City in C China's Hubei finds its rhythm in guitar manufacturing

An artisan makes a guitar in Songzi city, a county-level city administered by Jingzhou, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

Songzi, a county-level city in central China's Hubei Province, rarely saw foreign visitors in the past. However, international buyers and partners now regularly travel to the guitar manufacturing hub.

"We primarily produce high-end wooden guitars for folk and classical music, as well as ukuleles," said Wang Fenghua, general manager of Truetone Guitars. "We own two brands and manufacture for more than 10 globally renowned brands. Our products are exported to the U.S., Europe, Southeast Asia and other markets."

Guitars produced by Truetone Guitars are displayed in Songzi city, a county-level city administered by Jingzhou, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

Wang, a retired soldier and Songzi native, founded Truetone Guitars in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. He moved the company and factory back to his hometown in September 2023 to boost production as demand grew.

Previously, most Chinese factories produced low-end guitars, while mid- to high-end guitars with higher profit margins were mainly manufactured in developed countries such as the U.S., the U.K. and Germany.

Under Wang's leadership, his team conducted extensive research and refined its techniques. Today, the company produces both mass-market guitars priced around 2,000 yuan ($280) and high-end guitars with factory prices approaching 70,000 yuan.

Semi-finished guitars sit at a factory in Songzi city, a county-level city administered by Jingzhou, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

Since last year, Truetone Guitars has welcomed more than 80 groups of buyers from more than a dozen countries, including Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan. In 2024, the company exported 12,000 high-end guitars, generating an annual output value of 150 million yuan

The company's success has spurred growth in the local guitar industry. In June, renowned guitar maker Abraham Wechter opened his workshop in the Songzi Cultural and Creative Park. The park now houses 11 companies that produce and sell mid- to high-end instruments.

"When the park reaches full capacity, it's expected to generate 5 billion yuan in annual revenue and create nearly 10,000 jobs," said Wang Wei, Party chief of Songzi city.