Master craftsmen in tune with history

From left: A craftsman works on a peg for an erhu. A piece of snakeskin is stretched over an erhu soundbox. CHINA DAILY

Another sophisticated technique during the erhu-making process is stretching snakeskin over the sound box.

"The depth of sound matters to erhu and good snakeskin can make the sound more powerful," Huang said. He added even a top artisan can only cover snakeskin on 10 instruments at most in a day. The thickness of each piece of snakeskin, the ways of binding and trimming, and different woods the instrument uses will result in changes in tone. Any error in the process will lead to unwanted turbulence.

In 2010, Meicun was titled the "hometown of erhu craft in Jiangsu". In 2011, erhu making in Meicun was placed on Jiangsu's list of intangible cultural heritage. Lu Linsheng, who is deceased, won the title of heir to Jiangsu's intangible cultural heritage. Artisans including Huang, Wan and Bu Guangjun won the title of Wuxi intangible cultural heritage heirs.

Meicun was honored as the "hometown of Chinese erhu" by the Chinese Musicians' Association in 2011. In 2012, erhu-making masters and erhu musicians in Meicun visited Boholt, Germany, where they entranced the international audience with traditional Chinese arts.

The town has also integrated erhu into residents' daily lives. In November 2017, an art center named after erhu artist Deng Jiandong was opened. One month later, Meicun signed agreements with the Jiangsu Provincial Musicians Association to host youth erhu contests.

There are a large number of erhu lovers in Meicun, who have passed the Grade 10 exam, the highest level for amateur erhu performer, Huang said. Local erhu performing groups, such as Hongteng Folk Orchestra, often receive invitations to stage erhu performances outside Meicun.

Erhu, shaped like an upside-down hammer, can be traced back to the instruments of northern China's nomadic tribes that were introduced to the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The instrument has a profound connection with Wuxi, which is the hometown of Hua Yanjun, a blind street musician. His masterpiece Erquan Yingyue, or The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring, remains one of the most frequently played erhu solos across the nation. Liu Tianhua, another legend in traditional Chinese music history and the leader of an academic school of erhu artists in China, was a native of Wuxi. He composed pieces such as Beautiful Night, Autumn Moon over the Han Palace and Marching on the Bright Road.

yinruowei@chinadaily.com.cn