HERE in the Folk Musical Instruments Village in Shufu County, Kashgar Prefecture, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, you’ll find a workshop for traditional musical instruments of the Uyghur people.
Most of their craft is focused on the dutar, one of the instruments highly esteemed by the locals.
The dutar is an Iranian traditional musical instrument also well-known in Central Asia.
It has a pear-shaped body with a long neck, with two twisted silken strings.
The body of the dutar is made from mulberry wood, which is commonly found in Xinjiang.
The hand-made design on the neck and body of the dutar is also eye-catching, crafted from bone, plastic, wood, and other colorful materials.
The price of Uyghur dutars ranges from 200 to 700 yuan, equivalent to roughly P1,500 to P5,500, depending on their class and design.
There are also smaller dutars and other instruments available, which you can purchase as souvenirs.
Aside from the dutar, villagers also make other instruments like rawap, tambur, guitar, drum, and ghijak.
“We don’t actually calculate it on a daily basis. However, making one musical instrument will take at least five days. We can produce around seven to eight musical instruments simultaneously. And on average, we can produce five musical instruments per week,’’ according to the Interpreter.
Filipinos and the Uyghur people here in China have something in common, and that is, our fondness for music, dancing, singing, and playing various instruments.
They take pride in the instruments made in their region because of the quality and skill of their craftsmen.
The Folk Musical Instruments Village is among the popular attractions in Xinjiang.
