Recently, a smart electric guitar from China has amazed an American musician - it reflects an increasingly clear trend and is a vivid footnote to the quiet transformation of "Made in China" in global consumer perception. In the past, Chinese products were often equated with "cost-effectiveness"; Nowadays, from collectible instruments to technology products leading the trend of intelligent music, various Chinese made products are entering shopping carts around the world with the dual charm of technological innovation and cultural expression. The Global Times has launched a column called "Looking at China in the Shopping Cart", which focuses on the "China Purchase" trend driven by visa free entry and payment facilitation policies. Through the choices of foreign consumers, we observe the deep interaction between China's industrial development and the world. Every Chinese product that is added or taken away is a real market vote, and behind it is a brand leap from "Made in China" to "Made in China". In the first issue, we document the journey of Chinese musical instrument brands from the workshop to the world, telling how they reshape market awareness with solid quality and become "messengers" connecting China with the world and communicating people's hearts. This is the most surprising electric guitar I have ever used! ”China's smart musical instruments are really popular! On the video platform YouTube, a short video of the "Air Band" product released in 2025 has exceeded 190 million views across the internet. The musicians in the video only need to wear headphones and a set of simple smart devices to play the sound of instruments such as guitars, keyboards, and drums out of thin air. Viewers left comments under the video, saying, "It's amazing to play a band without any instruments." In another popular video, American musician Scott held a foldable Chinese smart electric guitar and improvised a blues (a musical form) before exclaiming, "This is the most surprising electric guitar I've ever used! Its feel is not inferior to international brands that double in price, and the built-in intelligent tuning system is perfect for touring." Discussions about Chinese smart instruments are becoming increasingly lively on overseas e-commerce and social media platforms such as Amazon and Reddit. Many users claim that Chinese smart musical instruments are a savior for beginners - "APP teaching allows even children with zero foundation to play simple songs" and "automatic accompaniment function makes solo practice no longer boring". In Amazon's instrument category, a silent guitar from China topped the bestseller list, with a consumer leaving a message stating, "It will become an excellent alternative to traditional guitars. I am very satisfied with this guitar, as it is not only convenient to carry during travel, but also allows me to freely switch between silent and performance modes, which allows me to maintain my playing level while avoiding loud noise during practice during long-distance trips. Kenta, a college student from Japan, has placed an order for a Chinese smart guitar with a "painless practice" function. It not only does not have strings, but can also practice chords with a gamified interface through a matching app. Jian Tai said, "I used to think it was difficult to persist in learning guitar, but now playing for 30 minutes every day is as fun as playing a game." Among these brands, a Chinese smart instrument brand called Donner is quite popular. Compared to overseas brands' electric guitars that often cost thousands of dollars, Tang Nong's smart electric guitars, electronic keyboards, and other instruments are priced around 1000 yuan, but they have functions such as intelligent tuning (mute) and interactive teaching on the app, making them the top sellers in the Amazon music vertical category. Similar domestically produced smart musical instruments include smart pianos, air drums, and string less guitars. For example, the "headless electric guitar" unveiled at the 2025 Shanghai Music Exhibition has a built-in high-definition sampling audio algorithm and comprehensive functions. They achieve functions such as automatic accompaniment, real-time error correction, and music score tracking through built-in chips and connected applications, greatly reducing the learning threshold for instrument beginners. In the view of Zhao Weiguo, President of the Electric Guitar Technology Research Association of the Chinese Musical Instruments Association and founder of Yate Instruments, the success of Chinese smart instruments overseas is not accidental: companies integrate supply chain resources from multiple parts of the country, while ensuring quality and reducing costs, allowing young overseas users to obtain "beyond expectations" experiences at affordable prices. In Weifang, Shandong, Zhao Weiguo owns his own electric guitar factory. He told Global Times reporters that the company's team is developing a new type of electric guitar. "By 2025, there will be a popular saying in the domestic instrument industry that 'future instrument industry practitioners may not only need to understand sheet music, but also programming.' In my opinion, this statement is not an exaggeration. We are cooperating with digital technology companies in Shenzhen to develop intelligent instruments." The "quality revolution" of traditional instruments is not only in the field of intelligent instruments, but also accelerating the upgrading of China's traditional instrument industry. With high cost-effectiveness and high technological content, it is quickly gaining popularity overseas. In the eyes of an increasing number of overseas professional musicians and instrument review bloggers, the rise of China's instrument industry is a "quality revolution". Donggaocun Town, Pinggu District, Beijing is known as the "hometown of violins", and the largest violin production enterprise in North China, Huadong Musical Instruments Co., Ltd., is located here. Exquisite violins are displayed in the exhibition cabinets of the Violin Culture Experience Hall. In the live broadcast room of Huadong Musical Instruments, the person in charge Jing Haibao and the qin maker Liu Zunfei are making final preparations for the "Violin Making Show". Jing Haibao told the Global Times reporter, "On the other end of the live broadcast room, there may be customers from all over the world preparing to place orders. We need to prepare the production process and materials for the craftsmanship." On the workbench, a semi-finished viola caught the reporter's attention. Liu Zunfei explained, "The value of a violin can be roughly measured from two perspectives: one is its collection value, such as some old violins made by famous artists; the other is its practical value, as performers value the sound, feel, and performance effect of the violin more. After carving, the final price of this semi-finished product may reach tens of thousands of yuan." "Its core value not only lies in the error control of 0.1 millimeters, but also in its unique environmentally friendly paint. This is made from Chinese herbal medicine as raw material. At present, buyers of this product include musicians from well-known European bands and professors from music schools. ”In Liu Zunfei's view, Chinese violins are entering the international market with an increasingly green and professional image. "Nowadays, domestic violin manufacturing companies will use high-tech scanning and positioning technology to detect the vibration frequency of violin wood and more accurately control product quality. Chinese musical instruments not only have technology, but also culture. Previously, an electric guitar developed by Zhao Weiguo's team incorporating the "intangible cultural heritage" lacquer technique was collected by the Grammy Museum in the United States. Zhao Weiguo told reporters, "Early Chinese musical instruments that entered the international market were mainly low-priced entry-level products, which to some extent left a stereotype of 'low-end and cheap' for overseas consumers. The origin of electric guitars is in Europe and America, and it is not easy for 'latecomers' to surpass them in quality. To win the market, they need to find unique cultural entry points. Therefore, the company has chosen a differentiated development path: focusing on high-end electric guitars, pursuing quality and cultural added value. Brand value also needs to be accumulated bit by bit through interaction with customers. According to Zhao Weiguo's recollection, in 2020, due to pricing errors, a high-end electric guitar from the company was purchased by a buyer on the Amazon platform at a price far below cost, but the team decided to ship it as usual. This move has won the trust of the first batch of overseas users. After receiving the goods, they were shocked and spontaneously posted on the forum, claiming that the sound quality of this guitar could be comparable to foreign brand guitars priced at $3000. Through the accumulation of user reputation, we gradually reversed the stereotype of Chinese instruments in the international market. Nowadays, Chinese made guitars do not always mean low-key. ”According to the website "Guitar Musicians" in the United States, in 2025, guitarist Lee Maria of a well-known British band released a signature guitar made in China, which quickly sold out. Liu Zunfei said that many times, instruments and users are mutually beneficial. By chance, Professor Kolb from the MI Music Institute in California, USA, experienced a Chinese made electric guitar and was surprised by its stability. During a performance lasting several hours, this Chinese qin does not require further tuning, whereas in previous performances, some internationally renowned instruments may require tuning every two or three songs. Kolb used this guitar for touring and teaching, becoming a "walking Chinese made advertisement". A report released by the American market organization "Fortune Business Survey" at the end of 2025 shows that the global musical instrument market size will be 19.82 billion US dollars in 2024, and it is preliminarily estimated that the market size will reach 21 billion US dollars by 2025, and will further grow to 31.97 billion US dollars by 2032. Among them, the market share in the Asia Pacific region is close to 40%, occupying a dominant position in the global musical instrument market. The report specifically mentions that China holds a pivotal position in the global trade of musical instruments. In North America, the world's second-largest musical instrument market, Chinese made instruments are ubiquitous. John Mlynzak, President and CEO of the American Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association, said that the United States is "very strong" in the field of music products, but components from China are indispensable. American guitar manufacturer Chapman lamented on his personal social media platform that instruments imported from China account for 43% of the total imported instruments in the United States. According to a report by the American website Business Insider, the music industry in the United States, which generates billions of dollars in economic benefits every year, is supported by instruments and components from China. Data shows that over 80% of musical instruments in some student oriented instrument rental warehouses in the United States are imported from China. Electro Harmony's guitar effect pedals are renowned for their unique style, with their three main components - circuit board, chassis, and packaging box - all sourced from China. Nowadays, smart musical instruments are defined as devices that integrate traditional functions with technologies such as artificial intelligence. The integration of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing is reshaping the entire value chain of Chinese musical instrument research and development, manufacturing, and consumption. According to statistics from the China Musical Instruments Association, the export value of China's musical instrument industry will increase by 8.5% to 2.2 billion US dollars in 2024, with intelligent instrument revenue becoming an important engine driving growth. The report of "Fortune Business Survey" believes that the global music industry is undergoing tremendous changes, and consumers' preference for technologically advanced products is increasing, such as pianos and string keyboard instruments that can rely on artificial intelligence technology to improve music creation efficiency. In the future, the development prospects of music devices with intelligent functions are very broad. Zhao Weiguo stated that the success of Chinese smart musical instruments overseas is a microcosm of the transformation from "Made in China" to "Made in China". It represents a new paradigm for Chinese products to go global: abandoning low prices and low quality, no longer sacrificing quality for low prices, but achieving the unity of high quality and high cost-effectiveness through technological innovation, lean production, and supply chain optimization; Focus on product reputation, make the product itself the best marketing carrier, and establish brand trust through real user experience and spontaneous sharing; Entering the segmented market, targeting music enthusiasts who are price sensitive but pursue professional performance, and meeting their unmet needs; Embrace the Internet, leverage the global platform, use social networking platforms, cross-border e-commerce and other channels, directly reach global consumers, and quickly respond to user feedback. (New Society)