Pursuing a musical life despite stereotypes
- Chris McMillan
- May 8, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: May 16, 2023
China Daily
8th May 2023
Pursuing a musical life despite stereotypes
As a child, I had few friends among my peers. I just enjoyed listening to music and singing on my own. At the school for the blind, I learned various musical instruments, and I am a flute player.
It is a stereotype that blind people will either work as masseurs or fortunetellers, but I became a masseur after graduation from high school as most people expected. At first, I had few customers, so to kill time I developed the habit of making tea.
Although I experienced difficulties and was often scalded by hot water, I really enjoyed it. Later, I became too busy to have a cup of tea and I sometimes worked until the early morning.
Despite earning good money, I didn't like the job because being confined in the salon was very frustrating. In addition to taking up a lot of time and energy, it also hurt my fingers. My family bought me a salon and opened a massage parlor for me. I didn't manage it well, because I was also performing in a local art group, and couldn't do both. The salon closed in 2017, as did the art group. During that time, I felt lost.
At the end of 2021, I left my hometown to join the current band in Fuzhou.
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