The Qinshi bu (Supplement to the History of the Qin), published by Zhou Qingyun in 1919, was conceived by Zhou as a supplement to Zhu Changwen’s Qinshi (History of the Qin) compiled in the 11th century. Drawing on a great variety of sources, he gathered biographies and accounts of figures associated with the zither qin who belonged to the period covered by Zhu Changwen’s work but whom Zhu, for whatever reasons, had not included, thereby considerably broadening the scope of the earlier work.

This volume provides the first complete translation of the Qinshi bu into a Western language. As was the case with Luca Pisano’s previous book on the Qinshi (2023), the translation is accompanied by the Chinese original text. It is richly annotated and embeds the biographies in their cultural and musicological background. A detailed introduction examines Zhou Qingyun’s life, his work, and his contribution to the history of the qin. Being an accomplished qin player himself, Luca Pisano with his new book continues his studies of the qin, its history and unique position among all other Chinese instruments.