<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue> <div class=Section1> I was in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Xiamen</st1:place></st1:City> for a month in October-November to refresh my Mandarin (I read Chinese and was fluent in speaking years ago, but since have become rusty). <st1:City w:st="on">Xiamen</st1:City>, a coastal city in <st1:State w:st="on">Fujian</st1:State> province across from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Taiwan</st1:country-region>, is well-known in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> for its pianists, especially a small island there named Gulangyu (with a fabulous piano museum – worth a sidetrip if you’re in the vicinity).<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> While I was there I arranged with friends to tune some pianos to help defray costs. I can only speak to my limited experience in that small area, but I found that while there are some tuners there, the quality of work did not seem to be very high. For one thing, all the pianos I tuned needed pitch raising, even though some had been tuned recently…draw your own conclusions.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> On availability of work, there are a lot of pianos, at least in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Xiamen</st1:City></st1:place> area, and I think that’s typical of the cities. Everyone lives in apartments or condos, some really run-down but also some of the most beautiful, fabulously decorated places I’ve ever been in. Most of the tuners seem to work out of a store – no one I spoke to had heard of anyone having a totally independent business. A professor of piano at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Xiamen</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> told me that he could arrange as much work for me as I could handle, and that he didn’t trust any of the local techs to do decent work. As far as pay, I got 200 yuan per tuning (about $30), so it’s not high. Also, getting around is a little tricky – their addressing system is not as easy as ours – and no Mapquest. On the other hand, most stuff is cheap there - I could buy a nice lunch, including a big bottle of beer, for about $1.50 so it sort of balances out. And I was always treated as an honored guest – it was expected that I would sit first and chat over tea, which was excellent for my purposes in practicing Mandarin. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s going through some incredible changes, so there’s no telling what the environment will be like in just a few years, but there are lots of opportunities there. I spoke with several friends who agreed that a tuning school would go over big, for example. The primary issue for anyone wanting to work in or with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> is understanding the culture, which is hugely different (like the fact that 99% of the drivers on the road have only 2-3 years of experience or less – it’s a real wild west on the streets there!) All in all, it was a great trip and a fascinating place and I’ll definitely go back. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Kerry Kean<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: itunepiano@aol.com [mailto:itunepiano@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 9:52 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Tuning in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> Considering all the growth in the Chinese piano industry, I wonder if they have a shortage of tuner/techs in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>.  Can anyone describe  the tuning environment in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>?  Is the pay good?   Is there a shortage of techs?    Just curious.   Bob.<o:p></o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:7.5pt;text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </div> More new features than ever. Check out the new <a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/text.htm?ncid=aolcmp00050000000003" target="_blank">AOL Mail</a>!<o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>