Chance Meeting

 
     
 
　　The pride of Houli - saxophone began life more than sixty years ago, when a fire destroyed the only saxophone owned by the band of Mr. Chang Lien-cheng and the local gentiles Chang Ji-pan and Chang Teng-hui. As a result, they were not able to give performances as a band anymore.
Mr. Chang Lien-chen (1913∼1986)
Mr. Chang Lien-chen (1913∼1986)
 
     
  　　During those days when people didn't have a lot of material things to enjoy, it was rare for someone to own a saxophone. To buy a brand new one was very difficult, because not only was it expensive, but it also wasn't widely available. This difficulty prompted Mr. Chang Lien-cheng, who had begun to be drawn to the saxophone after coming into contact with it, to make his own saxophones. He started to investigate how to duplicate a saxophone by himself. However, he just couldn't figure out the lower bent tube.  
     
 
　　Because Mr. Chang Lien-cheng had learned Chinese ink painting from a Tanshan master since he was a child, he had a solid background in penmanship. The fire-damaged saxophone that he obtained from Mr. Chang Ji-pan helped him solve the mystery of the lower bent tube. At that point he finally took a giant step toward producing saxophones in Houli.
The painting and calligraphy of Mr. Chang Lien-cheng
The painting and calligraphy of Mr. Chang Lien-cheng
 
     
  　　He used his penmanship skill to produce a set of accurate blueprints, after which he fabricated these parts by hand, one by one. Since it was difficult to obtain material at the time, he would utilize things such as door rails and cow horns to make certain parts. He even melted candleholder and silver coin for electroplating and welding. He overcame many obstacles by drawing on available resources. Because of his determination, he finally succeeded.  
     
  　　Houli's first saxophone was born in the hands of Mr. Chang Lien-cheng. He relied completely on manual labor. At a time when materials were lacking, and even after he lost his eyesight in the right eye, he still persisted on finishing the product he loved. This first saxophone opened the door for the manufacturing of western musical instrument in Taiwan, making Houli the founding place of saxophone in Taiwan.