Yesterday, the 5th China International Violin and Bow Making Competition was officially opened at the Legu Exhibition Center in Pinggu District. Photographed by our reporter Gan Nan

Our correspondent (Zhu Songmei) Yesterday, the 5th China International Violin and Bow Making Competition opened in Pinggu. More than 400 participating violas were created by more than 260 violinists around the world.

The review site is located in the "China Happy Valley" of Donggao Village. There is no fierce competition atmosphere, nor can you see the players. There are 456 exquisite violas on the table, emitting warm color. The judges are picking them up one by one to score their craft and timbre.

These violas were created by more than 260 players from China, Poland, the United States, Spain, Italy and other countries and regions. According to the international practice, three days ago, the players sent their piano made in several months to the judging site.

Why is such a famous international competition settled in a small town in the suburbs of Beijing? Wang Yong, the mayor of Donggao Village, said that it was not only rich in peaches and vegetables, but also a famous "hometown of violin" 30 years ago. Eighty percent of the violins produced in the town are exported to Europe, America and Southeast Asia. At the peak, one out of every three violins in the world came from here. In 2023, the town's musical instrument industry will achieve an output value of 52.31 million yuan.

The competition has led to the growth of local piano making talents in China. "40 years ago, we went abroad to participate in the competition, and we wanted to mail the violin to foreign countries." Zheng Quan, a violin making master and chairman of the jury, recalled that at that time, the level of domestic violin making was not high, and the price of the piano could not catch up with the postage, so many players chose to abandon the piano after the competition. Today, the works of Chinese piano makers have a place in the world. "For example, in a piano making competition in Malta in 2019, Chinese players won more than 20 medals at one time."

East China Musical Instrument Company, located in Donggao Village, is the largest violin manufacturer in North China. Musician Liu Zunfei is a professional and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music. "It's a valuable learning opportunity to compete with teachers who have been playing violin for 40 or 50 years." Liu Zunfei looked at the glass display cabinet not far away. Inside was the "Prince of Doria" guqin, which was born in Cremona, the "hometown of violin" in Italy in 1734. "My dream is to be closer to the master," he said.

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