The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of ”tradition” of the Chinese seven-stringed zither qin 琴 and its association with issues of ”intangible heritage,” ”internal debate,” as well as its connection to the current and future practices of the instrument itself. The article introduces the discourse on ”tradition” from an anthropological perspective before turning to its relationship with the above-mentioned issues. The paper also focuses on the material aspects of the qin by examining its associations with the concept of tradition and time (the past, present, and future). As a constantly renewing process and one that is often limited to a particular pace or speed of change, the concept of ”tradition” has indeed played a very important role within contemporary qin practices and has provided a vision that projects toward the future. By using the case of the qin, the paper further suggests that an abstract concept such as ”tradition” can be useful for the understanding of performance itself in relation to the interpretation of the past and considerations for the future.