Violin Temple Luthier Interview Series · Episode 4
From a Small Village in Suifenhe to the VSA International Podium
A Conversation with Yang Jinlong, Contemporary Chinese Violin Maker of Distinction
Host: Tian Lifu, Curator of Violin Temple
From a small village in Suifenhe, Heilongjiang, to the podium of the VSA International Violin Making Competition in the United States, Yang Jinlong’s journey spanned nearly three decades.
Orphaned of his father at age four, he was raised by his mother alongside his sister. After junior high school, he left home to work, landing a job at a violin factory in Dalian, starting with the most basic tasks—rib bending and purfling. Who would have guessed that this young man, working on assembly line parts, would later become one of the few Chinese luthiers to win consecutive VSA international awards?
In this fourth episode of the Violin Temple interview series, curator Tian Lifu speaks with Yang Jinlong about his upbringing, his lineage of teachers, insights from international competitions, and the real changes in China’s violin-making industry over the years.
From Parts to Whole Instruments
Yang Jinlong’s entry into the craft had no romantic story. In 1996, right after junior high, he joined a violin factory to make a living. His first task was a single step on the assembly line—rib bending and purfling. “When I was an apprentice in the factory, we only did one task each. If you wanted to try another step, no one would agree.”
But Yang wasn’t content with just one role. One day, a master capable of making whole instruments arrived at the factory—Xu Yingping. “I was so envious and expressed my wish to learn from him.” Because Yang had done well at his single task, Xu took a liking to him. Yang decisively quit his factory job and started learning whole-instrument making from scratch under Xu.
That was in a small town in Yabuli, Heilongjiang. Yang lived in his teacher’s home, learning while helping with work, for nearly four years. “I learned the craft, and I lived with him, apprenticing alongside him.”
Lineage: Four Teachers, Four Windows
Yang Jinlong’s lineage is clear: Xu Yingping introduced him to the craft, Zheng Quan provided systematic training, and Chen Ting along with U.S.-based master Zhao Shiquan further broadened his international perspective.
From Yabuli to Beijing, Yang heard that Professor Zheng Quan had founded the Chinese Violin Making Research Center at the Central Conservatory of Music, recruiting advanced students nationwide. “Information wasn’t widespread back then, but once I knew, I wanted to go.” So he went to Beijing as a commuting student, studying systematically under Zheng for a year.
After finishing his studies, he met a teacher skilled in restoring old instruments through a friend and began working on the restoration of European antique violins.
Yang finds restoration fascinating. Seeing the varnish, arching, and setup of old instruments allows him to absorb much Western knowledge. “If you’ve never seen truly good things, your heart can only guess. And looking at pictures is completely different from seeing the real thing.” Yang notes that many excellent luthiers have a period of restoring old instruments—you must see others’ work, the peak of Western lutherie, to truly gauge your own level.
VSA: The Award He Almost Missed
In 2016, Yang Jinlong won his first award at the VSA International Violin Making Competition in the U.S.—a silver medal for violin. But there’s a dramatic twist: he thought he hadn’t won.
He had participated in several VSA competitions before without success. On award day, he sat in the audience, assuming it would be another time of just listening. Until someone next to him said, “Your name was just called.”
From years of disappointment to finally standing on the podium, the change wasn’t just in technical skill but in his deeper understanding of violin making. The VSA is the world’s largest international violin making competition, with many global masters attending each time—“You won’t see that scene at other competitions.”
In 2018, he won three awards at once: Cello Tone Award, Viola Workmanship Award, and Quartet Workmanship Award. In 2024, he earned another Viola Workmanship Silver Medal and Quartet Workmanship Award. From 2016 to 2024, winning awards at three consecutive VSA events, he is among the few Chinese luthiers to achieve this.
Moreover, his awards span violin, viola, and cello—most luthiers specialize in just one instrument for life; Yang is one of the rare few to reach an international level across all three.
The Real Situation of Chinese Luthiers
During the interview, Tian Lifu asked an intriguing question: “If you could do it all over again, would you still choose lutherie?”
Yang Jinlong: “If I could start over, would I still choose this? Not necessarily. I’d like to experience another kind of life.” This answer was unexpected. Yang then discussed the fundamental difference between Chinese and Italian luthiers:
“Chinese luthiers are indeed different from Italian ones. They might start work at two or three in the afternoon. We can’t do that—if we started at two or three, our workshop would disband. They don’t have to worry about survival; we have to solve survival first, then think about the rest. This isn’t a complaint—it’s reality.” Chinese luthiers lack generations of family accumulation, lacking the confidence that “making instruments is a hobby, no need to earn money.” Yang came from a mountain village, relying on himself every step of the way. His thirty years are both a personal struggle and a firsthand account of China’s violin-making industry evolving from following to keeping pace.
Guest Bio: Yang Jinlong
Identity: Contemporary Chinese violin maker of distinction
Member of the International Violin and Bow Masters Association
Director of the Chinese Violin Makers Association
Teachers: Xu Yingping, Zheng Quan, Chen Ting, Zhao Shiquan
Studio: Beijing Yunyi Youyang Violin Culture Co., Ltd. (Majuqiao, Tongzhou, Beijing)
Major Awards:
2016 U.S. VSA · Violin Silver Medal
2018 U.S. VSA · Cello Tone Award, Viola Workmanship Award, Quartet Workmanship Award
2024 U.S. VSA · Viola Workmanship Silver Medal, Quartet Workmanship Award
Specialty: Full range of violin, viola, and cello making; one of the few Chinese luthiers with consecutive VSA awards
Yang Jinlong’s violin works are now featured at the Violin Temple Treasure Hall.
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