Tianjin town plays leading role in global instrument trade

A village in northern China produces more than 450,000 western brass and woodwind instruments every year — and eight out of every 10 leave the country.

Known as China's "instrument town", Caigongzhuang town in Tianjin's Jinghai district is home to more than 100 instrument-related companies, producing saxophones, trumpets, French horns, and over 100 other types of brass and woodwind instruments. More than 80 percent of these are exported to Europe and the United States, cementing this rural hub's status as a global manufacturing base for Western orchestral instruments.

On Tuesday, more than 60 foreign experts, international students, and overseas visitors toured the town as part of the "Experiencing Tianjin" cultural exchange series. The group visited the production lines of Tianjin Oves Musical Instrument Co, where they watched how parts are assembled into high-quality instruments and learned about the craftsmanship behind the industry.

Foreign visitors try the instruments produced in Jinghai district, Tianjin, on Tuesday. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

"Instrument making in Tianjin is highly specialized, with materials, components, and skilled craftsmanship all closely connected," said Peter Mecoy, a member of the Tianjin People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and a well-known Australian blood donor who has lived in Tianjin for 33 years. He has donated platelets and whole blood more than 300 times since 2008.

"It's all put together so that everyone can cooperate," he added. "When you need materials, it's just five minutes away."

That industrial efficiency is increasingly winning global recognition. In 2022, Oves' high-end brand, Hootersmae, sponsored the 19th International Euphonium and Tuba Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, and has maintained ties with the event for three consecutive years — a testament to the rising international profile of Jinghai's instrument industry.

The group also visited the martial arts school at Tianjin University of Sport, where foreign guests tried their hand at traditional wushu, dragon and lion dances. At the Tichuang Digital Sports Health Research Institute, visitors tested intelligent health monitoring equipment and saw how technology is being integrated into sports and health management.

Visitors learn about Jinghai district's specialty products during the event. [Photo by Ma Yucong/For chinadaily.com.cn]

But the connections forged during the visit went beyond cultural experience. Li Hongyang, a student from Guatemala studying at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, told the group that a friend runs an instrument shop back home. After visiting the Oves factory and witnessing the quality and scale of production, he left with the company's contact details, hoping to connect them with his friend.

"The instruments here are of very high quality, and with such scaled production, I believe they would be highly cost-effective," he said. "I want to recommend this to my friends back home."

During an interactive session, local musicians performed Chinese and Western classics like Joyful and Click Go the Shears, using instruments made right there in the town. An Italian teacher from Tianjin Foreign Studies University performed a song in Italian and students from Tianjin University sang Falling Leaves Returning to the Roots, drawing the audience into a spontaneous sing-along.

Foreign visitors tour a musical instrument factory. [Photo by Yan Dongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

British academician Robert Mark Ellam, chair professor at Tianjin University's School of Earth System Science, joined the trip. "What you read in the newspapers or see on television does not always give an accurate picture of places like Tianjin, or China more broadly," he said. "The best way to understand it is to come here and experience it for yourself."

Jinghai district is also preparing for major sports events later this year — including the Tuanbo Lake Half Marathon and a road cycling race — blending music, sports, and smart health into a distinctive cultural and industrial package.

（chinadaily.com.cn）