Jiu Kuang (酒狂) - A Scholar's Drunken Madness | Famous Guqin Masterpiece by Ruan Ji

Jiu Kuang (酒狂). "Drunken Madness". This is not a song about drunkenness, but a song of protest.

This masterpiece is attributed to the great poet Ruan Ji (阮籍), one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove from the Three Kingdoms period. In a time of political turmoil, Ruan Ji feigned madness and alcoholism to escape the corrupt court, expressing his untamed spirit through music.

Listen for the staggered, almost chaotic rhythms that mimic the unsteady steps of a drunkard, yet beneath it all lies the sharp, sober clarity of a rebellious scholar. It is a controlled chaos, a powerful expression of freedom.