The art of crafting perfect Jiangnan tones

From left: Wan Qixing, a legendary erhu maker renowned for his great skill and technique and Lu Linsheng, another benchmark craftsman known for his lifelong dedication to the craft. CHINA DAILY

For many young erhu learners, learning to play this traditional two-stringed fiddle is definitely a big challenge. Yet for generations of traditional instrument craftsmen, creating a fine erhu has been a lifelong pursuit.

On June 26, Wan Qixing, a distinguished master erhu maker and provincial-level inheritor of Jiangsu's intangible cultural heritage of erhu craftsmanship, passed away. His peers in the industry and folk music lovers all mourned his loss.

A benchmark craftsman

Wan's life was intertwined with the evolution of Meicun's erhu intangible cultural heritage. Born in Meicun village in Wuxi in 1938, he left for Suzhou at the age of 15 to apprentice under a master and learn erhu making. Gifted and diligent, he completed his apprenticeship ahead of schedule in less than three years. He later worked as a technical supervisor at a musical instrument factory in Hangzhou.

In 1965, he joined the Meicun musical instrument factory, picking up erhu craftsmanship once more and taking on apprentices to pass down his techniques.

In 1991, Wan founded the Guyue Erhu Workshop and launched his own business. Starting out making erhu alone, he gradually hired relatives and workers, eventually expanding his workshop to a team of 40 to 50 staff members dedicated to erhu production.

With decades of refined craftsmanship, he built a reputable brand rooted in Meicun, and countless musicians flocked to him and commissioned custom erhu.

When asked about the secret of fine instrument making, Wan once said in an interview: "Timbre is invisible; it can only be grasped through intuition."

Wan held a rigorous attitude toward craftsmanship and raw material selection. He exclusively used premium materials such as small-leaf red sandalwood and Indian rosewood. These materials boosted the durability of instrument necks and delivered rich resonant tones from the sound box.

The python skin stretching process stands as the soul of erhu making, with an extremely low margin for error — it is the dividing line between ordinary craftsmen and master luthiers. The python skin stretched over the sound box must meet strict standards for grain pattern and thickness.

More than 100 handcrafted procedures are required, from timber cutting and body shaping to python skin stretching and carving.

Thanks to his skill and exacting standards, Wan-style erhu were among the top choices for renowned folk music performers. Instruments from the Guyue Erhu Workshop sell across China and enjoy popularity in overseas markets including Singapore and Japan.

Huang Jianhong and Bu Guangjun, both Wan's disciples as well as his sons-in-law, have practiced erhu making for over two decades. Their handcrafted instruments have won recognition from many leading national erhu virtuosos.

Recalling their father-in-law, the two men echoed the same lesson he taught them: "Be a righteous person before you craft an instrument". In Wan's eyes, only a person of integrity can make an instrument with upright, pure sound. This teaching left the deepest impression on his two successors.

Folk music hometown

There's a saying that circulates in the erhumaking industry: "For southern Chinese erhu, look to Wuxi; for Wuxi erhu, look to Meicun; for Meicun erhu, look to masters Wan and Lu." Alongside Wan, Lu Linsheng was another founding figure of Meicun's erhu industry who set the benchmark for erhumaking standards.

Lu studied the craft around the same time as Wan before returning to his hometown. For over 60 years, he specialized in the python skin stretching process, developing his Lu-style stretching method that produces bright, resonant tones with extraordinary power. He claimed gold awards at numerous national erhu craftsmanship competitions and was the go-to master for custom instruments for performers from major professional music troupes nationwide.

Wuxi has long been hailed as a "hometown of Chinese folk music". More than half a century of development has seen Meicun gather nearly 20 instrument manufacturers, with an annual output of roughly 50,000 erhu that account for a fourth of the national mid-to-high-end market share.

In 2011, Meicun was awarded the title of "Hometown of Erhu in China". In October 2025, Wuxi became China's first city to be designated a UNESCO City of Music.

On July 2, a Wuxi erhu art inheritance and innovation exchange conference themed "string rhythms of Jiangnan" was held in Wuxi National Hi-Tech District. Experts from the Jiangsu Provincial Musicians Association, distinguished national folk music researchers, erhu performers, composers, scholars, educators, intangible cultural heritage inheritors and industry insiders gathered to discuss the protection and living inheritance of erhu-making craftsmanship.

Amid industrial upgrading, the delegates discussed how to properly protect, inherit and leverage this traditional craft, a core issue that must be addressed. They proposed that through diverse channels covering exhibitions and cultural and educational programs, the master luthiers' craftsmanship and dedication should be promoted, enabling the influence of the Meicun erhu to keep growing amid consistent inheritance.

Huang, who is also the president of the Meicun Erhu Industry Association, said after the conference that different performers hold distinct preferences for the ideal timbre of a fine erhu. The exchange brought together prestigious erhu virtuosos to jointly formulate unified industry standards covering instrument volume, timbre and responsiveness from a professional perspective, filling a long-standing gap in the industry.

Renowned erhu virtuoso Zhu Changyao said that southern Jiangsu, especially Wuxi and Suzhou, forms the core birthplace of Jiangnan erhu, boasting a profound history and solid foundation of instrument-making inheritance. Following reform and opening-up, Meicun fostered an outstanding development environment for the craft. As veteran masters reached retirement age, they settled in Meicun to continue honing erhu craftsmanship and pass down intangible heritage techniques. Today, their children and grandchildren have taken over the craft, forming an orderly and complete inheritance system.

"Jiangnan-style erhu feature a regional charm manifested prominently in their tonal texture. More than 80 percent of China's celebrated erhu performers play instruments crafted in the Suzhou-Wuxi school, which commands immense industrywide respect. I will keep performing with and promoting Jiangnan erhu well into the future," said Zhu.