Chen Zhi

Chen Zhi (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: 陳志; pinyin: Chén Zhì) is a Chinese guitar teacher (pedagogue) and promoter, who is today known for the exceptionally high level that his classical guitar students reach. He is one of China's best-known personalities of the guitar in general (not just the classical guitar).

Chen Zhi studied Mathematics and Chemistry.

Chen Zhi learned to play the guitar privately from two Russian immigrants who came to Shanghai from Belarus. He did not receive a formal institution-based (e.g. conservatory) musical education/training.

Chen Zhi played acoustic "Western" and electric Hawaii guitar and made some recordings e.g. in the early 1980s. Only thereafter, since approx. 1982 did he begin to dedicatedly focus on teaching the classical guitar, which is what he is best known for today.

Today Chen is professor of classical guitar at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1982 he founded China's first school of classical guitar, the Chen Zhi School of Classical Guitar. In 1986 he assumed the post as council director of the China Beijing Guitar Society.

As initiator and artistic director, Chen Zhi organized the first China International Guitar Festival in 1987 and numerous events since then. He is honorary council member of the CICEC (China International Culture Exchange Center).

He has hosted the radio program Classical Guitar Lesson Once a Week since 1984. Since 1993, he has hosted the CCTV television program The Skill and Expression of Classical Guitar, which is broadcast three times per week. Since 1989 he has served as director, artistic instructor, and conductor of the China Broadcasting Guitar Orchestra.

Chen has written several books and many articles about the classical guitar, which were published in China.

He has lectured in Japan, Spain, Portugal, Germany and several other nations.

Chen Zhi is self-taught as teacher. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of Chen Zhi's teaching career.

His teaching from around the 1990s is such, that based on his students' technical abilities, he is regarded as one of today's top classical guitar teachers (see Quotations below).

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