Guzheng Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo performance on the Chinese concert zither for players aged 16 to 35, scored out of 100 within a ten-minute limit.

The guzheng is a long Chinese plucked zither, traditionally with 21 strings stretched over movable bridges on a wooden soundboard. The right hand plucks, usually with picks fixed to the fingers, while the left hand presses and bends the strings behind the bridges to shape pitch, glides and vibrato. Guzheng as a competition item is a solo instrumental round: one player, one programme, one score.

A round is a short recital. The player walks on, tunes quickly if needed, and performs a piece or a short set that shows the instrument’s range: flowing tremolo and arpeggio passages, fast scales, harmonics, and the slow, bent-note passages that give the guzheng its singing, vocal quality. Pieces come from the traditional regional schools as well as modern concert works written for the instrument.

The template sets the item as an individual entry in an Instrumental group for ages 16 to 35, open to both genders, with the language left as Any/NA, a ten-minute clock and Marks out of 100. The source award that the template follows runs several rounds, narrowing the field at each stage, but publishes no scoring split, so the template carries the item, the age band, the clock and a single total.

Organisers list it as its own item because every instrument is judged against its own technique and repertoire. A coordinator registers players into the Instrumental group, checks dates of birth against the age band, sets the clock, and publishes one results list for the item.

Where Guzheng comes from

The guzheng is one of the oldest Chinese string instruments, with a history of more than two thousand years, and it developed into several regional playing styles across China.

Where Guzheng is run

On eTalenter this item is used in a single template, built from the published rules of a national music award held in China. That award rotates its categories between editions, so guzheng appears in some editions and not others. Outside that award, guzheng is a standard solo item in conservatoire examinations, grade-level instrument contests and arts festivals across China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Chinese communities abroad, each with its own notice for age limits, repertoire and time limits.

• China

Key facts

• Individual item: one player, one performance, one score
• Instrumental group for ages 16 to 35, open to both genders
• Language is set to Any/NA, because an instrumental item has no sung text to assign
• Scored as Marks out of 100, with a ten-minute limit on the template clock
• The source award narrows the field over several rounds, so a coordinator may reuse the item for each stage with its own entry list
• It is a separate item from the plucked-instruments item (pipa, zhongruan, liuqin, sanxian) that the template lists on its own

On eTalenter, Guzheng is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Guzheng is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Guzheng

What a Guzheng panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Right-hand technique: even, controlled tremolo, clean arpeggios and a clear, rounded attack on each pluck
• Left-hand technique: smooth glides, pressed and bent notes, vibrato and pitch control on the string behind the bridge
• Tone quality: a warm, full sound that stays clear in fast passages and is not scratchy or thin
• Rhythm and tempo: steady pulse, accurate speeds, and rubato that sounds chosen rather than lost
• Musical expression: phrasing, dynamics and mood that fit the piece and its regional style
• Programme and difficulty: repertoire that shows range and is within the player’s control
• The template records one total out of 100 and does not print a split; a panel that wants separate headings agrees its own before the round

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Guzheng under Scoring Setup, or start from our judging and score tabulation guide.

How to prepare for Guzheng

How entrants and their teachers usually get Guzheng right on the day:

• Read the event notice first for the age band, time limit, repertoire rules and whether the programme must contain a set piece
• Choose a programme that shows contrast, for example one lyrical, slow piece and one fast, brilliant piece, and time the full set against the clock
• Tune carefully before going on and know how long a retune takes, since a loose string costs more marks than a short pause
• Practise slowly with a metronome, then at speed, so tremolo and fast scales stay even under nerves
• Check finger picks, spare strings, a tuning key and a stable stand or table before leaving for the venue
• Record a full run-through and listen for uneven tremolo, uncertain bent notes and rushed endings, then fix those first
• Rehearse the walk-on, the first note and the bow, so the opening is calm
• After a loss, ask whether technique, tone or musical shaping cost the most and work on that one element before the next round
• Ideas, not rules: play the slow section at half speed with full dynamics to build control before restoring the tempo

Frequently asked questions

Is Guzheng judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Who can enter Guzheng?

The template sets an Instrumental group for ages 16 to 35, open to both genders. The event notice sets any further conditions on entry.

Is the guzheng the same as the guqin?

No. The guqin is a seven-string, fretless zither with a quiet voice, while the guzheng has many more strings on movable bridges and a bright, ringing sound. The template lists the guzheng.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

Individually. The template records one player, one performance and one score out of 100.

How long can the performance be?

The template clock is ten minutes. The event notice may set a shorter or longer limit for a given round, which a coordinator can change on the item.

Want the full judging picture? Read our judging and score tabulation guide, or browse every on stage competition item.