China's philharmonic farmer Jiang Yuzheng, who has invented and made more than 100 unique instruments without spending a penny over four decades, brings fun to the countryside with his folk band.

BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 18, 2009) REUTERS - In a tiny village an hour from Beijing lives farmer Jiang Yuzheng, an unlikely musician.
When he's not working the fields, Jiang turns his attention to his life's passion - inventing and making his own musical instruments.

The 60-year old farmer, who also serves as the local carpenter, has made more than one hundred home-made instruments over the past four decades.

His unconventional contraptions are made from anything from scrap wood to dried vegetables -- the only condition for materials is that they are free.

"I've always been fascinated by why a pipe makes a sound when you blow into it, or why a pulling bow produces sound. If I wasn't curious I would never have become interested in it. Curiosity became an interest; interest became a love, and finally I found my creativity," he said.

Jiang started making his own instruments when he was 18, but he does not always follow the rules.

His "Chinese bamboo flute" is not made of bamboo, but an old steel pipe, and his eight-stringed instrument is part guitar, part fiddle, with a dried bottle gourd jutting out of the side.

He started to read and play music when he was 14 and he can now play a range of instruments from the bamboo fiddle to the horn to the harmonica.

And Jiang's passion has proved infectious over time.

Neighbours joined him in 2006 to form a village folk band which performs using only his home-made instruments.

More than 50 locals have performed in his band over three years, and his humble courtyard has become the scene of impromptu jamming sessions.

The band performs for the whole villagers on national holidays and traditional Chinese festivals.

Fifty-five-year old Singer Jiang Aizhen said the band has become a healthy alternative to betting.

"Housewives like us especially enjoy being a part of it. The people who used to play Mah-jong before stopped gambling after joining our band," She said.

The band the has also rekindled villagers' enthusiasm for music in general, said 37-year-old band member Feng Huarui.

"We have become much more motivated in our singing since we have had Jiang's folk band to accompany us, and now we all love to sing," she said.

Jiang has no plans to take his band on tour.

But the aging musician is intent on teaching other villagers to play his instruments properly, so that his unique brand of folk music can live on through the generations.