The seven strings of Yangzhou

Last year, in recognition of the society's teaching and promotional efforts, the intangible cultural heritage protection center of Yangzhou designated it as a university-level inheritance society.

There are now about 70 university-level guqin societies in China, Ma says. Teachers from the Guangling school have been working throughout the country, helping universities set up their own guqin societies, including in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and Wuhan, Hubei province.

Obviously with all those players and the new recruits there is a demand for guqin and the accompanying equipment, and Yangzhou plays an important role in that regard too.

In 2015 the China National Light Industry Council and the China Musical Instrument Association designated the city as the national Zither Industry Capital, and the China Nationalities Orchestra Society says that in 2017 factories in the city produced about 70,000 guqin, accounting for almost half the market.

Yangzhou has even contrived to ensure that the guqin is not left out of sight like an old violin locked away in a dusty cupboard but is given full public exposure in the form of a Guqin Street, believed to be the only one of its type in the country.