Wang displayed a pipa, its head designed in the shape of a dragon, its body carved with flying fairies. It was the first pipa he made, and a project he did not take lightly. Wang said he took the pipa to the homes of esteemed players, entreating them to spot faults that he would later amend. His devotion paid off, for that pipa won two golden prizes in a national competition for folk instrument making.
Wang said the pipa was the most complex of Chinese folk instruments as it had all the octaves of a piano. He spent several years learning to play this instrument in order to understand its structure and characteristics. Now, Wang's little daughter has inherited his love for its sound.
Though a maker by trade, Wang is also a deft musician, and has surprised observers with his fluent, bright melodies produced on plucking the pipa's strings. His control of rhythm has been praised by top professional players such as Lin Shicheng and Wu Yuxia.
In 2004, Wang was commissioned by the Temple of Heaven's Department of Sacred Music Performance to repair 70 antique instruments. Around this time, he fell in love with the charming, lingering tones of guqin, and in 2006, produced this instrument for the first time as a gift for a kind-hearted enthusiast who could not afford to buy one.
Today, Wang commands between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan per guqin, and also donates some of his instruments to children in impoverished, poor conditions. "I want to help those who are really interested in our folk musical instruments."
Editor: Li Jing
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