Despite being blind, the pianist's talent shines in the world of music

China Plus

12th October 2018

Despite being blind, the pianist's talent shines in the world of music

By Chen Ziqi

Imagine what it would be like to stand in a crowded square with your eyes closed. You'd be able to hear passers-by rushing to their destinations, but you wouldn't be able to see them. This might induce a feeling of helplessness, even panic, and you would barely be able to contain your impatience to open your eyes on the world again. But actually, people who have to live in this darkness all the time, they are much stronger than you might think.

Liu Hao, a blind 17-year-old pianist，showed a talent for music at the age of just three. Over the past ten years, he has overcome immeasurable challenges and achieved incredible things, all thanks to the caring people who have supported him throughout his trials. For more detail, please click the audio below.

On October 11th this year, a special piano concert was held in the Forbidden City Concert Hall. Five blind pianists performed there, playing music including The Art of Fugue by Bach, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique' by Beethoven, and Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 by Franz Liszt.

Liu Hao was one of the performers. Prematurely born in 2001 in Chifeng, southeastern Inner Mongolia, he sadly lost his sight after being treated with too much oxygen at birth. But at the age of three, he showed his talent in music. Since then, despite the cost, his mother Kang Guiqin has been devoting herself to helping her son to learn the piano.

In 2016, thanks to Liu Hao and his mother's efforts, Liu was able to hold his first recital in Beijing; and just one year later, he and the famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang jointly performed a duet of a traditional Chinese song in a nationally famous TV program called I Want to Perform in the Spring Festival Gala, which is the most-viewed annual TV celebration in China. And to cap it all, his story has even been adapted into a movie called The Blind Boy who Plays Piano, in which Liu plays himself.

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