A technician from the German piano maker C. Bechstein works on a piano. Provided to China Daily

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An Irmler piano originally made in Germany costs about 90,000 yuan while a made-in-China model costs half that. About 5,000 are sold each year, says the company's general manager Fang Yang. The company just built a new factory in Guangdong province that has an annual capacity of 15,000.

"The recognition of European pianos in China is relatively lower than Japanese and local pianos. But for brands with a solid brand name and good quality, the prospect is still attractive," Fang says.

Chinese piano makers look to the West for expertise. Most of the pianos produced in China are budget models. However, some have been trying to make a move into the high-end market by working with time-honored European brands.

Xinghai Piano, the oldest and one of the largest piano makers in China, bought Polish piano maker Calisia and is going into mass production while still retaining some of the hand-made techniques for some components.

"We want to maintain the essence of the tradition of European piano making while improving productivity," says Qin Jianqing, vice-general manager of Xinghai.

Hailun, C. Bechstein's partner in China, has also teamed up with Wundl & Lung, Feurich and Petrof to make European pianos with Chinese input.

"China is going to aim at a higher quality and a higher price because the wages are increasing. This is one of the main issues that convinced us to come here," Duricic from C. Bechstein says.