Abstract
This article provides a retrospective analysis of China's efforts in applying digital technologies to guqin music research, tracing its evolution from early computer-assisted initiatives to contemporary computational methodologies. The guqin, an ancient seven-stringed zither, occupies a central position in Chinese musical heritages, with its repertoire historically preserved through the jianzipu tablature system. Although this notation documents the rich variety of finger techniques clearly, it lacks rhythmic detail, posing significant challenges for interpreting and reconstructing guqin music. Early efforts in the 1980s, such as Professor Chen Changlin's development of a computer processing system for the characters of the jianzipu tablature, was one of the pioneering computational approaches in this field. The establishment of China's first computer music laboratory in 1986 at Shanghai Jiaotong University further advanced this interdisciplinary research by uniting computer scientists and musicologists. Key milestones included the creation of encoding systems and software to translate pitch information from jianzipu into modern notation, alongside the application of statistical methods to analyze musical intonation features. These contributions have significantly shaped the digital humanities in China, particularly in guqin music research. The article concludes by considering the potential of emerging technologies—such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality—to revolutionize guqin music research and creativity, ensuring the preservation and revitalization of this invaluable Chinese cultural heritage.