In the long history of the guqin, most instruments follow a familiar silhouette. Jiaolin Tingyu (蕉林听雨 — "Listening to Rain in a Banana Grove") follows none of them.
It is shaped like a banana leaf. No waist, no shoulder, no tail — just a single unbroken form that tapers to a point at the head and widens into a broad, leaf-shaped body. Made in 1616 by the Ming Dynasty craftsman Wang Shunchen of Qiantang, finished in black lacquer with red undertones, gold frets, and celadon jade fittings — it is one of the most visually striking guqin ever made, and one of the rarest forms in the entire tradition.
It is now held in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Two Inscriptions, Two Centuries
Great instruments accumulate history. In 1817, the Qianlong Emperor's eleventh son, the calligrapher-prince Yongxing (永瑆), inscribed two passages on the back in his own hand:
"The courtyard pines are sparse and bright; the wind is gentle, the moon clear. Calm the spirit, still the mind — and sound emerges of itself."
— Chengqin Wang (成亲王)
In 1876, the great Qing statesman Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠) added his own:
"The breath of heaven and earth; the sound of gold and jade. Virtue in the person; harmony in the conduct."
— Zuo Zongtang, Autumn of the Second Year of Guangxu
These are not the words of admirers. They are the reflections of men who held this instrument and understood what it meant.
Rain on Banana Leaves
In Chinese culture, the sound of rain falling on banana leaves has long been considered one of the most evocative sounds in nature — melancholy, beautiful, and fleeting. To name a guqin Jiaolin Tingyu is to place it within this tradition. The instrument is, in its very form, a meditation on impermanence.
The Replica
At Seven String Qin, we have replicated Jiaolin Tingyu in its essential form — the banana leaf silhouette, the black lacquer with red undertones, the snake-belly crackle pattern, and the inscriptions on the back. An instrument for those who understand that the rarest forms deserve to be played, not only preserved.
→ View the Jiaolin Tingyu Replica — $17,999
Image credits: Palace Museum, Beijing.
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