Saxophones are instrumental to Tianjin village life

Adolphe Sax, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone, who would have been 203 years old on Monday, probably never imagined the instrument would one day be the lifeblood of a small Chinese village.

Sidangkouzhong village in Tianjin is prospering thanks to its instrument-making industry. It has earned the moniker "saxophone village" as it produces more than 10,000 saxophones a month.

"Almost every family in my village has someone who knows how to make saxophones," said Zhang Guomin, the village's Party chief.