In the EP, Li also has two songs based on contemporary poems－one of them is Grandmother, written by Chinese poet Lan Lan.

Li's grandmother died before he was born. And, according to Li's mother, his grandmother lived on boat and earned a living by fishing until she met Li's grandfather, who was a carpenter.

"Lan Lan's poem reminds me about my grandmother," says Li.

Li's family was poor and from a young age he tried to prove that he could be as good as his peers. His father was good at chess and one of his chess mates was a violin teacher, who introduced Li to music at 7.

His first violin cost his father a month's salary－12 yuan－in the 1980s.

"I found an outlet in music but self-doubt was never far away. But eventually, I got the confidence to put it out there," says Li.

Before working with Lee, Li dreamed about being famous and releasing an album. But, now his goal is to study with Lee.

"The past 10 years with Lee make me want to slow down, to learn and to think," says Li.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn