Nanguan music


Nanguan is a style of Chinese chamber music from the southern Chinese province of Fujian. Nanguan was first brought to Taiwan during the Ming dynasty by the Han Chinese immigrants who later settled predominantly in southern Taiwan, where they established quguan music societies to maintain and transmit their cultural practices. However, over the centuries, Nanguan evolved separately from its mainland counterpart, shaped strongly by Taiwan’s unique socio-political conditions and local influences.
Historically, Nanguan was played for the elite, including Emperor Kangxi, which allowed for its status to be elevated within society. Participation in quguan societies was once strictly regulated, with membership restricted from individuals who were seen as ‘improper’ - barbers, stage performers, or geisha entertainers. It became popular in Taiwan, particularly Lukang on west coast, as well as among Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.
Fujian is a mountainous coastal province of China. Its provincial capital is Fuzhou, while Quanzhou was a major port in the 7th century CE, the period between the Sui and Tang eras. Situated upon an important maritime trade route, it was a conduit for elements of distant cultures. The result was what is now known as nanguan music, which today preserves many archaic features.
It is a genre strongly associated with male-only community amateur musical associations, each formerly generally linked to a particular temple, and is viewed as a polite accomplishment and a worthy social service, distinct from the world of professional entertainers. The temples provide the venue and funding support for these clubs and are thus regarded as spaces of divine worship. They also contribute to the artistic quality of temple fairs and serve as important mediums for cultural expression.
Nanguan music embodies a philosophy of introspection and inner cultivation. It is typically slow, gentle, delicate and melodic, heterophonic and employing four basic scales. Performers adopt calm and focused postures, and the music expresses some form of restraint, designed to evoke a meditative state and convey controlled emotion. In the same way, Nanguan not only serves to be a musical performance, but also a disciplined spiritual practice, one that continues to resonate within the evolving cultural landscape of contemporary Taiwan.
While Nanguan was traditionally male-dominated due to ritualistic and Confucian norms, recent decades have witnessed a growing presence of women within the art form, reflecting broader shifts in gender dynamics and increased accessibility. Nanguan music continues to thrive today. Contemporary groups like XinXin Nanguan are adapting the tradition through theatrical performances and cross-art collaborations.
Nanguan was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Repertoire

Nanguan repertory falls into three overlapping styles, called, and, differentiated by the contexts in which they occur, by their function, the value accorded them by musicians and by their formal and timbral natures.
  • or literally means "finger set", is the longest repertoire: it is normally half to one hour in length, of two to five sections usually, each section being known as a 組 or 塊. There are currently 48 sets 套 of, consisting of the original 36 sets and the 12 sets added later. It runs through long pieces with a strong timbre, contains a lot of high and long notes, and has no resting sections. Each is associated with a lyric that alludes to a story. The content of the lyrics mainly comes from historical stories, mostly describing the joys and sorrows of love between men and women. Although, this may denote origins in song or opera, today is an important and respected instrumental repertory. However, the song text significantly eases the memorising of the piece.
  • or literally means "notation", more formally as, are purely instrumental and typically performed by a 5-instrument ensemble. These are pieces that have no associated texts and are thus written down in gongchepu notation. There is no interruption between chapters during performance. There are currently 16 sets 套 of, consisting of the original 13 sets and the three sets added later. It is an instrumental style that uses a wider range than and that emphasises technical display. The content tends to describe the scenery and objects, and express feelings through objects. is considered to be a representative of the elegance and solemnity of Nanguan.
  • or "verse", is a vocal repertory: two thousand pieces exist in manuscript. The singer is the main character during performance. The tune of each comes from the tune of the Nanguan tune system . It is lighter and less conservative in repertory and performance than. Most popular pieces today are in a fast common metre and last around five minutes.

Instruments

A nanguan ensemble usually consists of five instruments.
  • , the wooden clapper consisting of five pieces made from sandalwood is usually played by the singer.
The other four, known as the or four higher instruments, are the:
  • , the four-stringed lute which forms the backbone of Nanguan music with its sonorous tones and directs the tempo of the music,
  • , the three-stringed, fretless, snakeskin-headed long-necked lute that is the ancestor of the Japanese shamisen, it has a low timbre and strong resonance to complement the main sound of the.
  • , the vertical flute which will guide other instruments into the next musical phrase, and a
  • , the two-stringed "hard-bowed" instrument usually appearing in the interval of the tōng-siau sound to help the lingering sound of tōng-siau and harmonize other instruments. It is slightly differing from the Cantonese.
When the four instruments are played together, the players sit opposite each other, forming a horseshoe shape. The is in the center, the and are on the right hand side, and the and are on the left hand side. The players will sit on the golden lion chair and play the music leisurely. The saying "sitting on five golden chairs" describes a musical all-rounder who is proficient in singing and playing the four instruments. Each of the four differs somewhat from the most usual modern form and so may be called the "nanguan pipa" etc. Each instrument has a fixed role. The provides a steady rhythmic skeleton, supported by the sam-hiân. The siau, meanwhile, supplemented by the jī-hiân, puts "meat on the bones" with colourful counterpoints.
Nanguan performance begins with, which includes:
  • , the oboe-like woodwind instrument, or
  • , the transverse flute are often used instead of.
These instruments are essential to the genre, while the or four lower instruments are not used in every piece. These are the percussion instruments:
  • , a small gong placed in a bamboo basket and struck with a small mallet made of bamboo strips and paper,
  • , consists of a small gong and a wooden fish, which are connected by a rope,
  • or, a pair of small copper bells held by two hands, striking each other to produce sound, and
  • , a four-bar of bamboo xylophone, two pieces are held in each hand.
When all six combine with the basic four, the whole ensemble is called a or "ten sounds".

The Nanguan Pipa

The Nanguan pipa, also known as the southern pipa, is one of the core melodic instruments in Nanguan music, both sonically and symbolically. Its name is derived from the ancient playing techniques associated with the instrument, where   refers to plucking the strings from right to left using the front side of the right hand, while denotes the plucking from left to right using the back of the right hand. This encapsulates not only the physical action of playing the pipa, but also reflects the musical and philosophical/historical context of the Nanguan tradition.
Structurally, the Nanguan pipa differs from the modernised version of the instrument in contemporary settings and ensembles. It features a pear-shaped body, which supports a thin wooden soundboard that is typically arched at the back and flat at the front to enhance sound projection. Two crescent shaped sound holes are also often carved into the soundboard serving the same purpose, and the instrument also features thirteen frets - four embedded directly into the neck, and nine on the body. It also typically has four strings, which are originally made of silk, later replaced by nylon to enhance durability, although it is more common to have a blend of both silk and nylon strings today in order to preserve the tonal warmth and authenticity while ensuring longevity of the instrument lifespan as well. These strings are typically attached using side-mounted friction pegs and tuned to A-D-E-A, providing a brighter and more resonant tonal range across nearly four octaves
Played in a horizontal position across the lap, it emphasises restraint and subtlety rather than virtuosic display. The right hand is responsible for plucking the strings, while the left hand bends, presses, and modulates the strings for tonal variation. This performative style aligns with the genre’s broader philosophical ideals of inner cultivation and quiet refinement, reflecting the introspective nature of Nanguan music. More than just a musical instrument, the nanguan pipa represents a historical and cultural continuity that has been preserved through centuries of transmission. As an imperative part of the Nanguan ensemble, it is a representation of Taiwan’s intangible cultural heritage, showcasing the elegance, antiquity and refinement of Nanguan.
Symbolism and Meaning of the Nanguan Pipa
Beyond its function as a musical instrument, the Nanguan pipa holds deep symbolic resonance within the tradition. Retaining the form of the pipa from the Tang dynasty, its pear-shaped body, narrow neck and horizontal position when playing echoes ancient performance techniques. This continuity of both form and technique ultimately anchors the instrument in a broader narrative of historical preservation, particularly tied to the Minnan region and Han Chinese communities that brought Nanguan music to Taiwan. Furthermore, the Nanguan musicians interpreted its shape as resembling Tai Chi — a symbol of balance and harmony. This belief stems from the classical text which described the pipa as  “其形象天地，位立太極...”, which means that its form resembles heaven and earth, positioned as supreme ultimate. This led to a notion that displaying the instrument in one’s home can offer spiritual protection. The pipa’s soundboard is also slightly concave to concentrate vibrations and reduce their intensity, resulting in a deep and mellow sound.
In addition to its shape, the material of the instrument further reinforces its symbolic value. The body is often crafted from Chinese fir, which is a soft, lightweight wood with fine texture, which produces its rich and resonant tone. The strings were traditionally made of pure silk, which preserves the ancient tone connected to the Tang dynasty. Today, some of its strings use silk-nylon material for durability, but pure silk is still preferred for authentic timbre.
The symbolism of the pipa ultimately extends into Nanguan musical theory, where the pipa’s tone is more percussive and assertive, an association with the concept of yang, while some of the other instruments like the xiao are associated with the concept of yin due to its gentle and airy tonality. Their interplay then reflects the yin-yang, mirroring the Daoist principle of harmony and balance. Furthermore, in the same vein, the pipa also assumes a leadership role in the ensemble, often referred to metaphorically as the 萬軍主帅 — the commander of ten thousand troops. It introduces melodic cues and helps keep the ensemble rhythmically grounded, often using specific plucking patterns to signal transitions or mark structural divisions in the piece. In this way, the pipa is not only a vehicle for sound, but is also a representation of ritual authority and symbolic meaning within the Nanguan tradition.

Diaspora

Starting in the 17th century, the Hoklo people who immigrated from Fujian to Taiwan took with them informal folk music as well as more ritualized instrumental and operatic forms taught in amateur clubs, such as beiguan and nanguan. Large Hoklo diaspora can also be found in Malaysia, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, Burma, Thailand and Indonesia, where they are usually referred to as Hokkien.
In the 20th century, amidst the cultural shifts and modernising forces that swept through Taiwan, the preservation of Nanguan music - including its traditional instruments - became a focus on institutional and governmental efforts. Due to the significance as an intangible cultural heritage, Taiwan’s cultural bodies then initiated programs to document, teach, and promote Nanguan music in both the community, and academic settings. Ultimately, these efforts not only continue to reaffirm Nanguan music as a symbol of cultural identity and historical continuity.
There are two nanguan associations in Singapore and there were formerly several in the Philippines; Tiong-Ho Long-Kun-sia is still active. Gang-a-tsui and Han-Tang Yuefu have popularized the nanguan ensemble abroad. A Quanzhou nanguan music ensemble was founded in the early 1960s, and there is a Fuzhou folk music ensemble, founded in 1990.

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