Fragrant cars and BMWs are rolling in the dust, and they are not as good as the strings of the huqin. Jinghu, also known as huqin, is the main accompaniment instrument of Peking Opera. A good Peking Opera is inseparable from Jinghu, which has a transparent and mellow tone. Recently, in a studio on the North Street of the newspaper, I saw Zhang Zhixin, a luthier who has been making Jinghu by hand for thirty-five years.

In 1975, Zhang Zhixin, who had just started working, served as a performer in the Hengshui Peking Opera Troupe. Jinghu had to change the drum skin frequently during the performance. No one from the troupe could repair it, so he sent Zhang Zhixin to the Beijing Qin Factory for repair. Zhang Zhixin came up with the idea that learning to make Jinghu would save time and money for the troupe's maintenance. He bought the raw materials for making the piano and came back to study it repeatedly, and he actually made a Jinghu. Zhang Zhixin went to the Chinese Opera Academy for many times to ask the master how to make a violin. The master was moved by Zhang Zhixin's sincerity and taught him all the skills.

Manual Jinghu production requires more than 70 processes such as material selection, roasting, rounding, straightening, drilling, tying, and tube matching. Every process and every material determines the quality of Jinghu. For Zhang Zhixin, whether it is the materials or craftsmanship of making the piano, he must strive for perfection in order to be worthy of his original intention.

He has strict requirements on the size of the harp and barrel, the color and tenderness of the bamboo. In order to choose good materials for making pianos, he traveled to Fujian, Jiangxi and other bamboo producing areas. Zhang Zhixin also often visits Jinghu production masters all over the country to exchange experience in Jinghu production with them.

A good luthier must not only have rich production experience, but also have superb performance skills, in order to judge the sound quality. Whenever he made a Jinghu, he would pull a song to try out the tone. The bright and thick tone of a Jinghu that has been tempered for a long time is his greatest enjoyment.

It has been 35 years now, and Zhang Zhixin's Jinghu has spread all over the country. He was awarded the title of "Excellent Violin Maker" in the first China Jinghu Fine Production Tasting Conference, and his Jinghu was selected into the "First China Jinghu Famous Qin Collection Exhibition".

The 67-year-old Zhang Zhixin plays on Jinghu. The production process of Jinghu is complicated, and the learning and production cycle is long. It also requires the producers to understand the rhythm, and the income is not very good. With the development of the times, there are fewer and fewer young people who love traditional Peking Opera, and fewer and fewer people learn the craftsmanship of Jinghu. His biggest wish is that more people can regain their ingenuity, pass on traditional craftsmanship, and help the quintessence of Peking Opera to flourish.