The Meicun Erhu Culture Park is located in Xinwu district, Wuxi. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Meicun Erhu Culture Park, located in Xinwu district, was included in the second batch of Wuxi intangible cultural heritage demonstration bases, according to a recent announcement by the Wuxi bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism.

The erhu, one of the most iconic traditional music instruments in the southern Yangtze River Delta area, was first produced in Meicun in 1965. An erhu guild has since been set up based on the established "Meicun brand", with around 40,000 of the instruments produced in the city each year.

The 3,000-square-meter Meicun Erhu Culture Park is the first comprehensive venue in China to showcase the history and culture of the erhu. It includes exhibitions on the production process, famous enterprises, and fine works, as well as erhu playing and training activities.

In addition, three erhu makers from the Meicun sub-district - Qiang Xiaomin, Huang Jianhong and Bu Guangjun - were included in the fifth group of representative practitioners of intangible cultural heritage items.

The Meicun Erhu Culture Park exhibits various types of erhu. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]

Bu Guangjun, an erhu maker from Meicun, works to develop and preserve erhu culture and production techniques. [Photo/WeChat account: xinwu_wx]