Piano skills are the keys to success

"Pianos and piano teachers are no longer a rarity in small cities of Yunnan, although the number is still small compared with big cities," she says.

Chu Wanghua, an acclaimed composer and pianist, says that good piano players were mainly from big cities, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, around three decades ago, when learning to play the piano became popular.

But accomplished piano players from remote and less economically developed areas have been more frequently seen over the past five years, he says.

"Like all forms of art, the piano, the king of all musical instruments, has penetrated to the remote regions of the country with social and economic advancements," says Chu, who is also chairman of the judging committee of this year's national finals.

"I believe that this trend will continue as learning music is an indispensable part of the nation's cultural construction," he says.

Chang, a math teacher in a local primary school, says although the cost for her son's piano lessons takes a bite out of the couple's income, they will persist in sending the boy to continue learning as long as he enjoys it.

"Singing and dancing are in the genes of people belonging to the Jingpo ethnic group. Whenever my son plays the piano, and my husband and I join the melody by singing, it's an absolute joy for our family," she says.

Huobin says he aspires to be a piano teacher when he grows up, which will allow him to help more people better enjoy the beauty of music.

With 27 million individuals learning to play the piano, China is a major global market, and experts say, is making its presence felt, says Chu.

With graduates from the country's major conservatories of music and renowned music schools overseas joining in piano training all over the country, young students now have access to better teaching resources than ever before, he says.