China’s Guitar Capital Builds a Stairway to Export Success

In Zheng’an, guitars appear everywhere: a giant sculpture stands in the central square, murals cover walls and pavements, and even rubbish bins take the shape of the instruments. The decorations reflect the town’s transformation into a major production center.

The town in Guizhou now makes one in every seven guitars sold worldwide. Just 10 years ago, it had virtually no guitar-making industry. Its rapid rise has turned Zheng’an into an example of how China’s industrial strategy can reshape a local economy when central and local government investment work with favorable conditions.

Zheng’an is one of hundreds of specialized manufacturing towns across China. These centers produce goods ranging from bicycles to socks. The town’s guitar industry stands out for the speed and scale of its expansion.

For years, working-age residents left Zheng’an to look for factory jobs in Guangdong, the manufacturing hub in southern China. One of them, Zheng Chuanjiu, eventually established his own guitar-making business in Guangzhou. The provided account ends as it begins to tell his story.