Yangzhou, an ancient city with a history of 2,500 years, has long been renowned as the hometown of Chinese guzheng. The scarlet bird guzheng, an innovation of Yangzhou, is a unique masterpiece born from this fertile ground. It breaks away from the traditional guzheng's monotonous aesthetic, integrating two intangible cultural heritage techniques - lacquer inlay and silk flower dyeing - with guzheng-making craftsmanship, allowing the grace of flowers and birds to rest on the instrument and flow with the strings' melody.

The decorative techniques of Yangzhou's scarlet bird guzheng represent a perfect fusion of millennia-old intangible cultural heritage wisdom and musical instrument making. Each step embodies the craftsmanship of "slow work yields fine results", and every detail showcases a unique artistry. The material selection is extremely strict, with tough ox bones chosen, undergoing processes such as degreasing, bleaching, and sun-drying to remove impurities and odors. These are then combined with natural stones, and high-quality shells like abalone are finely ground and polished into mother-of-pearl inlays. The wood is still selected from top-grade paulownia, naturally air-dried for several years and manually tuned, laying a stable foundation for the integration of diverse techniques.

In terms of craftsmanship, the combination of bone and stone inlay with mother-of-pearl and shell carving demonstrates ingenious creativity. Craftsmen first outline the contours of flowers and birds on the bone pieces using a needle pen and a knife. Thinner pieces are directly carved, while thicker ones are slightly sculpted to create a three-dimensional effect, making the images of flowers and birds vivid and lifelike. For mother-of-pearl and shell carving, a technique combining "pointed mother-of-pearl" and "flat ground mother-of-pearl" is employed. The shell pieces are cut into the required shapes and sizes, and the bone and stone pieces are assembled to form complete flower and bird patterns, which are then fixed in the reserved positions on the guzheng and polished repeatedly, making the patterns seem to leap off the instrument.

In terms of craftsmanship features, the thickness of the decorative layer is strictly controlled, with the total thickness of bone, stone, and mother-of-pearl not exceeding 0.3 millimeters, and avoiding critical positions such as the sound bars and bridges, ensuring no impact on the guzheng's sound quality. During actual performance, the mid and high notes sound clear and resonant, while the low notes are rich and full, with excellent layering. The pattern themes are rooted in Yangzhou's local culture, with images like the jujube flower, oriole, kingfisher, and lotus drawn from the scenic beauty of Slender West Lake. The colors reflected by the mother-of-pearl in sunlight make the flowers even more vibrant, and each scene is imbued with the delicate charm of the Jiangnan region, simple yet captivating.

The entire production process uses natural materials and traditional techniques, which are both environmentally friendly and safe. Due to the uniqueness and traditional nature of the craftsmanship, the instrument has greater collectible value. The stability of the bone and stone, the brilliance of the mother-of-pearl, and the delicacy of the shell carving interweave a dialogue of craftsmanship spanning thousands of years, not only innovating the art of guzheng decoration but also inheriting the spiritual essence of Yangzhou's craftsmen.

Each Yangzhou scarlet bird guzheng becomes an artistic treasure that can be appreciated, played, and collected, telling the story of the ultimate beauty of Eastern craftsmanship through the flowing strings.