Blind singers in tune with society

Musical careers

Unlike most of his blind friends who work in the massage industry, Huang chose a different profession as a music producer as a result of lessons he took as a child.

When he was studying at a school for the blind in Fuzhou at about age 10, he learned piano in addition to vocational courses such as massage techniques. Thus, he discovered his musical talent.

One summer vacation, like most of his schoolmates, he worked in a massage salon as an intern. "After massaging a large number of feet every day, I realized that I didn't like the job. As blind people, we were always told that our future employment was in the massage industry, and there was no second path. However, I always think anything is possible," he said. "I am just the 1 percent who pursued a musical career."

Through his own efforts, Huang was admitted to a music performance major for the blind at Beijing Union University in 2005 — one of the only two colleges that enrolled visually impaired people at the time — and he formed a rock band with other blind students. They performed with professional bands and played at many colleges.

Huang remembers that his craziest, coolest performance came when he slung a keyboard over his shoulder and put one leg on an amplifier. "I was so excited that I fell off the stage, but amazingly, I landed on both feet," he recalled. "Without that experience of playing in a band, I would not have had the passion to create or have any understanding about music."

To his regret, most of his talented college classmates didn't pursue careers in music, choosing the massage industry instead. "Reality defeats the dream," he said.

Postgraduation activity

After graduating in 2008, he returned to Fuzhou. The following year, he started a band to continue his musical dream. Many of the founding members were masseurs who were fond of singing.

Chen Jincan, who was born blind, is one of them. In addition to playing in the band, he earns money at a friend's massage parlor in his spare time.

He has a northern accent, despite being a Fujian native who has seldom left the eastern province. That's because Chen spent almost all his childhood listening to the radio and imitating the Beijing accent. Now, he enjoys reciting the scripts of TV dramas along with the actors, while imagining the scenes. His favorite activity is singing, so he learns all the songs in the TV series he most enjoys.

He loves the feeling of being on stage. "When I stand there and the applause comes from all directions, I feel lifted up by it," he said. "We should not neglect our hobbies, but should make ourselves happy through them."

The band often sings the theme song of the famous TV series The Legend of the White Snake. The song, depicting a legendary romance, is band leader Huang's favorite. While listening to the TV series as a teenager, he longed to find a woman like the female lead, even though he was unable to see what she looked like.

Last year, the band occasionally posted a video online of themselves singing the song. It gained more than 270,000 likes and gave them a wider audience. Netizens are attracted to their professional singing, but more importantly to their optimism. The sudden popularity made them decide to stream on social media three nights a week.