A string of experts recently gathered in Meicun town, Wuxi New District (WND), Wuxi, Jiangsu province, to talk about ways to foster Wuxi's erhu (two-stringed bow instrument) industry.

At the erhu contest of the 10th Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music held in Wuxi on Oct 22, erhu handicraftsmen and erhu manufacturing corporate executives made an investigative tour of the erhu industry park in Meicun town.

The erhu industry park now has more than 10 erhu manufacturing factories, with an annual output of 40,000 instruments, accounting for a quarter of the national market.

Bi Chunhong, a representative of an erhu factory, said that the development of the erhu industry was limited by lack of innovation. Bi voiced his hope that erhu manufacturing factories would cooperate with handicraftsmen and music colleges to establish studios in a bid to enhance the manufacturing skills.

An official said that the government had put forward some favorable polices to facilitate Wuxi's erhu industry: first, set up an erhu industry base to integrate scattered erhu manufacturing companies; second, establish national standards of erhu making skills; third, encourage factories to innovate; fourth, help local erhu factories to explore overseas markets.