Wuxi erhu impresses South Korea's First Lady

The First Lady of Korea (L) Kim Jeong-suk, tries to play an erhu made by Wuxi craftsmen on Dec 13. [Photo/VCG]

The First Lady of Korea, Kim Jeong-suk, tried her hand at playing a Wuxi-made erhu in Beijing on Dec 13, 2017, during her state visit to China.

Korean President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jeong-suk's four-day visit to China promoted communication and cooperation between the two nations.

Accompanied by Choo Ja-hyun and Yu Xiaoguang, a Korean-Chinese artist couple, Kim Jeong-suk listened to some traditional erhu music as well as experiencing the instrument for herself.

Thanks to her musical background, Kim Jeong-suk looks like a natural when playing the erhu. [Photo/VCG]

The First Lady looked like a natural with the erhu, having a string musical background herself once serving as a member of the Chorus of Seoul as a singer.

"I have thought for a long time how to understand China. Finally I decided to try the erhu, as I majored in vocal music, and the tone of erhu is the most similar to the human voice," Kim said.

"It was quite impressive to hear the quick rhythms of a song flowing from two strings, plucked by four fingers," the First Lady remarked of the professional erhu performances.

The erhu Kim played was hand-crafted by the Gu Yue workshop in Meicun, Wuxi, Jiangsu province, which was established by legendary craftsman, Wan Qixing.

Wan is renowned for his great skill and technique in producing erhu, with his instruments beloved by musicians across China.

The erhu was decorated with Liuqing – a type of vibrant green bamboo carving and traditional cultural heritage of Wuxi. The Liuqing bamboo works of Wuxi are refined and decorative and enjoy an increasing popularity among locals and tourists alike.