But despite these successes, he says that there was a time when he tried to escape from the erhu.

"Before I left Shenyang, I didn't even want to carry the instrument with me. But it was my father who told me to take the erhu with me," he says.

After arriving in Europe, Guo began performing at events held by overseas Chinese communities as he struggled to make ends meet like many foreign students.

His first break came in 2002, when he was invited to record music for the movie L'idole by composer Gabriel Yared, who won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for his work on The English Patient.

That collaboration brought Guo more opportunities to record music for other French films.

His latest contribution is for DreamWorks animation Kung Fu Panda 3.

He also made a guest appearance as a soloist at the opening ceremony of the Cannes film festival in 2002.

In 2005, Chinese director Zhang Yimou invited him to play a series of concerts for the promotion of the film, The House of Flying Daggers, in Europe.

"One of the most rewarding parts of joining a new project is meeting different musicians and seeking opportunities for collaboration. I am happy to see that the erhu, which is rarely appreciated in the West, can be used in so many different music styles," says Guo.

"I believe the best way to preserve my father's erhu legacy is to make the sound come alive and adjust it to fit different cultures. I live in a culture different from my native one, which opens me up. I'm willing to accept and confront differences."

While his pianist wife and two children live in Paris, Guo says that he plans to have more shows in China and work with Chinese musicians.