Daoist Arts with Master Yuan Jung Ping

Return to Dao
Guqin • Calligraphy • Tea

Bali, Ubud, 14 January 2026, 3-6pm, Arteafact Studio

Dao Arts Centre Bali and Arteafact Studio Tea House open a rare space for an intimate encounter with the Daoist arts, guided by the living Daoist Master Yuan Jung Ping — a lineage holder of classical Guqin music, calligraphy, and internal cultivation.

This is a rare Daoist immersion and transmission where sound, ink, and tea form a unified field of presence. This evening is not a performance in the conventional sense — it is a living encounter with ancient wisdom, expressed through the three traditions of Daoist cultivation: the Guqin, calligraphy, and tea.

Immerse into sacred space where Daoist wisdom is transmitted in natural way, through listening and feeling.

Return to Dao

At the center of this gathering is the Guqin, the ancient Chinese seven-string zither revered for over three millennia as an instrument of subtle resonance and inner cultivation. Far from being loud entertainment, the Guqin’s sound moves slowly and intimately — a meditative, embracing voice that invites listeners to turn inward and rediscover harmony within and with the natural world. This instrument was traditionally practiced in quiet settings and private circles, not for public spectacle, because its function is to refine the heart/mind and to reveal the harmony that already exists in life. In Daoist tradition, the Guqin is more than music. Its tones arise from breath, spirit, and stillness, and its pauses are as meaningful as its notes.

During the event, Master Yuan will perform a selection of classical Guqin pieces, allowing listeners to enter the subtle landscapes of mountains, flowing water, wind, and emptiness — not as images, but as states of being.

Alongside sound, calligraphy appears. At a moment guided by the atmosphere of the tea, the music, and the collective presence, Master Yuan will draw a calligraphic work — not prepared in advance, but born from the moment itself. In Daoist tradition, calligraphy is not decoration, but a visible trace of Qi moving through body, breath, and brush.

Tea as the Silent Teacher

The experience is held within a tea ceremony with exquisite tea selection of Arteafact Studio, grounding the gathering in simplicity and attentiveness. Tea becomes the silent teacher — slowing time, refining perception, and allowing the Daoist arts to be received not intellectually, but directly.

What to Expect

This is a 3h immersive gathering, held in an atmosphere of quiet attention and refinement.

Guests will be welcomed into a sacred, contemplative space of Tea House, where Daoist wisdom unfolds not through explanation, but through direct experience — listening, feeling, and subtle inner perception.

This event is guided by Daoist Master Yuan Jung Ping, a contemporary master whose life’s work brings together the Guqin, calligraphy, and the art of inner cultivation. Master Yuan’s presence is itself a rare opportunity. In Daoist lineages, true transmission occurs not through words alone but through experience, atmosphere, refined attention, and shared stillness — a living contact with presence that cannot be replicated elsewhere.

The evening will naturally flow through three intertwined expressions of the Daoist arts:

Guqin Music
Master Yuan Jung Ping will perform a sequence of classical Guqin pieces. The Guqin is played slowly and spaciously, allowing sound and silence to work together. Listeners are invited to rest the mind and listen with the whole body, to relax habitual mental tension, open perception, and reconnect with an inner harmony that transcends ordinary cognition.

Tea Ceremony
Tea will be prepared and served throughout the gathering, anchoring the experience in presence and simplicity. Tea supports stillness, clarity, and the gentle opening of perception, becoming an integral part of the Daoist transmission rather than an accompaniment.

Calligraphy in the Moment
At a moment guided by the atmosphere of sound, tea, and collective presence, Master Yuan will create a calligraphic work. This act is spontaneous — a visible trace of Qi moving through breath, body, and brush — capturing the unique spirit of that particular evening. In Daoist arts, ink on paper becomes an expression of inner landscape: the dwelling place of presence, simplicity, and depth.

Rather than a structured program, the event unfolds organically, guided by rhythm, sensitivity, and the living Dao. Silence, pauses, and subtle transitions are part of the experience.

Guests are encouraged to arrive with an open, receptive state, free from expectation, allowing the Daoist arts to be felt directly — as resonance, calm, and inner alignment.

Why This Matters

Experiences like this are rare because the Guqin’s power is not in performance, but in cultivation. Its sound carries a coherence that harmonizes mind, breath, and heart; its silence fosters clarity; its subtle movement reminds us how to feel rather than merely think. In Daoist philosophy, harmony is not something to be achieved externally, but something already present within — something to remember. 

To share this field with a living master — one who embodies the subtle currents of sound, ink, and tea — is a precious opportunity for anyone seeking balance, peace, and deeper resonance in life.

We invite you to arrive with an open heart and receptive presence, and to allow the evening to unfold — quietly, profoundly, and naturally — like water.

About Daoist Master Yuan Jung Ping

Daoist Master Yuan Jung Ping (袁中平), also known by his literary name Muru and honorific Zhong Dao Ren, is one of the foremost contemporary practitioners of the classical Guqin, Chinese calligraphy, and Daoist internal arts. Born in Taipei with ancestral roots in Jiangxi, he began his Guqin training under Master Sun Yu-Qin in Taipei and later studied with the revered Suzhou master Wu Zhaoji, deepening his understanding of sound, breath, and spirit.

For over four decades, Master Yuan has devoted himself to the preservation, performance, and transmission of the ancient Guqin tradition. In 2000 he founded the New York Qin Society, and later established branches of the Zhong Dao Qin Society in Qingdao and Taipei. Today he serves as President of the Chinese Guqin Association, Director of the Taipei Qin Hall, and Head of the Zhong Dao Qin Society.

Master Yuan’s art is holistic: he is a performer, teacher, scholar, calligrapher, and maker of Guqin instruments. He collects and restores antique qin, preserves traditional craftsmanship through the creation of his own Zhong Dao Qin, and researches historic scores ranging from Tang and Song dynasties to more recent repertoires, revitalizing them for modern audiences.

His musical recordings include works that reflect both deep tradition and personal creativity, and his compositions have received recognition such as Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Tripod Award for Best Composition and Best Arrangement.

Through decades of teaching, concerts, and cultural exchanges across Asia, Europe, and the United States, Master Yuan shares not only the notes of the Guqin, but the philosophy and heart of this Daoist art — inviting listeners toward stillness, harmony, and inner resonance.

A Rare Encounter

Opportunities to experience Guqin, calligraphy, and tea united by one master in one intimate space are exceptionally rare, especially outside China.

This evening is an invitation to step out of ordinary time — to listen, to witness, to remember the connection to the Source and the Natural Way.