[Video provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Mei'an guqin (Chinese zither) art emerged in the early years of the Republic of China period (1912-1949). It received the name because founder Wang Yanqing gave guqin lessons at Mei'an in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province. 

Xu Lisun and Shao Dasu studied the ancient musical instrument under Wang Yanqing's tutelage and returned to Nantong to establish the Mei'an Guqin Club in 1929. 

In 1931, they edited and published Mei'an Qin Pu (Mei'an Music Score), the first of its kind in China and the first Chinese score to be translated into a foreign language. It has had a huge impact on the reform and development of guqin art.

The Mei'an guqin is widely played, but Nantong is its home. After the 1950s, it was introduced to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States. 

The Mei'an guqin is known for its novel and lively melodies, bright rhythms, and unique style. It has been passed down from generation to generation through oral instruction.

In 2003, Nantong's Mei'an guqin art was listed as a masterpiece of human oral and intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. In 2008, it was included in the expanded list of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects.