Caigongzhuang, a town in Tianjin's Jinghai district, quietly produces more than half of the world's brass and woodwind instruments. Musicians around the globe are playing instruments crafted in its family-run workshops and sprawling factories.

"In recent years, we've been getting high-end custom orders from Germany, Spain, Singapore, and other countries," said Liu Xuehong, manager of Tianjin Shengyue Music Instrument, a decades-long veteran of the trade. One of his latest projects was a custom saxophone for Jay Metcalf, a renowned saxophonist behind the BetterSax educational platform.

Holding an alto saxophone bearing Metcalf's logo, Liu said: "Our factory uses the best materials, such as premium copper and pads. The colors of our instruments are highly favored by European musicians, and this saxophone will soon travel across the ocean to be played in European concerts."

With pride, Liu added that over 50 percent of the world's wind instruments come from Caigongzhuang. The town produces more than 100 types of Western instruments, exporting to Europe, the United States, Japan, and other major markets.