--- title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market description: A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market canonical: https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/a-small-county-plucks-the-strings-of-worlds-violin-market/ article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-10-07T13:20:22.242Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T13:19:25.117Z article:section: Paid Partner Content og:title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market og:description: A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market og:url: https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/a-small-county-plucks-the-strings-of-worlds-violin-market/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt31062c73f2520117/6ac64673878844c3910a629e/5_Chinese_county_plucks_the_strings_of_world_market.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1575 og:image:height: 886 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: China Daily - TIME - Partner Content - A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market twitter:description: A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt31062c73f2520117/6ac64673878844c3910a629e/5_Chinese_county_plucks_the_strings_of_world_market.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A small county plucks the strings of world’s violin market > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=5e7d8abd-dffa-44c6-86dc-af4f94ec6a8b&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=5e7d8abd-dffa-44c6-86dc-af4f94ec6a8b&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1)  _Workers step up production to fill violin orders in Queshan county, Henan province, on June 25\. XIA QINGHUA / CHINA NEWS SERVICE_ By WANG ZHUOQIONG When Gao Yanding decided to make his own violin, he started with an unusual piece of wood: spruce that had been naturally aged for three decades. The Chinese-American scientist, who spent more than 20 years conducting biomedical engineering research in the United States, wanted to answer a question that had fascinated him for years as an amateur violinist. Why can two instruments made from seemingly similar pieces of wood produce vastly different sounds — and command dramatically different prices? To find the answer, Gao brought the carefully selected tonewood to Queshan county in Zhumadian, Central China’s Henan province. There, he worked with veteran luthier Jiang Baoming to build a violin and applied scientific methods to analyze and refine its acoustics. Through their collaboration, Gao acquired nine violins from Jiang, each of which saw its value increase significantly. His experiment reflects a much larger transformation taking place in Queshan, an agricultural county that has become one of the world’s largest violin manufacturing centers. Today, the county produces around 400,000 violins annually, supplying customers across Europe, North America and Asia. Local industry officials said Queshan has become China’s leading production base for mid- to high-end handmade violins, producing more than 80% of the country’s total. The industry’s roots in Queshan date back to the 1980s, when several craftsmen traveled to Beijing to learn violin making before returning to establish workshops. One of them was Wang Jinwu. Now 54, Wang has spent four decades making violins. Wang’s workshop has built long-term relationships with overseas buyers, including a U.S. musical instrument wholesaler that has worked with him for nearly two decades. The partnership began when the buyer discovered Wang’s violins at an international trade fair, purchased one instrument, and later placed an initial order for 10 violins. As trust grew, so did the business. Today, the customer buys more than 2,000 violins from Wang each year. “Overseas customers value Queshan violins because they are handmade, reliable in quality and reasonably priced,” Wang said. According to local authorities, Queshan now has 144 violin-related companies employing more than 2,600 people. Together, they generate annual revenues of more than 600 million yuan ($89.4 million), supported by a complete supply chain covering wood processing, component manufacturing, varnishing, assembly and packaging. The concentration of suppliers and skilled workers has helped lower production costs while allowing manufacturers to develop more specialized production processes. Rather than training every apprentice to master the entire violin-making process, local producers have increasingly adopted a division-of-labor model. “In the past, it took about three years to train someone to make a complete violin,” Wang said. “Today, workers can become production-ready in around three months by specializing in just one stage of the process.” The next challenge for Queshan’s violin makers is expanding their reach beyond traditional export channels. For years, most instruments were sold overseas through distributors. Increasingly, manufacturers are turning to cross-border e-commerce platforms, short videos and livestreaming to connect directly with international buyers. “Professional buyers have long known that many high-quality handmade violins come from Queshan,” said Jiang Baolin, secretary-general of the Queshan Handmade Violin Makers Association. “The difference now is that overseas consumers have more direct access to buying them.” To sustain the industry’s growth, local players are also focusing on cultivating younger generations of people involved in the craft. “We hope the next generation will inherit not only the skills, but also the artistry behind the craft,” Jiang said. [](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/) ## China Daily Website - Connecting China Connecting the World Since its launch in 1981, China Daily has grown to become the nation’s leading English-language newspaper. 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