Listen to Master Mei Yueqiang perform Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbar (平沙落雁).
To read the full essay on this piece, see Tasting Mei · XVI : Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbar.
A Piece That Quiets the Mind
Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbar is widely regarded as one of the most nourishing pieces in the guqin repertoire — nourishing not just for the ear, but for the heart and mind. Its melodies are long and unhurried, its rhythms gentle and steady, its atmosphere rich with a quality that is difficult to name but immediately felt: a deep, settled calm.
The piece paints a scene through sound: wild geese on an autumn sandbar — playing, foraging, taking flight. Through the guqin’s soft and resonant voice, the listener is drawn into an open autumn sky, a wide river, a sandbar stretching into the distance. It is the kind of scene that makes the breath slow and the shoulders drop.
For those who live with busy schedules, Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbar makes an ideal companion for evening reading or quiet work. It has a way of dissolving restlessness and anxiety, and returning the mind to a state of clarity. If you play the guqin yourself, learning this piece is considered one of the finest paths to cultivating inner stillness.
Master Mei’s Interpretation
Master Mei Yueqiang’s performance of this piece is a masterclass in the Guangling school’s signature finger techniques — particularly its yin and nao vibrato ornaments, which give the Guangling style its characteristic warmth and depth. Throughout the entire piece, a quality of serene detachment prevails. Nothing is hurried. Nothing is forced. It is the playing of a man who has spent a lifetime learning to be still — and it shows.
This recording stands as one of the defining documents of twentieth-century guqin art.
About This Recording
This recording is taken from Guangling Qin Yun VI · Mei Yueqiang (广陵琴韵六·梅曰强), released in 1996 by Hugo Productions, Hong Kong (HRP 7144-2). The recording was made in 1995 and represents the first internationally released album by Master Mei — the eleventh-generation master of the Guangling school. It was produced to audiophile standards and remains one of the most important early documents of his art.
Master Mei performed on his own Song-dynasty qin for this recording.
Album: Guangling Qin Yun VI (1996)
Recorded 1995 · Released 1996 · Hugo Productions, Hong Kong · HRP 7144-2
Track listing: 1. Mountain Dwelling Chant (山居吟) · 2. Plowing and Fishing (耕莘钓渭) · 3. Autumn Night Reading the Yi (秋夜读易) · 4. Wutong Leaves in the Autumn Wind (梧叶舞秋风) · 5. Pei Lan (佩兰) · 6. Li Sao (离骚) · 7. Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbar (平沙落雁) · 8. Fisherman’s Song (渔歌)
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