers¹² to the rank of Zhongshuling.¹³ He studied the qin from Mi Dayong,¹⁴ Miao Xiushi,¹⁵ (see above), Old Man Wan Song¹⁶ and so forth, playing many qin pieces, being especially good at Shui Xian.¹⁷ His poetic writings had many references to qin players and qin pieces, and these are important historical references to the qin conditions in his day.

Each time [Yelü Chucai] acquired a new tablature, he would always want to find Miao Xiushi, "study the profound [musical] ideas, and then play (the melody)." But because Miao's reputation among the capital masters was very high, "palace princes, nobles and great men invited [Miao, and he] had no time to himself." Eventually Yelü Chucai could no longer with him often "learn the music by playing face to face," and so "each one regretted this."

After Yelü Chucai entered service under the Yuan, he strongly recommended Miao Xiushi to Yuan Shizu [Kublai Khan]. [Then,] after the Yuan army had crossed the Yellow River and smashed through Tongguan,¹⁸ he sent people everywhere searching for [Miao's] whereabouts. Finally in Nanjing (today's Kaifeng) they found the aged Miao Xiushi, [but] while they were accompanying him on the road north he died at Fanyang (the modern Zhuo county of Hebei).¹⁹

Miao Lan,²⁰ the son of Miao Xiushi, gathered up 44 tablatures bequeathed by his father, and invited Yelü Chucai to write a preface. In the preface Yelü Chucai said, "I have tested these, and consider them the definitive sounds. Most probably they were passed down by the Music Department Officer Wei Zhongru."²¹ Wei Zhongru was a palace qin master during time of the Jin dynasty's Xizong emperor (r.1137-48), Wanyan Dan. Miao Lan obtained his father's tradition, and also [himself] had very good qin-playing skills. [When] Yelü Chucai, as part of the official retinue on a royal hunt,²² injured his leg, he used the opportunity of his recovery period to play more than 50 pieces together with Miao Lan, "and in this way completely attain the profound beauty of [Miao] Qiyan's private touch."

[Yelü Chucai] felt that Miao's performance "was like the excitement of the steep slopes of Shu (Sichuan), pleasing people's senses." When he originally heard the Guangling San of Zhang Qizhi,²³ every time he got to the sections from Chensi [Sink into Thought, Sec. 15] to Junji [Great Action, Sec. 28], always his "rhythms would not be lucid;" but Miao would play it straight through "in one coherent whole." Making a comparison, Yelü Chucai felt that performances of Miao Xiushi's qin pieces really had unique qualities.²⁴ At the same time, this also shows that Yelü Chucai used a lot of time and energy at qin learning, and had great powers of discrimination.

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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)

1. 31521.xxx; see his biography in Qinshi Xu - the quote below comes from there; see also Van Gulik, Lore of the Chinese Lute, footnotes on pp. 76, 78, 83, where, referred to only by his style name, he is said to have represented the Sichuan (Shu) style. He became the main teacher of Yelü Chucai (q.v.) (Return)
2. In today's Linfen county of [southwest] Shanxi province. (Return)
3. 12016.xxx. (Return)
4. Beijing, then called Yan. (Return)
5. Qin Daizhao -- see 6-I-1, Zhu Wenqi. (Return)
6. Reigned 1190-1209; well educated, but then became debauched. (Return)
7. Qin Distinctions. (Return)
8. Yuan Haowen 1356.156, style name Yishan, wrote a Yuan Yishan Xiansheng Quanji, 40 folios, including poems and a Yuefu (music storehouse).(Return)
9. ??? (Return)
10. 29648.116. See also Giles, Chinese Biographical Dictionary, #2446, and R.H. Van Gulik, ibid., footnotes on pp. 78 and 83. (Return)
11. ??? (Return)
12. They had captured Beijing in 1215. Jin were Jürchen, related to Manchus. Liao were Khitan, who originated in what is today northern Inner Mongolia ("Siramuren Valley"). Yelü was the surname of the Khitan Liao rulers, who ruled north China 907-1125. Was Tuyu related to Yelü Tulubu 29648.65, son of .164? (Return)
13. 76.421? (Return)
14. 9988.xxx; cf 1030; mentioned in Van Gulik as Mi-Ta (pp. 76, 78, 83), where it says he played Zhejiang style, and that Yelü Chucai later abandoned this style for the Sichuan style of Qi Yan [Miao Xiushi - reference given is Zhanranjushi Wenji.] (Return)
15. Van Gulik, ibid., p.78, fn.171, translates Yelü Chucai's Two Poems on my Loving the Qin Technique of Master Qiyan (i.e. Miao Xiushi). These include the following phrases advocating simplicity in qin play,

and

16. 25455.262/xxx; see Qinshi Xu #1030; Van Gulik pp. 76, 78, 83. (Return)
17. Water Immortals; earliest extant version is Shuixian Qu in Wuyin Qinpu (1579). (Return)
18. Where the Wei river meets the Yellow river. (Return)
19. About 50 km southwest of Beijing. (Return)
20. 31521.xxx; cf. Qinshi Xu #1030. (Return)
21. 34896.xxx. (Return)
22. Lit., "feather hunt," but Tong suggests yu "feather" mistaken for yu "royal". (Return)
23. See 張器之 Zhang Qizhi (13th c. CE). (Return)
24. Xu Jian's references are,
    "Miao Xiushi Qinpu Xu" [???; Qinshu Cunmu #153 lists a Qinpu by Miao Yanshi];
    "Haihong Liaozui Mo" [17933.xxx; this ref. also given in Qinshi Xu #1029;] and
    "Chunhu Manlu" [32430.xxx; 32500.7: Chunhu, a lake in Jiangsu or Hunan; cf. Qinshi Xu #1029/30]. (Return)

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