Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t1: Wan Baochang
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t1
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Wan Baochang
v2.c11.s2.t1.1
Wan Baochang (about 556-595 CE) was a musician of Sui Dynasty who lived in Liang of Southern Dynasty in his childhood. As Chen destroyed Liang, he and his father Wan Datong followed the General of Liang, Wang lin to obey the Northern Qi. His hearing was extremely sensitive and he studied music from Zu Ting, the well-known musician of the Northern Qi. After Wang Lin died in a battle against Chen, his father planned again to flee from the Northern Qi and go back to South China, but was killed. Wan Baochang was also degraded as a pariah of musician.
v2.c11.s2.t1.2
In the Northern Dynasty, most people were immersed by Indian culture and believed in Buddhism in the Western Regions. Music was also “playing mixed with Buddhist language.” Along with Buddhism becoming popular and the government promotion of alien nations, the music of Western Regions was in full flourish. Kucha music was even more popular in the Northern Qi. Wan Baochang often asked the Western Region’s musicians for advice; therefore, he was a high level musician of Kucha music derived from Indian Buddhist culture. He was good at playing various kinds of instruments and proficient in rhyming. He used to make the jade chimes and dedicated it to the Northern Qi and revised the old Luoyang songs. Later on, the Northern Zhou destroyed the Northern Qi and Sui Dynasty replaced the Northern Zhou, and Wan Baochang became a part of the Sui people afterwards.
v2.c11.s2.t1.3
In the early Kaihuang Period during the reign of Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui (581 CE), Peiguogong Zheng Yi et al, set out the rites and music, and Wan Baochang was often invited to be a part in the discussion, to make instruments by imperial order and was toning for melody by using the self-made water ruler. Wan Baochang had an extremely high level of artistic culture that he “could write songs handily.” But because of the simple and elegance of his melodies, people were not fond of such kind of music. He had many suggestions about music theory and wrote 64 volumes of *Music Notation* to discuss the prosody theory of “eight tones that were included in Gong, and if strings and columns changed, the tone would change with a total 84 tones, 144 rhythms and changes of 1,800 sounds.” His theory was not accepted finally because of his humble status and he was even defamed by peers or high officials. Finally, he was abandoned by his wife and died of starvation. Before dying, he angrily destroyed his *Music Notation*. Only a few volumes was grabbed by witnesses and passed on.
v2.c11.s2.t1.4
(*Zhao Jiazi*)