Kaifeng Fangsheng

Kaifeng Fangsheng

　　Kaifeng Fangsheng Kaifeng Fangsheng was created by Wang Yuquan, a folk artist from Baliwan in Kaifeng, and has a production history of over 50 years. During the cooperative period, its production was continued by the city’s musical instrument production cooperative, and later by the Kaifeng Musical Instrument Factory.

　　Kaifeng Fangsheng comes in large, medium, and small sizes, and generally consists of three main parts: the sheng body, the pipes, and the reed plates. Taking the medium-sized Fangsheng as an example, the sheng body is 7.8 cm tall, the mouthpiece is 7 cm long with a 1 cm opening; the pipes are as follows: the large pipe is 42.5 cm long with an inner diameter of 1.2 cm, the second pipe is 33 cm long with an inner diameter of 1 cm; the side pipes are 25.5 cm long with an inner diameter of 0.9 cm; the inner pipes are 25.5 cm long with a diameter of 0.8 cm.

　　The making of the sheng generally uses rosewood or other hardwoods for the sheng body, purple bamboo or white bamboo for the pipes, and resilient, uniformly hard brass for the reed plates. First, each component is made individually, then assembled. The assembly quality must meet strict standards: first, the glued parts of the sheng body must be solid and airtight; the mouthpiece must be installed straight without tilt, and the pipe holes and sheng corners must connect tightly without air leakage; the lacquer finish must be smooth and shiny. Second, the pipes must be arranged and installed closely together, with smooth edges around the finger holes, and the contact areas between the sheng corners and the pipes must be tight and firm, all at consistent heights. Third, the sound coating must be evenly applied, the reed plates must be firmly welded, the sound produced must be even, and the reed tongues must have consistent wind resistance.

　　Kaifeng Fangsheng is known for its loud, soft tone, flexible polyphony, and ease of use, making it suitable for performances of traditional opera and ethnic music. In 1960, it was designated as a qualified product at the Second National Musical Instrument Appraisal Conference; in 1979, it was further recognized as a top-grade product by the Henan Provincial Light Industry Department. In recent years, Kaifeng Fangsheng has been sold across provinces and cities nationwide and has been well received.