Gong Zhiguang cuts a block for erhu making in Changtu County of Tieling City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Gong Zhiguang is an erhu artisan in Changtu County of Liaoning Province. He has been interested in woods since his childhood and got enchanted by erhu making at once when he saw this ancient technique. Since then, he has devoted himself to erhu making for over ten years.

The making of erhu requires many steps such as material selection, processing, assembly, leather covering, polishing and adjustment. Each of the steps is essential and no inattention is allowed during the processes, or deviation in timbre may occur.

Nowadays, some of the processes can be finished by machines, but the key part still needs to be finished by hands. With the processing by Gong and several other artisans, the instrument company named "Hairu" they are working for has a yearly output of nearly 2,000 erhus.

"Erhu is a traditional musical instrument in China, and its sound is melodious," Gong said, "I hope that more people could play and fall in love with erhu and use its unique timbre to warm and touch the heartstrings of others, and make this traditional musical instrument glow more brightly."

Gong Zhiguang checks and adjusts an erhu in Changtu County of Tieling City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Gong Zhiguang assembles an erhu in Changtu County of Tieling City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Dec. 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)