Sitting down and placing his fingers on the piano keys, 12-year-old Jia Zhichao, from the Guangzhou Schumann Piano School, started playing Chopin's Ballade in G Minor.

The melody filled the concert hall in Duesseldorf in Germany, where the Schumann International Piano Competition was being held.

The young Chinese boy's musical gift and technical skill deeply impressed both audiences and the adjudicators at this year's contest, held from January 25 to February 7.

He was praised as "China's young Mozart" and granted a special talent award.

"He makes the piano sing, and his exquisite interpretation, unique musical comprehension and adept skills really amazed us," said an adjudicator from Germany.

Jia subsequently passed the teenager university student entry examination specially set for him by the Robert Schumann Hochschule, a renowned music university in Duesseldorf, Germany.

"We did not plan to enroll any teenage students this year, but after the contest we decided to arrange a test for him," an official from the German music university was quoted as saying.

Hence Jia became the youngest student ever accepted by the Robert Schumann Hochschule, which has a history of more than 100 years.

Jia will begin his studies abroad on April 20 and will stay there for seven years. He will get free tuition for his custom-designed training program at the school. The Guangzhou Schumann school, where Jia has been studying since age 6, will cover the boy's other expenses in Germany, and his father will accompany him there and stay with him.

Musically gifted

Growing up in an ordinary family in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Jia Zhichao fell in love with the piano when he was only 5 and passed the Level 10 piano test when he was barely 10 years old.

"When he was only 5, my wife and I were surprised to see him moving his fingers on a bamboo mat as if he were playing a piano," recalled Jia Xiao, the boy's father.

Jia Xiao, 42, an art designer, knew nothing about the piano. He discovered the boy's interest in the instrument when he took him to visit the girl who lived next door.

"I saw how totally captivated he was when the girl played the piano," said the father.

So he decided to buy a piano for his son. "We did not expect that he would become a great pianist, but we felt happy when we heard the beautiful sounds he was soon learning to make on the instrument," he said.

Jia Zhichao was enrolled in the Guangzhou Piano School for professional training when he was 6. He learned very quickly, and soon he could play the works of a number of famous composers.

"He was always learning additional works of famous composers like Beethoven and Chopin, by listening to CDs at home," said Yu Mei, the boy's mother. "We were also moved by his persistence," she said.

Yu, 36, works at a beauty salon, but she has learned a lot about music thanks to her son's enthusiasm for the piano.

Not long ago, Jia Zhichao was taken to the Guangzhou Schumann Piano School, where he met, Huang Peiyu, director of the Guangzhou Schumann Piano School, who became his teacher.

Huang, a graduate from the Robert Schumann Hochschule with a master's degree in piano performance and teaching, was impressed with Jia's unusual gift for music and began to groom him with great concentration.

The boy says that he wants to be a great musician, bringing happiness to others.

"I want to bring the beautiful sound of the piano to lots of people, not just to my parents, teacher and myself," said Jia Zhichao.

When asked why he likes playing the piano, the boy explained that he feels like he has accomplished something every time he finishes playing a piece on the piano.

"It makes me excited, but if I stop playing before a piece is finished, I feel uneasy," said the boy.

In addition to playing the piano, the boy likes drawing and playing badminton.

'Happy education'

A frenzy for having their children study piano has been growing among Chinese parents over the last two decades, thanks to the improvement of living standards.

However, experts warned that people should find the right approach to cultivate their children's love of music.

Huang Peiyu herself started studying the piano at the age of 4. She entered the Robert Schumann Hochschule in 1992 and graduated in 1998.

Jia met Huang after she established the piano school in Guangzhou. Later when Huang went to Shenzhen to establish a branch school, Jia followed her there to continue his studies.

Huang said that the people in Shenzhen have a special zeal for the piano, as Li Yundi, who grew up in Shenzhen, became the youngest winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition in October 2000 at the age of 18.

But she insists on "happy education" rather than the "forced education" aimed at gaining ever higher grade certificates.

"Studying the piano will enhance a child's musical abilities. But to see the piano as the route to a child's success in life is a wrong approach."

At present, some parents are hoping beyond all hope that their children will change their lives through studying the piano, experts said. Also, there is a shortage of professional piano teachers, given the large number of children who want to study the instrument.

"A healthy piano studying environment should be created for children," said Huang.

"Both parents and children should realize that studying the piano does not often bring prizes or fame."

Huang points out that not all children are born with a talent for music like Jia Zhichao, who is a rare prodigy.

Jia Xiao, the boy's father, agrees with Huang. "Parents should take into account their children's wishes," said Jiao Xiao. "Let the kids decide if they want to study piano or not," he said. "If learning piano only brings the child pain, then it's better to stop it."

To better adapt to the new environment, Jia is studying German. Besides studying piano in the university, the boy who has just finished primary school will attend a nearby middle school.

The boy said he has never hated piano. The thought of stopping playing piano has never crossed his mind.

"Neither my parents or my teachers forced me to study piano. I play it because I like it," said Jia.

(China Daily April 6, 2004)