Dancing to the music of time, one factory enjoys renaissance
April 28, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
RENEWED public interest in traditional folk arts in China is music to the ears of the Shanghai No.1 National Musical Instruments Factory, the nation's largest producer of ancient stringed, percussion and woodwind instruments.
When Wang Guozhen became general manager of the Minhang-based company in 1998, the factory only sold about 7,000 guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) a year. Last year, the figure was 65,717.
"Chinese culture has come back into the spotlight with the country's renaissance, and folk musical instruments are one of the gems of traditional culture," Wang said, sitting in his office in Qibao.
The situation was not always so harmonious.
The 1980s was a chilly time for factory sales. Pop music from Hong Kong and Taiwan and other foreign influences began edging out traditional Chinese music. Young people especially lost interest in the ancient songs. Fewer people learned to play old instruments.
Wang said things got so bad that the factory was forced to manufacture toys and furniture to survive.
People started to warm up again to ancient music in the 1990s as the nation began to re-examine its roots, he said. Today, governments from the central level down to local towns are promoting public awareness of ancient folk traditions, including music.
More people are learning traditional instruments because they love the haunting beauty of the music. Wang said he himself is a folk music lover, though he plays no instrument. His mobile phone answers with a tune played on the stringed pipa (Chinese lute).
It is not difficult to learn basic technique of playing an ancient instrument, but mastering one remains the realm of true professionals, Wang said.
Take the guzheng as an example. It takes about a year to learn how to pluck out simple tunes on the 21-string instrument, he said. Last year, as many as 12,000 people sat the guzheng exam organized by the Shanghai Musicians Association, 10 percent more than a year earlier.
The Shanghai No.1 National Musical Instruments Factory was established in 1958. It has auxilliary operations in three other districts of Shanghai and in Henan Province. Total factory employment is 600.
Sales volume in 2011 reached 190 million yuan (US$30.64 million), up 12 percent from a year earlier. The factory in Minhang alone earned profit of 12.68 million yuan.
The erhu (two-string Chinese fiddle), the guzheng and the pipa are the best-selling instruments, accounting for 80 percent of the factory's production.
All the instruments are sold under the Dunhuang label. The brand name comes from the Dunhuang caves of northwestern China, which are famous for their ancient Buddhist frescoes. Wang said 4,095 musical instruments of 54 varieties are depicted in the wall murals and served as copies for modern production of the instruments.
Prices for guzheng, erhu, and pipa range between 1,000 yuan for beginner instruments to 500,000 yuan for collector models inlaid with ivory or gold. Most of the instruments are made from redwood. More expensive models are made from rosewood. Some are crafted from snake skin or woven bamboo.
Even the cheapest instrument will last up to 10 years if it is played frequently and well taken care of, Wang said.
Among the other instruments made at the factory are the yangqin (two-stringed fiddle), flute, yueqin (two-stringed lute) and ruan (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard). About 10 percent of the factory's instruments are exported, mostly to Asian markets.
The major customers are folk music lovers, students and teachers of folk music.
The factory has five old masters, all more than 70 years old, who are famous instrument craftsmen. The instruments they have made are considered prize possessions. One guzheng made by master craftsman Xu Zhengao is valued at 500,000 yuan.
Many foreigners who hear traditional folk music aren't aware of the instruments being played. But public performances are introducing both the music and instruments to a wider public.
Sixty-four erhu made by the factory were played in the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The factory kept one and the other 63, priced at 10,000 yuan each, were quickly sold out. The price has since surged to 120,000 yuan on the collectors' market.
The factory is experimenting with more modern materials and techniques in its production, turning out translucent acrylic erhu, lutes in vibrant colors and electronic instruments. Eye-catching new models are boosting interest in traditional music among the digital-age generation.
Last year, the factory produced erhu with necks featuring the bronze heads of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The heads are replicas of figures on a water-clock fountain in Yuanmingyuan, the palace near Beijing that was plundered and set ablaze by British and French troops in 1860.
"We want to incorporate elements of traditional Chinese culture into our musical instruments," Wang said.
It usually takes four years to train an employee in the art of turning a block of redwood into a fine-quality instrument.
Xiang Chao, a 20-something native of Sichuan Province, is among those who have passed their apprenticeship. On the sawdust-strewn ground floor of the factory one morning, he was busy crafting the neck of erhu. He said he has been at the factory for five years, honing a specialty in making necks for erhu and pipa.
"I like doing this," he said, breaking into a big smile, "I never get bored with my job."
In 2005, the factory established its own small orchestra of traditional instrument players. There are now seven members, most of whom are accomplished musicians with more than 20 years experience. They have performed at music festivals and in cultural-exchange programs around the world, including Europe and the US.
When Wang Guozhen became general manager of the Minhang-based company in 1998, the factory only sold about 7,000 guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) a year. Last year, the figure was 65,717.
"Chinese culture has come back into the spotlight with the country's renaissance, and folk musical instruments are one of the gems of traditional culture," Wang said, sitting in his office in Qibao.
The situation was not always so harmonious.
The 1980s was a chilly time for factory sales. Pop music from Hong Kong and Taiwan and other foreign influences began edging out traditional Chinese music. Young people especially lost interest in the ancient songs. Fewer people learned to play old instruments.
Wang said things got so bad that the factory was forced to manufacture toys and furniture to survive.
People started to warm up again to ancient music in the 1990s as the nation began to re-examine its roots, he said. Today, governments from the central level down to local towns are promoting public awareness of ancient folk traditions, including music.
More people are learning traditional instruments because they love the haunting beauty of the music. Wang said he himself is a folk music lover, though he plays no instrument. His mobile phone answers with a tune played on the stringed pipa (Chinese lute).
It is not difficult to learn basic technique of playing an ancient instrument, but mastering one remains the realm of true professionals, Wang said.
Take the guzheng as an example. It takes about a year to learn how to pluck out simple tunes on the 21-string instrument, he said. Last year, as many as 12,000 people sat the guzheng exam organized by the Shanghai Musicians Association, 10 percent more than a year earlier.
The Shanghai No.1 National Musical Instruments Factory was established in 1958. It has auxilliary operations in three other districts of Shanghai and in Henan Province. Total factory employment is 600.
Sales volume in 2011 reached 190 million yuan (US$30.64 million), up 12 percent from a year earlier. The factory in Minhang alone earned profit of 12.68 million yuan.
The erhu (two-string Chinese fiddle), the guzheng and the pipa are the best-selling instruments, accounting for 80 percent of the factory's production.
All the instruments are sold under the Dunhuang label. The brand name comes from the Dunhuang caves of northwestern China, which are famous for their ancient Buddhist frescoes. Wang said 4,095 musical instruments of 54 varieties are depicted in the wall murals and served as copies for modern production of the instruments.
Prices for guzheng, erhu, and pipa range between 1,000 yuan for beginner instruments to 500,000 yuan for collector models inlaid with ivory or gold. Most of the instruments are made from redwood. More expensive models are made from rosewood. Some are crafted from snake skin or woven bamboo.
Even the cheapest instrument will last up to 10 years if it is played frequently and well taken care of, Wang said.
Among the other instruments made at the factory are the yangqin (two-stringed fiddle), flute, yueqin (two-stringed lute) and ruan (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard). About 10 percent of the factory's instruments are exported, mostly to Asian markets.
The major customers are folk music lovers, students and teachers of folk music.
The factory has five old masters, all more than 70 years old, who are famous instrument craftsmen. The instruments they have made are considered prize possessions. One guzheng made by master craftsman Xu Zhengao is valued at 500,000 yuan.
Many foreigners who hear traditional folk music aren't aware of the instruments being played. But public performances are introducing both the music and instruments to a wider public.
Sixty-four erhu made by the factory were played in the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The factory kept one and the other 63, priced at 10,000 yuan each, were quickly sold out. The price has since surged to 120,000 yuan on the collectors' market.
The factory is experimenting with more modern materials and techniques in its production, turning out translucent acrylic erhu, lutes in vibrant colors and electronic instruments. Eye-catching new models are boosting interest in traditional music among the digital-age generation.
Last year, the factory produced erhu with necks featuring the bronze heads of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The heads are replicas of figures on a water-clock fountain in Yuanmingyuan, the palace near Beijing that was plundered and set ablaze by British and French troops in 1860.
"We want to incorporate elements of traditional Chinese culture into our musical instruments," Wang said.
It usually takes four years to train an employee in the art of turning a block of redwood into a fine-quality instrument.
Xiang Chao, a 20-something native of Sichuan Province, is among those who have passed their apprenticeship. On the sawdust-strewn ground floor of the factory one morning, he was busy crafting the neck of erhu. He said he has been at the factory for five years, honing a specialty in making necks for erhu and pipa.
"I like doing this," he said, breaking into a big smile, "I never get bored with my job."
In 2005, the factory established its own small orchestra of traditional instrument players. There are now seven members, most of whom are accomplished musicians with more than 20 years experience. They have performed at music festivals and in cultural-exchange programs around the world, including Europe and the US.
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