Chinese national musical instruments are enduring with a long history. They are closely related to the cultural life of the people in all ethnic groups and are an important part of Chinese traditional culture.
Throughout the ages, national musical instruments always are played on every festival, wedding, funeral, and major event. The craftsmanship of national musical instruments has become an essential traditional handicraft technique in China and has been passed down to the present day.
Suzhou musical instrument craftsmanship has a long history dating back to the Spring and Autumn Period. In the course of thousands of years of development and inheritance, skillful craftsmen have constantly improved their techniques and made them renowned throughout the country.
There are many kinds of musical instruments made in Suzhou, such as erhu, yuan, guzheng and pipa, among which the chime is a representative one. A group of national musical instruments named “Su”, such as Su Di(flute), Su Xiao(Chinese vertical bamboo flute), Su Luo(Chinese Gong), Su Gu(drum), etc., have some Suzhou regional characteristics.
These instruments are known for their beautiful modeling, concise structure, delicate workmanship, and sweet and pure sound. The craftsmanship of Suzhou national musical instruments is exquisite because a musical instrument requires various steps such as batching, engraving, lacquering, inlaying and tuning and each process has different skills.
This craftsmanship fully shows the cultural connotation and artistic style of Suzhou musical instruments, which is the essence and soul of Chinese national musical instruments.
