Where guns once roared, violins strike new chord in rural China

ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Braving the sweltering summer afternoon in central China, 12-year-old Chen Yulin steadied her violin beneath her chin and, joined by four classmates, played the patriotic tune "My Motherland and I" with practiced precision.

The students, from Queshan County in Henan Province, were rehearsing for a school performance to mark the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), scheduled for early September.

Tucked into the hills of southern Henan, Queshan was once a major stronghold of the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the war. Late Chinese leaders Liu Shaoqi and Li Xiannian, and famed generals including Wang Zhen and Zhang Aiping, worked and fought in Queshan. Many Party and military elites were trained here. Units of CPC-led New Fourth Army fanned out from here to fight the aggressors.

Over the past decade, Queshan, long constrained by its geographical conditions, waged a different kind of battle, spending years lifting itself out of absolute poverty. Today, the county offers something few might expect: free violin lessons in several public schools, an opportunity still rare even in many Chinese cities.

For more than two years, Chen has taken part in such a program at her school, where she and more than 70 classmates receive professional training and instruments entirely free of charge.

What makes this possible is Queshan's thriving homegrown violin-making industry. According to industry data, 90 percent of the world's violins are made in China, and 80 percent of the country's mid- to high-end handcrafted violin-family instruments come from Queshan.

Today, this rural county produces more than 400,000 violins, violas, cellos and double basses each year, accounting for over 30 percent of China's total output of the violin family. Most are exported to Europe, North America and other markets.

These remarkable figures reflect how deeply the craft has reshaped not only the local economy but the cultural identity of Queshan.

Just above the students' rehearsal room in Queshan Violin Industrial Park, rows of craftsmen work diligently, cutting, carving, sanding and varnishing instruments by hand.

"Each violin goes through more than 10 major steps," explained Jiang Hexi, a production supervisor at Haoyun Musical Instruments, one of the park's flagship manufacturers. "From selecting the wood to final tuning, it's all handmade."

Jiang knows the process inside out. In 2001, at 18, he left Queshan to work in a violin-making factory in Beijing, following the path many locals took in search of better income.

They learned quickly. After years of painstaking, repetitive work, Queshan's migrant workers mastered the craft that originated in 16th-century Italy.

"The hands that once held farming tools are now capable of producing world-class violins," Jiang said.

In 2015, Jiang returned to Queshan as part of a wave of skilled craftspeople drawn back by a local government initiative to jump-start the industry. The county allocated over 200 mu (about 14 hectares) of land to build the violin industrial park. Authorities offered rent-free factory space, tax breaks and streamlined permits to attract investment and encourage entrepreneurship.

What began with a handful of workshops has grown into a full-fledged industrial cluster of 144 manufacturers and workshops. The county now boasts a complete supply chain, from raw material processing and body assembly to varnishing and component production.

Haoyun, where Jiang now works, employs more than 200 people, most from nearby villages. "New workers go through three months of training before joining the production line," said general manager Guo Xinshe. "These jobs now pay far more than traditional farming."

The county's total annual output of string instruments is valued at around 600 million yuan (about 82 million U.S. dollars).

Zang Yuxia, a local official, noted that Queshan's transformation is built on a deeper foundation. Her 96-year-old father once served in the New Fourth Army and fought against Japanese aggression in Queshan in the 1940s.

Having grown up with stories of resistance and seen her hometown transform, Zang said, "Back then, the people of Queshan fought for independence with guns. Today, we're building the future with violins."

The growth of the violin industry has rippled far beyond the factory floor. Queshan is no longer just a place that makes violins; it's becoming a place where the instrument's melodic strings also echo.

On the streets of the county seat, children carrying instrument cases are a common sight after school time. Street lamps shaped like violins now line the roads outside local music schools.

"Developing our own brand, offering high-end custom instruments, and training luthiers with strong musical backgrounds is the future of Queshan's violin-making industry," Guo said.

This vision inspired Haoyun's early support for the free violin training program launched in early 2023 and jointly funded by the government. The company supplies free instruments to participating students, including those at Chen's school.

The school now offers weekly violin classes starting from second grade, with plans to expand to first graders in the upcoming term.

Jiang is heartened to see more children in Queshan picking up the instrument. For the past eight years, he has driven his son to Zhumadian -- the prefecture-level city that administers Queshan -- every weekend for violin lessons. Now 15, his son has already reached Grade 8 proficiency in the exams of the Central Conservatory of Music, one of China's most prestigious music academies.

"I've worked with violins my entire adult life, yet I can't play a single note," he said. "I hope this instrument becomes something more for the next generation, a part of their lives and not just a way to make a living." ■