Blind Strings

This novel draws on Liangzhou Xianxiao, one of the first national-level intangible cultural heritage projects.

Also known as the "Liangzhou Book of Moral Admonition," Liangzhou Xianxiao is an ancient folk art of storytelling through song, mainly passed down in the Liangzhou region. Its songs often praise loyal ministers, heroic generals, and filial sons and grandsons, extolling the values of "loyalty to one's country and filial piety at home" and aspiring to the ideal of being devoted both to country and family.

The lyrics of Liangzhou Xianxiao are passed down orally from master to apprentice. Performers typically accompany their singing on the sanxian, sometimes adding instruments such as the erhu, flute, and wooden fish. The art has deep roots in traditional culture, rich content, and a distinctive style.

The folk artists who earned their living performing Liangzhou Xianxiao were mostly blind, and were known as "blind string players." In the old society, these blind performers sang on the streets, urging people to do good and educating the public. People also respectfully called them "blind immortals," yet they remained at the very bottom of society, struggling to survive with lives considered as worthless as blades of grass.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liangzhou Xianxiao was respected and protected, and many new songs praising the country were created.

As the times have changed, Liangzhou Xianxiao's audience has grown seriously older, with too little interest from younger generations. The art now faces a crisis of transmission.

Young people in the new era are actively exploring digital preservation of intangible cultural heritage. Through new forms of popular literature and art, they are rediscovering, adapting, and developing Liangzhou Xianxiao, incorporating it into the cultural tourism industry and keeping this excellent traditional culture alive, so that an ancient art can flourish anew and become fashionable once more.