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Meicun: Home of the erhu

(wndonline.cn)Updated: 2023-04-13

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A craftsman makes an erhu. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Meicun sub-district in Xinwu district, Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province is known as "the home of erhu", a traditional two-stringed Chinese musical instrument.

Local artisans started establishing erhu factories in Meicun in the 1960s. Meicun is presently an important production hub of this instrument in China and has more than 10 workshops that produce nearly 50,000 erhus annually.

One of the most notable erhu makers in Meicun is Wan Qixing, who began learning how to make the instrument at the age of 15 in Suzhou and completed his apprenticeship in only less than three years. He then spent 50 years on building the Meicun Instrument Factory and Guyue Erhu Workshop. Wan's son-in-law Bu Guangjun started taking on the business in 1997 and has been practicing the craft for over 20 years. It takes a series of complicated steps, including cutting, stretching, and polishing, to turn a piece of wood and snakeskin into a fine instrument.

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Students at the Meicun Experimental Primary School have an erhu class. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Erhu education is also a key focus in Meicun. For example, the Meicun Experimental Primary School has been teaching students about famous erhu pieces and performers, as well as how to play the erhu, to enhance their music literacy and promote traditional Chinese art.

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