The Guinness Book of Records has certified the recently completed Hechi bronze drum as the world's largest at the Theatrical Stage Square in Yangshuo County, Guilin, Guangxi, on Jan. 16, China Daily reported.
The report said that the drum measures 4.2 meters in diameter, 2.6 meters in height and weighs about 7 tons. It took at least 20 workers in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Hechi, more than six months to complete the drum, the report added.
Wei Qichu and Wei Qican, two "representative inheritors" of Guangxi's intangible cultural heritage, "Zhuang ethnic group bronze drum casting technique," designed the drum.
The report said that the Wei brothers, who are blacksmiths, started research and testing for the project in the 1990s, before they finally created the casting process for producing gigantic bronze drums and built them based on the traditional manufacturing technique.
The drum, customized by the Guilin Renhe Investment Company, will be displayed permanently at the highest point of the Yangshuo Theatrical Stage.
Tan Mian, chairman of Huanjiang County political consultative conference, said that the best place to show the bronze drum culture is in Yangshuo, since it is a popular tourism county that attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Wei Qichu and Wei Qican, a bit disappointed that the drum could not be displayed in Hechi, said that they would like to create an even bigger bronze drum in the future, to be placed in Hechi. The brothers said that since Hechi is the hometown of the bronze drum, it is only fitting to have it displayed there. The two also said that they needed more time to further develop their bronze casting skills.
According to the report, the bronze drum is a valuable cultural heritage of ethnic minority groups in Southwest China and the south of the Five Ridges in ancient times. It has been in existence more than 2,000 years. At present, there are a total about 2,400 existing bronze drums handed down from ancient times, with more than 1,400 in Hechi alone.
Over the years, the Wei brothers have produced more than 100,000 bronze drums, which have been sold around the world including France and Southeast Asia.