BEIJING: At the heart of the island of Gulangyu’s Bagua Mansion, Ian Wakeley, a pipe organ engineer from Australia, leans over a sprawling theater organ, his hands moving with precision as he and his team work to assemble the intricate musical instrument.
Every piece, every detail, is meticulously placed as the organ takes shape — one of the 70 organs housed in the famed pipe organ museum on the island, which is located off the coast of Xiamen, a city in southeastern China’s Fujian province.
For the past two decades, Wakeley has been installing and repairing organs in locations across the island, each one adding to Gulangyu’s reputation as a haven for music and history.
The island, also known as Kulangsu in the local dialect, has been widely acclaimed as a living monument to the fusion of Western grandeur and Chinese heritage.
“For me, this isn’t just about restoring an instrument,” Wakeley said. “It’s about preserving a legacy. “I look back after 20 years since the first organ went in, and it makes me very happy to be part of that history on the island. The island’s history is a fusion of the East meeting the West. It has always had a special feel — the architecture, the buildings, the people. It’s all very welcoming.” –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
