Young craftsman of musical instruments passes on traditional musical culture of Xinjiang

Maititudi, now 22 years old, works at a musical instrument workshop as a craftsman in Hotan prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Having a passion for music from a young age, he was eventually recommended by the local village committee to work at his current company, which is specialized in the production of musical instruments featuring the traditional characteristics of the Uygur ethnic group. As the youngest apprentice at the workshop, he has been busy learning how to make musical instruments from more experienced senior employees.

Nowadays, Maititudi is not only good at producing musical instruments, but can also play a wide variety of them, such as the "tabor" (a kind of drum) and the "gijak" (a kind of stringed instrument). He feels the most joyful in those moments when the hand-crafted instruments are completed with the final touches and hopes that the instruments made with his own hands can be appreciated by more people.