[HOB] Jingyu Wu

Exploring a traditional Chinese instrument

“I was born in Shanghai and came to the U.S. in 2019. My father and I moved to Houston in order to take care of my aging grandparents. I started playing the guzheng four years ago. The guzheng has 21 strings that are divided into two parts. One part is for pressing while the other part is for plucking. It is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument that you play with your fingers. You pluck the strings using nails that you wear on your fingertips. For me, playing the guzheng is a way for me to maintain my connection to Chinese culture in America. My favorite part about the guzheng is that the sounds are different depending on how hard you press the strings.”