The Piano Museum displays more than 40 ancient pianos collected by Mr. Hu Youyi. These ancient pianos vary in variety […]
The Piano Museum displays more than 40 ancient pianos collected by Mr. Hu Youyi. These ancient pianos vary in variety and shape. Most of them are well-preserved, with carved patterns and wooden textures, exuding a strong classical atmosphere.
The Piano Museum was built in 2000 and is located in “Tingtao Xuan” of Shuzhuang Garden. Among them are the rare and precious gilded pianos, the world’s earliest square piano and the earliest and largest upright piano. There are also ancient hand-cranked pianos, pedal self-playing pianos produced a hundred years ago, and ancient pianos with eight pedals, etc. Most of these pianos have gone through the years of the two World Wars, and the candelabra and lamp decorations as ornaments also have a history of more than a hundred years. Visiting the Piano Museum once is equivalent to browsing through the history of the world piano development.
Among all the exhibits, a particularly special one is a fully automatic, expensive and famous Haines piano made in the United States in 1928. It can vividly play the works of Beethoven, Chopin, and Brahms with rolls of punched ancient piano scores, becoming the background music of the museum, accompanied by the sound of the waves hitting the shore on Gulangyu Island. There is also a piano that was burned in half by a fire and then joined together, becoming a piano that cannot be played in the Piano Museum.
It should be noted that the Piano Museum prohibits taking pictures and touching. This is to better protect these commemorative and out-of-print pianos. So if tourists want to take pictures, they can only do so outside the main entrance.
If you can play the piano, understand the piano, or are interested in the history of the piano, you will be indulged in it. Even if you are a layman who knows nothing, you can still take a look at these peculiarly-shaped pianos, soak up the artistic atmosphere, and gain some knowledge. In addition, there are piano performances at fixed times every day in the museum, which are well worth listening to!
Opening hours: Open from 08:15 – 17:45 throughout the year; Open from 08:15 – 18:15 throughout the year
