Chinese musical tradition comes to Surrey
A Chinese graduate has donated a valuable musical instrument to the Department of Music and Media on her first visit to campus since leaving in 2010.
Nini Liao, who graduated with an MSc in Management, is a teacher of guqin, the oldest music instrument in China. On a recent trip with her family, she presented one, along with a signed copy of a renowned book on the subject by guqin maestro Professor Xiangting Li. Nini also treated University staff to a moving recital.
Professor Tony Myatt, Head of the Department of Music and Media, said: “We were delighted to accept Nini’s generous gifts. We will treasure and use them for the benefit of our students. It is also a wonderful opportunity to share this unique instrument with Surrey’s International Guitar Research Centre, run by Professor Steve Goss and Dr Milton Mermikides.”
For Nini the visit was a chance to share her Surrey memories with her husband and young daughter. She said: “My time at Surrey made such an impression on me and I have missed it so much. It was lovely to show my family where I lived and studied.”
The guqin is a plucked seven-stringed instrument of the zither family and has a 5,000-year history. It has been recognised by UNESCO as part of the “Intangible and Oral Heritage of Humanity”.