我4歲開始學習彈奏鋼琴，後來進入倫敦大學皇家音樂學院，與多位來自全球不同地方的樂手一起練習。音樂把大家聯繫起來，是人類共同的語言，可以把內心的感覺表達出來，非言語所能及。在我成長的過程中練習用的鋼琴都來自德國、奧地利和日本。至於中國，早年製造的樂器例如鋼琴和小提琴等等都還沒有甚麼名氣，不過當時已經蘊釀一批將來可以蜚聲國際的演奏家。今時今日，你還大有可能在彈著由中國製造的鋼琴，而且有可能是來自一個名為洛舍鎮的小鎮，它是目前全球鋼琴的主要生產地之一。洛舍鎮有人口約1萬，毗鄰杭州；杭州就是13世紀意大利航海家馬可孛羅曾經遊歷的地方。到近年，杭州更加以創科中心揚名，而洛舍鎮的居民則在過去36年默默建立起一個鋼琴產業，到了今日在國際上舉足輕重。洛舍鎮的鋼琴年產量達6萬台，佔5分1 中國整體鋼琴生產量，而中國佔去全球75% 鋼琴生產量。不過因為鋼琴價格高昂，只有7%的中國家庭可以擁有一台。林明飛在洛舍鎮其中一家工廠工作，即使上班10小時之後都會練習彈琴。她認為好的鋼琴應該是尋常人家都可以負擔得起，普通人都可以彈奏。洛舍鎮的產品價格低廉，主要因為當地有一條完整的供應鏈。有過百家已登記的公司支援該行業，亦有多間生產商製造8000款鋼琴的零部件，具備所有生產鋼琴的條件。受全球疫情拖累，洛舍鎮跟其他地區一樣大受打擊，全球對非必需品的需求下跌，差不多國內所有生產相關產品的工廠都要關門，洛舍鎮的鋼琴產業亦一度停頓，直至4月中旬才回復起來。不過疫情逼使行業發生蛻變，傳統上洛舍鎮只專注鋼琴批發，事發之後業界就學會了加一點創意。洛舍鎮的商家開始做直播向消費者直銷產品，不論成效如何，對洛舍鎮的居民來說都是一項創舉，他們過去可以成功推動一大片農地改變為古典音樂之源。作為鋼琴家，我親身體會過音樂的力量，它可以突破種族界限，特別在當前的危機之下，通過文化的傳播，提倡包容和互諒。
The Keys to Making a Piano
I began playing the piano at the age of four and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, along with fellow instrumentalists from different parts of our beautiful world. Music brings people together. It’s a universal language when even words can’t express how we’re feeling inside.
I grew up practising on pianos from Germany, Austria and Japan. In those days, instruments made in China like pianos and violins weren’t well-known, although concert musicians from that country were on their way to international recognition. But chances are that the piano you’re playing today was made in China, and in a small town called Luoshe that’s now the leading global producer of the instrument.
Luoshe is a town of 10,000 people, close by to Hangzhou, a city where Italian explorer Marco Polo travelled in the 13th century, and more recently has earned a reputation as an innovation hub. But for 36 years, the people of Luoshe have been quietly building-up a piano manufacturing industry and is now the center of this global effort. Luoshe produces over 60,000 pianos a year, about a 5th of China’s entire piano output. China produces 75% of the world’s pianos, but because the cost is high, only 7% of Chinese families actually own one.
Lin Mingfei, a local manufacturer in Luohe, who practises even after a ten-hour shift in the factory, thinks a “good” piano is one that ordinary people can afford and can play. Luoshe is able to keep costs down because it has a complete supply chain in the same town.
It has more than 100 registered companies supporting the industry, including the manufacturers which produce the 8,000 separate components needed to make a piano. So, everything they need is right there. As with everywhere in the world, the global pandemic has taken a toll on Luoshe.
Not only did global demand for non-essential items take a hit, but almost all non-essential factories were closed in China. Luoshe’s piano industry stopped completely until mid-April 2020 when it re-opened. But the pandemic is helping the industry to evolve.
Traditionally, Luohe has dealt more with piano wholesalers. Now, as businesses learn to be more creative, companies in Luohe are live-streaming, to offer their products directly to end consumers. Whether this works or not, it’s an innovative approach for the people of Luohe, whose lived experience has transformed their town from a farming area to a center of classical music.
As a pianist, I’ve seen for myself how music is much more than music. It binds humanity, especially in a crisis, through culture, tolerance and understanding.
I’m James Chau, take care of yourself and each other.
