A musical friend for life

Some young adults who were forced to practice the piano during childhood, disliking it as a result, are now beginning to understand their parents' intentions.

In fact, some now feel grateful for the generous investment in their musical education.

Huang Xiaoman, from Dongguan, Guangdong province, said that when she was taking piano classes regularly from the ages of 5 to 15, her mother learned and practiced alongside her to deepen the effect of the lessons.

"She learned very quickly, even faster than me," recalled the 22-year-old postgraduate, who is majoring in simultaneous translation.

"When it came to my second year, she could already play Fur Elise (a popular piece by Beethoven)."

Practice was dull and difficult for the young child. Huang said she was unhappy with a life that only featured the piano and she thought about giving up hundreds of times.

Instead, her mother encouraged her to see it through.

"Looking back, I find that period a worthwhile experience and I really want to thank my mom," she said.

"She spent so much time accompanying me without expecting me to grow up to be a professional. She didn't expect gratitude, either－she just wanted me to focus on one thing and not give up."

Guo Yujing, who learned piano under her mother's harsh guidance for 10 years, has recently started to understand her mom's strict approach.

When Guo started taking piano lessons at age 5, her mother sat next to her during every class, listening to the teacher and taking notes.

"She soon mastered so much musical theory that although she didn't know how to play, she could point out any single note I played incorrectly right away," said the 24-year-old, who will graduate from postgraduate school this year.

Guo said her mother could tolerate and show patience for almost everything she did, except for anything bad related to the piano.

"My passion didn't lie with the piano. I hated practicing. Whenever I did it, my body sat there while my mind drifted away," she said, adding that she was often beaten by her mother for this reason.

"I hated my mother at that time."

However, as Guo grew up, she gradually understood her mother, although she still found it difficult to forgive her.

"Now that I'm about to graduate and will have to work to support myself, I have started to realize that in those days when people didn't earn much, it was not easy for parents to invest so much in such an expensive project, especially as the outcome was uncertain and children like me disliked it," she said.

Guo added that her experience had an upside as she has developed "a strong heart" that allows her to recover from bad experiences quickly.

"In that sense, learning piano helped to build my character," she said.