How can a small guitar ignite a small town by playing a big industry? Manager | Manufacturer | Town

When it comes to Weifang, Shandong, people will think of kites. However, in a small town in Weifang, local villagers do not make kites, but instead make guitars.

When you come to Qianwu Town, the first thing you see is the musical instrument sculptures and guitar landmarks standing in the town. Entering the 120 acre musical instrument industry park, rows of signs on both sides of the road display the names of musical instrument companies. In one of the companies, the reporter saw more than ten workers busy loading containers.

Zhang Longgang, Manager of Changle Changyun Da Musical Instrument Co., Ltd.: These two cars can carry about 3000 sets, all of which are going to the United States. One is the warehouse in the East and the other is the warehouse in the South.

Zhang Longgang told reporters that in recent years, foreign trade orders have been increasing. Therefore, they settled in the musical instrument industry park last year, built new factories, and expanded production capacity. In the first half of this year, they exported 80000 sets of electric guitars, with an export value of 12 million yuan. Currently, orders have been scheduled for September.

In the workshop, workers work on assembly lines. Making an electric guitar requires 8 major processes, each of which includes more than 20 minor processes, of which 70% are handmade. These skilled technical workers are all local villagers.

When asked if they know how to play the guitar, everyone would shyly shake their heads, but this electric guitar, which was born from their hands, will float across the sea and appear in rock concerts and bars in more than 30 countries and regions.

Making an electric guitar, the final step is tuning, which is also the most technically advanced process. This company has three sound engineers, and Li Qingsheng is a local villager who grew up in the industry. After 5 years of exposure to this industry, he became a sound engineer.

Li Qingsheng, a tuning engineer at Changle Changyun Da Instrument Co., Ltd.: Now I have to tune 70000 or 80000 guitars by my hand this year. I have worked on this area and also have a fondness for it. I have never changed my profession, mainly because I feel that I can do this job and process well, and it will be very good if done well.

Julian Garcia from Argentina came here by chance with a guitar, which attracted him to its excellent sound quality and exquisite workmanship. With a strong interest in music, he came from Argentina.

Julian Garcia, Product Director of Changle Changyun Da Musical Instrument Company: The quality of musical instruments produced in a small town is so good, and most of the workers are farmers. They are friends of the farmers in the town, and they have learned how to make musical instruments, which is really amazing.

Now, Julian Garcia has integrated into the guitar industry and brought more international market information to this guitar town.

Zhang Longgang, Manager of Changle County Changyunda Instrument Company: He will propose some improvement suggestions based on the characteristics of the international market and the performance habits of international musicians. This will make our production more targeted and better meet the needs of the international market.

At present, there are 108 musical instrument enterprises and related supporting manufacturers, as well as more than 5000 employees in the company. Their musical instrument products have 8 categories and nearly 400 varieties, with an annual production of over 2 million finished musical instruments and over 5 million sets of musical instrument accessories. Among them, the annual production of electric guitars accounts for more than 40% of the total national production, and their main business revenue reaches over 1 billion yuan in a year.

Thirty years of doing something well, innovating and developing through inheritance

The opportunity to manufacture electric guitars began in the 1990s. At that time, the county's musical instrument factory and foreign enterprises jointly started producing electric guitars. Over the next 30 years, generations of people passed down and developed their guitar music.

More than 20 years ago, Li Huabo's father opened a small factory to produce electric guitars. Starting from his twenties, Li Huabo came to the factory and started with the most basic processes. In his impression, his father also encountered many difficulties in running a factory, such as fundraising, running the market, improving technology, and personally doing everything, which was a strong determination not to give up.

Li Huabo, Manager of Changle Datang Musical Instruments Co., Ltd.: At that time, most electric guitars were produced abroad. My father told me that what they could do, we Chinese people could also do it, and we should do it better.

Father has almost strict requirements for quality. After taking over the factory from his father, Li Huabo strictly adhered to the quality bottom line while seizing market changes and adjusting production direction, shifting from making ordinary electric guitars to mainly producing semi-finished products.

Li Huabo, Manager of Changle Datang Musical Instruments Co., Ltd.: After sending it to customers, they will do the painting themselves, or even doodle, draw, and assemble it themselves. They will do it themselves, allowing customers to enjoy the process of assembling a piano by themselves.

In Wuwu, there are still many second-generation qin makers like Li Huabo. In the past, our ancestors mainly focused on OEM processing, but the new generation of Chinese piano makers gradually realized the importance of branding and began to focus on building their own brands. At present, the whole town has more than 40 independent musical instrument brands.

When the reporter walked into this company, they were planning a guitar competition for brand promotion. At the same time, they also need to open guitar classrooms nationwide to train students and expand their influence. In order to make their brand more unique and attractive, they seek inspiration from traditional Chinese craftsmanship and culture.

Zhao Weiguo, founder of Changle Yate instrument brand: This is our over 16000 piano, customized for a client in the United States. Through the lacquer art of intangible cultural heritage, we have made this guitar and transformed our Chinese culture into Western instruments. Through it, we can bring China's intangible cultural heritage to foreign countries.

The Town Guitar "Music" resounds in the World

The prosperity of the electric guitar manufacturing industry in Xiaowu Town has also spurred the development of related supporting industries. The entire industrial chain of wooden factories, piano box factories, and speaker factories is gradually improving and attracting professional talents. As a result, the guitar industry is continuously developing towards specialization.

Wang Tianhang and Mei Yuehong both graduated from the Conservatory of Music. Last year, they came to Wuwu and started with the most basic job, working with local villagers to participate in building this guitar town.

Wang Tianhang, a tuning engineer at Edison Instrument Co., Ltd.: I feel confident in doing something I love. If one day, the guitars in our town will have their own place abroad, it would be a very good thing.

Mei Yuehong, a tuning engineer at Edison Instrument Co., Ltd.: These pianos have crossed the ocean and come into the hands of customers, bringing them music enjoyment. Sometimes, when I think about it, I also feel very proud.

In addition to attracting more professional talents to join, the local government has also put a lot of effort into building brands and marketing environments. At the end of last year, Wuwu Town officially released the "Wuwu Guitar" regional public brand for free use by enterprises. We are currently organizing a series of activities for the Weifang International Music Festival, titled "Guitar Town, Charming City".

Tao Mingbo, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Wuzhen Town, Changle County, Shandong Province: Build a communication platform to integrate our Wuguitars and enhance the overall popularity and influence of our Wuguitars.

In the past two years, some companies have started to try cross-border e-commerce operations, and Zhao Weiguo's company has already recruited agents from 21 countries. In addition, the town government has also established a cross-border e-commerce industrial park and regularly invites experts to come for training.

Wang Yongde, First Secretary of Changle County Musical Instrument Association in Shandong Province: Let enterprises quickly grasp the relevant knowledge of cross-border e-commerce, and sell our musical instrument products to various parts of the world through cross-border e-commerce, this new model.

At present, the construction of the second phase of the 260 acre musical instrument industry park is accelerating to enhance the agglomeration of the industry and comprehensively enhance the manufacturing and marketing of the Guitar industry.

L ü Dongfang, the mayor of Changle Town, Changle County, Shandong Province: The next step is to extend and supplement the chain, make the supporting industries more localized, enhance the innovation power of enterprises, and let our Guitar go further and further in the world market.