# Listening to the Qin (Zither)

- By: Liu Songnian (Chinese, c. 1150-after 1225)
- Date: 1150–after 1225
- Medium: Album leaf; ink and slight color on silk
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Image: 23.8 x 24.6 cm (9 3/8 x 9 11/16 in.); with mat: 33.3 x 40.5 cm (13 1/8 x 15 15/16 in.)
- Culture: China, Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
- Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1983.85)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/1983.85/1983.85_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Listening to the Qin recalls the story of Bo Ya, a musician who loved to play the qin (a seven-stringed zither) for Zhong Ziqi, who was a discerning listener. The cool shade of the pine trees and the incense wafting from the burner complemented the atmosphere created by the music. After Zhang died, Bo refused to play the instrument ever again. The intimate format of the album leaf focuses on the music as the key to stir the heart and soul of both player and listener.