As time changes, guqin songs faded away from people's daily life. Since the 1950s, however, some guqin players have worked hard to research the ancient pieces. They managed to recover some of the songs, giving it a hope to revive.

Soprano and guqin song singer He Yi learned ethnic vocal music in China Conservatory of Music, before she turned to German and Austrian songs and operas, and performed in the United States and in Europe. During her days abroad, she found herself strongly appealed by traditional Chinese music and culture.