Press Release
Suwen Musical Instrument by Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd. Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Musical Instruments Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd. for musical instruments design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 27, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Suwen Musical Instrument by Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd., designed for Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communucation Co.,Ltd., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Musical Instruments Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Suwen Musical Instrument
Suwen is a guqin, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, reinterpreted for modern playing. The form follows the Tang dynasty qin kept at Horyuji Temple. The soundboard is made of aged cedar or paulownia, and the back is made of catalpa. The base layer blends deer antler ash and raw lacquer. An acoustically engineered interior cavity gives the compact body the tone and volume of a full size instrument. A matte grain lacquer finish creates a dry, non slip surface. A widened string anchor at the tail eases finger movement for beginners and for players with smaller hands.
About Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd.
Founded in 2021, Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive cultural and artistic service enterprise rooted in Shanghai and radiating nationwide. Adhering to the core values of "Quality-Oriented, Honest Operation, and Dedicated Service", the company deeply cultivates the cultural and artistic field, building a diversified service system integrating traditional craft inheritance, cultural event planning, and artistic IP operation. As the core operating entity of "Yitong Shanfang · Ding Liang Guqin Studio (DINGLIANG STUDIO)" founded by the renowned contemporary guqin maker Mr.
Award Record
Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd. is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Musical Instruments Design Award
The A' Musical Instrument Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good musical instruments by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to musical instrument designers, industrial designers, music instrument producers and acoustic engineers from all countries. Entries typically include guitars, pianos, violins, drums, saxophones and flutes. Awarded musical instrument designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/musical-instrument
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/180049
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/180049
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!180049
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/378835
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Suwen Musical Instrument
- Function
- Musical Instrument
- Category
- Musical Instruments Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Arts and Entertainment
- Colors
- Black, Gray, Silver, Dark Gray and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communucation Co.,Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Shanghai Yitong Cultural Communication Co.,Ltd.
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #180049
Credits
- Team
- Ding Liang
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This product echoes the classical elegance of the Tang dynasty qin at Horyuji Temple and is reimagined for modern playing. Innovatively, its compact body produces rich, expressive sound that meets professional standards, without sacrificing portability. Its matte grain lacquer finish remains dry and non slip. Details like the widened string anchor at the tail and the tuning pegs honor classical aesthetics yet serve modern practicality. Altogether, this instrument is timeless yet made for today.
- Inspiration
- This instrument draws on three key inspirations. The name Suwen evokes the exchange between the player and the qin in the stillness of night, embodying inward reflection central to Eastern thought and forming the spiritual core of this instrument. Its shape follows the Tang dynasty qin at Horyuji Temple, preserving its serene dignity. Based on the insight that greater smoothness does not mean smoother play, the matte grain lacquer finish prevents slipping or sticking from hand perspiration.
- Research
- The design solves key problems in traditional guqin use. Full size models are hard to carry and difficult for beginners, while smaller qins lack volume and tonal depth. Glossy lacquer finishes are often slippery, and standard shapes suit smaller hands poorly. The design echoes classical charm of the Tang dynasty qin at Horyuji Temple, while using acoustical engineering to achieve the volume, sound projection, and nuanced tone of a performance grade qin, enhancing both practicality and comfort.
- Challenge
- The challenge is balancing how professionals and the public see the guqin. Experts value strict adherence to the historical form, while most users favor practical improvements. To bridge this gap, every modern refinement, such as the size and lacquer finish, stays within Tang dynasty aesthetics. The look remains true to tradition, and with use, the instrument delivers the rich tone and volume rivaling a performance grade full size qin, fulfilling both cultural respect and functional progress.
- Realization and Technology
- The soundboard is crafted from aged cedar or paulownia over one hundred years old, with catalpa for the back. The base layer blends deer antler ash and raw lacquer using ancient methods, contributing to a resonant, open tone with rich harmonics ideal for performance. Furthermore, a proprietary matte grain lacquer finish creates a dry, non slip surface that enhances finger glide across the strings. The lacquer is also environmentally friendly and excels in water resistance and enduring beauty.
- Operation and Interaction
- Thoughtful refinements fully enhance the playing experience. An acoustically engineered interior cavity delivers the tonal volume and richness of a performance grade full size qin within a compact body, not merely increased volume. A widened string anchor at the tail and optimized proportions make finger movement across the strings easier, especially for beginners and players with smaller hands. The matte grain lacquer finish provides a non slip surface, improving control during performance.
- Project Duration and Location
- The design and development of this qin lasted from September 2022 to August 2024 in Shanghai. It debuted in May 2025 at the Contemporary Masters Qin Making Exhibition of the 2025 Yueyang Guqin Art Festival.
- Keywords
- based on the Tang dynasty qin at Horyuji Temple, matte grain lacquer finish, portable, acoustically optimized, performance grade sound quality, full sound presence in a compact body, widened string anchor at the tail, contemporary reinterpretation of traditional instruments
