China News Service, Guiyang, June 11 (Reporter Yang Qian) Zheng'an County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, surrounded by mountains, was once a small town hidden in the mountains. Now it has broken through with a guitar, completing its magnificent transformation from "a small town in the mountains" to the "Guitar Capital of China".
In order to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the interview group with the theme of "Keep in mind the original intention and mission and forge ahead on the journey of rejuvenation" visited Zunyi, Guizhou from June 7 to 10, and visited Zheng'an, the "Guitar Capital of China".
The picture shows the guitar produced by Zheng'an. Photo by Yang Qian
"In the past, we had extensive production and lacked overall planning. After returning to our hometown and taking root in Zheng'an, as the scale of the industry continued to expand, we successively built unmanned spray booths, introduced intelligent equipment, strengthened independent research and development, and cultivated independent brands. Now more and more people fall in love with guitars made in Zheng'an." said Zheng Chuanjiu, general manager of Shenqu Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
In 2013, Zheng'an's first guitar company founded by local returnees was put into production. Zheng Chuanjiu was a witness to the rapid transformation of Zheng'an's guitar industry "from scratch, from small to large, from weak to strong."
Entering the Zhengji Heta Cultural Industrial Park, the standardized production workshop is in order, with polishing, painting, assembly, tuning and other processes strive for excellence. The intelligent production line operates efficiently. Guitars with both craftsmanship and high-quality tone are ready to go and are sold at home and abroad.
At present, the annual guitar production capacity of Zheng'an County is stable at more than 2.54 million pieces, and the products are sold well in more than 40 countries and regions around the world, including the United States, Germany, Brazil, and Japan. In 2025, the export volume of Zhengji's other industries will reach 248 million yuan, directly absorbing more than 5,000 laborers, and indirectly driving more than 15,000 jobs in upstream and downstream supporting, cultural tourism services, logistics and transportation and other fields, truly realizing "employment for one person and increased income for the whole family". Relying on the mature industrial ecology, all raw and auxiliary materials, hardware accessories and packaging materials for guitar production can be found in the park within a 5-minute drive, forming a complete closed-loop, efficient and collaborative industrial chain advantage.
The picture shows the guitar produced by Zheng'an. Photo by Yang Qian
Industrial development must not only have breadth, but also precision and height. The complete industrial chain has attracted high-end production talents to settle down. Classical guitar maker Zhang Weiyi is one of them. He started in the industry at the age of 15 and has been involved in musical instrument production for more than 30 years. In Zheng'an's studio, each handmade guitar is recognized by professional schools and performers. "There are preferential policy support here and the advantage of industrial clusters. Assembly-line manufacturing factories and high-end customization studios also often communicate with each other to promote improvement. Development here is safe and motivated," Zhang Weiyi said.
Zhang Guo, deputy director of the Management Committee of Guizhou Zheng'an Economic Development Zone, said that Zheng'an County's guitar industry has obtained a total of 320 technical patents of various types, cultivated 87 local independent brands, and its technological innovation capabilities continue to increase. Relying on continuous technological breakthroughs and innovative iterations, local companies have broken through the limitations of traditional guitar-making techniques and vigorously developed new guitars made of carbon fiber and composite materials as well as high-end acoustic guitars. They have won wide favor in overseas markets with their stable quality and novel designs.
Many ordinary working villagers in Zheng'an have grown into senior piano-making technicians and technical backbones through learning. Many practitioners have seized the opportunity to start their own businesses and delved into supporting fields such as guitar accessories, repairs, and sales, achieving local employment, increasing income and becoming rich.
Today's Zheng'an is promoting the in-depth integration of the guitar industry with urban culture, industrial tourism, and study experience, integrating the melodious sound of the piano into the blood of the city. Activities such as guitar performances, cultural exchanges, and study experiences are carried out on a regular basis to make the guitar industry have both economic value and cultural charm.
Zhang Guo introduced that Zheng'an will build immersive cultural tourism scenes such as guitar museums, guitar theme parks, and guitar theme hotels with high standards, build a diversified business format of "guitar + homestay + rural tourism + cultural and creative experience", and launch interactive projects such as handmade, private customization, and cultural and creative products to extend the cultural tourism consumption chain. At the same time, brand activities such as the International Guitar Culture and Art Festival and original music performances are held on a regular basis, and the "Guitar City·Rock City" global tourism business card is launched with all efforts, and the in-depth integration and mutual promotion of industrial tourism, cultural tourism, and rural tourism are promoted.
From OEM to independent brand leadership, from low-end processing to technological innovation and intelligent manufacturing empowerment, this is Anji's path to advancement, and it is also a vivid epitome of the transformation and upgrading of China's county real economy.
Nowadays, Zhengji's other industries are making steady progress towards high-end, branding and internationalization. Breaking out of the mountains and speaking out to the world, this small western city is using a small guitar to continue to play the progressive movement of the new era of industrial transformation, co-prosperity of urban and rural areas, and common prosperity for the people. (over)
