Visiting a xiao maker on Lion's Head Mountain

[Blue]

Read on facebook about a xiao maker living ~30 minutes away from me. I'll write more about meeting him, but here's a video of him playing a dizi to a singing voice of fifty-something female mountain climbers. I wish had I more courage using my tablet to record videos of music performers on the streets (or in this case, trails). It's just that I'm afraid that they would stop in mid-performance demanding a commission just like the sheng player that I had encountered in Convent Garden, London or that somehow I'm violating their privacy.

That xiao maker is 78 years old, BTW. And just like any other friendly musician shopkeeper in Taiwan, he offered me a cup of tea.

[ziman]

Aww this is nice! Do you know his name?

[Blue]

You can find an article about this person here: link

The person's name is張錦新, nicknamed 獅頭山吹簫客. He remarks that the foreign tourists who visit there always have interest in his dongxiaos. Originally he used to sell thousands of xiaos per year, but with declining number of tourists visiting Lion's Head Mountain as well as declining interest in traditional musical instruments, he fears that the traditional art of playing the xiao will disappear. Therefore he has been offering free lessons to all passerbys.

[ziman]

Declining interest in traditional musical instruments... hmm, in your observations, how true is that in Taiwan? And how true is that for the xiao in particular? (I've never been to Taiwan, but looking at the constant stream of visitors at Donsiau's place makes it seem to me as though interest in the xiao remains at a healthy level there...)