Chinese Violin History

The first Chinese to learn to make violins was Mr. Situ Mengyan in the late Qing Dynasty. Mr. Situ studied in the shipbuilding engineering of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1906. he studied violin performance and studied violin making at the W.S.  He won the first prize of violin making at the Panama International Fair.

In 1920, the violin was introduced to China. Tan Shuzhen was the pioneer of China's violin making business and laid the foundation for the development of modern violin making operations.

On June 4, 1949, the country established the first violin manufacturing plant in Beijing-the New China Violin Manufacturing Plant, which is the predecessor of the Beijing Violin Factory. In 1950, the government moved some private studios in Shanghai to the northeast for the balanced development of North and South. Later, in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou, large state-owned violin factories were established, and violin companies were established, forming the five major Chinese musical instruments Production base.In 1983, for the first time, our country sent overseas students to study piano making at the public expense. For example, Zheng Quan from the Central Conservatory of Music went to Cremona, Italy to study piano with masters.

Now, China is the violin kingdom with the largest violin production in the world. Where there is music, there are violins made in China. There are not only violins of good quality and low price, but also high-end pianos with excellent craftsmanship. Won gold medals in European and American piano making competitions. Many national symphony orchestras in China use violin instruments made locally. The long-lost craftsmanship in Europe, such as lion heads, goddess heads, carved side panels, shells, ivory or The tortoiseshell and other materials of the bow, etc., have begun to resume manufacturing.