DistantNews
Support us
🇸🇬 Singapore /Economy & Trade

China’s guitar capital builds a stairway to export success

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Context piece
  • Zheng’an in Guizhou produces about one in every seven guitars sold worldwide, despite having little guitar-making activity a decade ago.
  • Local authorities attracted returning migrant workers and manufacturers with financial, tax and employment incentives, helping create 87 home-grown brands.
  • Zheng’an shipped S$45.81 million worth of guitars to more than 40 countries in 2025.

In Zheng’an, guitars dominate the town’s identity. A giant sculpture stands in the central square, murals cover walls and pavements, and even rubbish bins take the shape of guitars.

The southwest Chinese town now produces one in every seven guitars sold worldwide. A decade ago, it had almost no guitar-making industry. Local authorities say factories in Zheng’an manufacture 2.5 million guitars a year, supporting the town’s claim to be the “Capital of Guitars, City of Music.”

The company was doing pretty well at that time and most of our staff in Guangzhou were also our fellow villagers from Zheng’an.

— Zheng ChuanjiuThe Shenqu Guitar founder described his company and its links to workers from his hometown.

The transformation followed a local initiative launched in 2012 called “return the phoenix to the nest.” It encouraged skilled workers who had left for factory jobs in Guangdong to return home and establish businesses. Zheng Chuanjiu, who had founded a guitar company in Guangzhou, said county officials approached him and asked him to help develop the industry.

The county officials reached out to us. They wanted us to come back and develop the industry.

— Zheng ChuanjiuZheng explained how local authorities encouraged him to return to Zheng’an.

His company, Shenqu Guitar, became the first guitar manufacturer in Zheng’an’s new economic zone. Other former villagers followed after seeing the business expand. When AFP visited the factory in July, finished guitars stood in rows awaiting final tuning before shipment. A banner asked: “Why go far away to work when home is the best place?”

Authorities offered companies broad financial, tax and employment support. Some received three-year tax exemptions and 10 years of free rent. The industrial cluster has since produced 87 local brands. Zheng’an also benefits from a climate that master luthier Zhang Weiyi considers well suited to guitar-making. Zhang moved his business from Guangzhou in 2019 and produces about 150 handmade guitars a year.

Why go far away to work when home is the best place?

— UnknownA banner at the Shenqu factory promoted returning to Zheng’an for work.

The town exported S$45.81 million in guitars to more than 40 countries in 2025, according to the description accompanying the report.

Whether the industry is big or small, whether it’s making an impact, that doesn’t really matter to me.

— Zhang WeiyiThe master luthier described his focus on craft rather than the size of Zheng’an’s industrial sector.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog