自序
筆者出生於廣東，幼小隨父母移民到香港，十多歲時又由香港移居加拿大。曾祖母是英國人，故有八分之一的英國血統。
自幼酷愛琴棋書畫，對中國儒、釋、道三教及中國古典文史頗為熱衷。
十九歲時讀到春秋時代孔子學習琴曲《文王操》的故事，甚受启迪，立願學習古琴。經遍訪名師未遇，轉學古筝。终遇九嶷派大師管平湖隔代高足喬珊老師，隨她苦學十多年。 同時又隨古琴大師成公亮老師和龔一老師 學習琴曲《文王操》和《瀟湘水雲》。對古琴的雅，柔，静，幽，清，微，淡，遠等境界非常陶醉。
深解古琴修心煉性，融合儒，釋，道，承載天，地，人三才，遵守和諧與自然法則，集思想性，藝術性，哲學性為一體，蕴含豐富深厚的文化内涵，具有獨特的思想品格和藝術魅力。
旅居加拿大温哥華三十余载，為推廣中國传统文化不遺餘力。曾在2005年和2009年在UBC亜州中心用英語教授古琴。
湯月明
PREFACE
I was born in China’s Guangdong Province, and moved to Hong Kong with my parents when I was very young. I then immigrated to Canada when I was a teenager. My great grandmother was British so I am one eighth British blood.
I found my passion with the Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar: qin-playing, Chinese chess, calligraphy and painting, as well as Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese culture and history ever since I was very young. When I was 19 years old, I was inspired by the story of Confucius learning to play the qin piece called “Wenwang Cao” and decided to study the musical instrument called the qin, also known as the guqin. However, I was unable to find a teacher, so I started to study a different instrument, the guzheng instead, until I met Qiao Shan, the successor of Jiuyi school’s master Guan Pinghu. I studied with Ms. Qiao for over a decade and, at the same time, I studied playing “Wenwang Cao” and “Xiao and Xiang Rivers and Clouds” with guqin masters Cheng Gongliang and Gong Yi. I have been enchanted with the guqin’s special qualities of elegance, gentleness, quietude, subtlety, clarity, non-aggressiveness, and its light yet far-reaching qualities. Ultimately, I came to understand that the guqin is good for cultivating one’s character and personality. It incorporates Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist ideals, as well as the natural harmony of heaven, earth and humanity, and it observes the rules of harmony and naturalness. It embodies ideology, artistry and philosophy, and it contains rich cultural contents, giving it unique cultural characteristics as well as artistic charm.
I have lived in Vancouver, Canada for over 30 years and have tried my best to promote traditional Chinese culture all the while. I taught the guqin in English at the University of British Columbia’s Asian Centre in 2005 and 2009.
Diana Yueming Tang
