China’s guitar capital exports to more than 40 countries

Zheng'an, a town in China's Guizhou province, has grown into a guitar manufacturing and export hub, producing about one in seven guitars sold worldwide.

Local authorities say the town manufactures 2.5 million guitars a year and exported 248 million yuan, or $36 million, worth of guitars to more than 40 countries in 2025.

The industry was built over roughly a decade after Zheng'an officials encouraged skilled migrant workers to return from manufacturing centres such as Guangzhou and start businesses at home. Companies were offered support including tax breaks, free rent and help with export-rebate procedures.

Shenqu Guitar founder Zheng Chuanjiu said local officials contacted his company as part of the effort to develop the industry. Shenqu became the first guitar maker to settle in Zheng'an's new economic zone.

Within about 10 years, 87 home-grown brands had emerged in the local industrial cluster. From January to July 2025, registered local enterprises received 147 million yuan in tax reductions and exemptions, according to local authorities.

The town's rise reflects China's use of specialised manufacturing clusters to develop regional economies. Chinese state subsidies and other industrial assistance have drawn criticism from the United States and Europe in recent years, especially in sectors such as electric vehicles and solar panels.