Henry was born into a musical family. With his father, a composer, conductor and cellist, as his first teacher, Henry started playing cello at a very early age. At eleven, he began to learn from Mr. Hu, who was being professor of Central Conservatory of Music and the cello soloist of National Symphony Orchestra.

Henry became the principal cello at Air Force Symphony Orchestra at the age of fifteen. Shortly after his employment by BJSO. 

Henry has been a mechanical and woodworking enthusiast since he was a child. The interest dates back when he was nine. At that time, his father had to work as a composer while making violins to make a living. Henry made violins with his father while learning to play the cello. His first cello was made by his father and himself together.

His violin-making teachers included two luthiers and a restorer of the Central Orchestra, all three of whom were the most authoritative luthiers of their time. At the age of thirteen, Henry worked with his father to make violins that has been used by professional musicians at professional orchestras  The violins made by Henry, with carved heads on the scrolls, soon became the private collections of some musicians.

Once an experienced cellist in symphony orchestras, Henry is keen on studying the acoustics, varnish, and playability of instruments. He is particularly concerned with the core techniques such as how to achieve superior timbre and tone, varnishing and assembly.

Henry’s philosophy is based upon classic traditions, while having distinctive personality and style of his own. Henry believes that violin making requires the integration of science, craftsmanship and art. A string instrument is a piece of “functional work of art”. Rather than pursue the “perfect” copy or reproduction of a particular model, he expresses his own unique character on classical models. He holds the belief that  “the vitality of an instrument is fully perceivable only when it is producing melodies”. Those ideas permeate every procedure of his violin making.

Henry uses self-developed varnish recipe. Smooth and transparent, the varnish allows the delicate textures of wood to shine through and achieves a fine balance between flexibility and solidity. More importantly, it performs excellently in acoustic optimization, service life extension, resistance to temperature and humidity changes.

Contact: henry.celloclub@gmail.com