A group of journalists from major Chinese media outlets visited Wuxi, Jiangsu province, from Oct 22 to 24 for a musical journey.
Through on-site visits to Wuxi's industrial base, music landmarks, and a night tour of the Grand Canal, they delved into the rich musical heritage and innovative vitality of the city.
As Wuxi is renowned as "the hometown of Chinese folk music", the journalists' first stop was Meicun subdistrict, which boasts Wuxi's largest erhu (two-stringed fiddle) manufacturing base.
Meicun's history of erhu production dates back to 1965. Nowadays, it produces nearly 50,000 erhu annually, accounting for about a quarter of the national market, with an annual output value of nearly 100 million yuan ($14.03 million). Approximately 5,000 erhu are exported each year, generating about 5 million yuan in export revenue.
The group also visited the Erquan Yingyue Music Museum and Jichang Garden, one of the four most famous gardens in Jiangnan (referring to the southern regions in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) and a filming location for the 2025 China Media Group's (CMG) Lantern Festival Gala, where they experienced a combination of musical art and lifestyle aesthetics.
In the evening, the core experience was an immersive night cruise tour of the lantern-lit Qingming Bridge Ancient Canal Scenic Area, which was also a sub-venue for the 2025 CMG Spring Festival Gala. The journey unfolded along the waterway, with light projections creating panoramic dreamlike scenes.
A live performance brought even more delight — two artists performed the classic Wu dialect song, Scenery of Wuxi, on a floating stage accompanying the boat. One plucked the pipa (four-string lute) while the other strummed the sanxian (three-stringed lute), their voices intertwining with the melody, soft and lingering. "It's so amazing", said the media personnel, captivated by the charm of the local music and canal culture.
The media group also visited the former residence of Wang Xin, composer of the song Ode to the Motherland in Dangkou Ancient Town, explored the story of Zhou Shaomei — pioneer of Chinese erhu music, and visited China's largest harmonica museum at the Oriental Harmonica Museum, uncovering the historical threads of Wuxi's diverse musical culture.
