On January 31, Li Kehong, the inheritor of Changsha Suona Intangible Cultural Heritage, died of illness at the age of 76. In his life, Li Kehong has been working tirelessly around the word "suona". In the performance of "Li's suona", he expressed his sorrow for Li Kehong. The sound of suona embodies his lifelong love.

Li Kehong.

Life suona

"My father values suona more than life," said Li Yueqiang, Li Kehong's son.

Li Kehong can make the suona, but also play the suona.

This is also the secret of the famous "Li's suona". "The suona can only be played well if it is played well."

Li Kehong's affinity with suona began at the age of 9. When the young boy played the suona for the first time, he was infatuated with the loud and clear voice. From then on, his enthusiasm for the suona was overwhelming.

At the age of 35, he conceived the idea of making his own suona. After continuous speculation and experiment, I finally produced the first suona. Although the appearance was rough and the tone was not ideal, Li Kehong was still very excited.

In order to pursue the orthodoxy of timbre and the accuracy of intonation, and to produce a perfect suona, he never tire of debugging again and again. Hammer here, drill there and grind there. Adjust it once, blow it once, and adjust it again if it is not possible. Size debugging can be as few as tens of times, and as many as hundreds of times.

In the process of continuous research, the suona made by Li Kehong is becoming more and more beautiful in shape, mellow and beautiful in tone, strong but not impetuous, weak but not empty.

"Li's suona" is also becoming more and more famous. Over the past 40 years, tens of thousands of suona came out of Li Kehong's hands, bringing happy or sad songs to all parts of the country.

Li Kehong is teaching suona skills.

Three generations of inheritance

Li Kehong's love for suona also affects his descendants.

Influenced by his father, Li Yueqiang, the son who originally worked at the town veterinary station, went home to make suona together. Today, the background picture of Li Yueqiang's circle of friends is the suona, and most of the content is related to the suona.

Sun Tzu Li Maodong was able to play famous suona songs such as "Return from Target" when he was 9 years old. When he grew up, he also joined the production team of "Li's suona".

Three generations have injected their own strength into the development of suona industry. About 1200 suona can be produced in a year.

The production process of "Li's suona" includes Tianxin production, plate production, sleeve production, suona models with eight eyes and nine eyes, and the tone is divided into two types: unshaped and stereotyped. The material selection is very particular. The poles are all made of rosewood. The center of heaven and the chassis are made of high-grade white copper or brass.

"For my father's suona career, my children and grandchildren will inherit the past and usher in the future," said Li Yueqiang.