A Chinese pianist can tell her good shows from bad

Zuo entered the world of classical music when she moved to Berlin at age 3.

The pianist recalls that during her first few years in Germany, she was isolated in the new, foreign environment. Her parents would take her to concerts at the Berliner Philharmonie, which was close to their house.

"My childhood was all about classical music. When I watched the musicians playing onstage, I pretended to be one of them," she says. "I never intended to make music my profession but unconsciously, I became a pianist."

She started piano lessons at age 5 and two years later, she won third place at the International Steinway Piano Competition.

"My parents didn't expect that I could win an award at a piano competition, let alone work as a pianist," says Zuo.

When she returned to her hometown, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in 1995, Zuo enrolled at the Shenzhen Arts School and began studying with renowned piano educator Dan Zhaoyi, who also trained Chinese pianists Li Yundi and Chen Sa.