Tu Ming-shun (涂明順) on April 26 became the first Taiwanese to receive the copper medal at Beijing’s Exhibition and Exchange of Erhu Making for his scientific innovations in crafting the instrument.
Tu, 52, said he first handled one of the two-stringed Chinese musical instruments when he was nine years old and made his first one at 20.
Over the three decades he has been making erhus, the quality of the materials has always been very important to him, he said.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
Tu said he decided to attend the competition in China on a whim after his friend Lee Jung-hua (李榮華) suggested it just before the Lunar New Year holiday, adding that he originally entered only to meet other artisans.
When he began making an erhu to take to the competition, he used only the materials he had on hand: rosewood and Burmese python skin, he said.
Different types of wood used to make the frame — such as old sandalwood, Yunnan pistache or rosewood — produce different sounds, but only the skin on the back of a python would allow the instrument to produce a strong enough sound, Tu said.
Many erhu makers in Asia rely on their own judgement to determine the quality of their instruments, but Tu said he found that using computers or mobile applications allows for a timely analysis of the sound.
Science can help produce an erhu with the best sound, Tu said.
When awarding him the copper medal, the competition’s judges cited his use of science to make the instrument.
Lee, who attended the competition with Tu, won an excellence award for his design.
The erhu-making industry in Taiwan is constrained, as most of the materials are imported, Tu said, adding that he hopes to one day make an erhu that is entirely Taiwanese.
Such an accomplishment would help promote the quality of Taiwanese manufacturing, he added.
Tainan City Traditional Orchestra erhu player Liu Yu-ching (劉于菁) said that Tu’s instruments are always of excellent quality and capable of producing the most exquisite sounds, adding that the award was well-deserved.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS