Challenge
To educate the younger population the arts and traditional craftsmanship of Guqin
Guqin is a seven-stringed plucked instrument. The arts of the guqin (the craft of qin making) was inscribed onto the fourth national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. Qin making is a very complicated craft that starts with chopping and trimming a piece of wood, and involves nine steps until it reaches the final stage of becoming an instrument.
To educate the younger population of this traditional craft, I was commissioned to do illustrations for the book. The project of this book focuses on short stories about the guqin, introducing knowledge and histories of guqin and the craftsmanship of making it.
Character Design
The story revolves around a secondary school student named Wai and an ancient Guqin master named Boya, who appears in Wai’s dream. Through their conversations and adventures, Boya teaches Wai about the art of Guqin and the craftsmanship involved in the instrument’s making process.
