Qingdao erhu lovers trace instrument's origins in Wuxi

A group of erhu learners from Qingdao, Shandong province perform in front of the Second Spring under Heaven, a spring in Xihui Park at the foot of Wuxi's Mount Hui where local notable folk musician Hua Yanjun created the legendary erhu piece The Moon Over a Fountain. [Photo/wxrb.com]    

More than 30 erhu players from Qingdao University for the Aged in Qingdao, Shandong province went on a trip to the southern Jiangsu province city of Wuxi to explore the cultural roots of the traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle in early May.

Often called the "hometown of the erhu" in China, Wuxi has produced a number of legendary erhu performers including Zhou Shaomei (1885-1938) and Liu Tianhua (1895-1932), whom made great contributions to the development of the erhu as a solo instrument.

During their three-day trip, the group visited the Second Spring under Heaven, a spring in Xihui Park at the foot of Mount Hui where the notable local folk musician Hua Yanjun created the legendary erhu piece The Moon Over a Fountain. They also visited Hua's former residence as well as Meicun in Wuxi's Xinwu district, which still houses a number of factories manufacturing the instrument.

The pilgrimage to trace the roots of the Chinese fiddle was the idea of He Xiang, the group's leader and organizer of the trip. For He, learning about the history of the instrument can help performers and teachers alike, and further, is a cultural responsibility.   

This year, He finally realized his dream, planning a journey across China to seek out the country's rich erhu culture.

The group spent just 24 hours in cities such as Shanghai, but their visit to Wuxi lasted a full three days.

"Erhu learners all know that Wuxi is the home of the instrument, and so this is the most important stop during our trip," He explained.

According to He, when the group saw a pair of couplets written by Wuxi erhu master Min Huifen at a museum in Shanghai, they already could not wait to visit the city.

"Wuxi is a nice place to visit, especially for erhu players," said He.

The trip certainly proves a valuable one. The group played erhu together in front of the Second Spring under Heaven to commemorate the legendary erhu musician Hua Yanjun, and posed for photos in front of Hua's statue in Chong'an Temple.   

In Meicun's Erhu Culture Park, they had the chance to talk with local instrument makers and tuners, and hung up banners paying tribute to erhu luminaries from history.

The group's trip has now ended, but He hopes the trip will be just the beginning. He called on erhu lovers to organize more events to promote mutual exchanges, and Wuxi deserves to be the ideal base.