Guzheng, as a traditional Chinese musical instrument, has a history of several thousand years and is a precious treasure of Chinese culture. It is like a strong and resolute female figure, telling the long cultural history of the Chinese nation through music. A good guzheng with a beautiful tone can bring us inner peace and comfort, allowing us to slow down in this fast-paced era of rapid internet development and find ourselves in playing. It also enables us to find a haven of our own in the hustle and bustle of life. But for beginners, how can we choose a guzheng that suits us and offers great value for money?

Here is a detailed and in-depth guide on how to select a guzheng, hoping that it can help you avoid some detours when making a purchase.

When purchasing a guzheng, let's first talk about the most core issue: what determines the price of a guzheng? You can imagine it as a pyramid, which is consist of materials and craftsmanship, which is the bottom line for the price of guzheng. Materials are divided into the soundboard, backboard, and frame. The frame includes sideboards, the headframe, and the tailframe, as well as the bridge. The core of the core is the soundboard. The soundboard of a guzheng is usually made of paulownia wood, which can make the tone of the guzheng more clear, full, and rich, and is less likely to deform or crack after air-drying, ensuring the stability of the pitch. Other types of wood are hard to replace it. Generally, it is recommended that beginners purchase a standard size guzheng priced around $400, which can maximize the cost-effectiveness. 

The middle section of the pyramid represents the tone and brand, which are the core values of guzheng. The tone is the soul of guzheng, and over 80% of it depends on the soundboard. A pleasant tone is a very subjective but extremely expensive standard. There is an old Chinese saying, "A craftsman who wants to do his work well must first sharpen his tools." Within your means, choose the best. Many brands of guzheng have decades of technical accumulation, but their reputation premiums may also be relatively high. There are also many new brands now. When purchasing, we need to be cautious and do our research. Don't blindly follow others' advices. It's best to try them yourself. What suits you is the best.

The top of the pyramid represents the added value and rarity of guzheng. This endows guzheng with artistic value, such as surprising carvings or inlaid jade and so on. The choice of craftsmanship and cost will increase the added value of the guzheng and bring us more emotional value. If you are a beginner, it is recommended not to choose an overly expensive guzheng at first, because the process of learning the guzheng is long and arduous, so you may choose to give up due to boredom. In this case, it would be a waste. So the guzheng we buy in the early stage must be practical and make the most of its value.

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