Martians love this planet

A graduate of the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, Hua first rose to fame after winning the hit talent show Super Boy in 2013.

Back then, his avant-garde compositions and uninhibited stage presence earned him the nickname "Little Brother from Mars".

But his early work also drew controversy. His 2015 single Cancer, for instance, is a vocal experiment without lyrics. Through shifting vocal intensities, it traces the spread of cancer cells, often brought to life onstage with convulsive, theatrical body language.

Clips of these performances, some only seconds long, circulated widely online and fueled misunderstandings about his artistry.

"My early work was self-focused. It was all about expressing my inner world," says Hua, who once paid little attention to outside judgment.

"Over time, I began writing about others and society, and the shared struggles of today's young people."

That shift gave rise to a series of powerful, healing songs.

I Really Want to Love This World reached out to those battling depression. Growing Towards the Sun invited listeners to rediscover life's quiet beauties. The Journey from Plain to Magical reminds us that we may be born ordinary, yet each of us holds the power to craft something uniquely meaningful.

"I hope my music helps people cherish themselves a little more," he says.

Musically, his range has expanded considerably.

His sixth album, Tipping Point, released last year, weaves together poprock, tender ballads and Nordic folk.

Onstage, he blends classical Chinese instruments such as the pipa (Chinese lute), guzheng (Chinese zither) and xiao (vertical flute) with Western folk instruments rarely heard in orchestral settings, including the banjo and Irish uilleann pipes, a type of bagpipe.

It is a quiet yet persistent exploration of what the East and the West can create together.

"I want to stay true to my musical identity," he explains.

"But I also want to create works that allow even those who don't yet like my music to gradually understand it."

At the tour's final stop in Shenzhen, Hua celebrated his birthday on Feb 7 with his fans during the concert.

That evening, watching from the stage, he saw fans seated across the venue, silently and meticulously coordinated, holding up color-coded signs that spelled out giant messages: "Happy Birthday, Baby" and "From the Start to Forever."

Overwhelmed by the gesture, he wept.

"At that moment, I felt truly blessed and deeply moved, wrapped in the immense love of my fans," he recalls.

Sitting in the audience that night was 75-year-old Barbara, an American fan from California who had traveled to China for the ninth time to attend Hua's concert.

She sums up the tour in three words: love, togetherness and freedom.

"I see China in a totally different way now," she adds.

She recalls a specific, vivid memory from a Sunday stroll in Shenzhen.

What impressed her most was not the city's sleek skyline, but the vibrant and humane community life unfolding along its sidewalks — a barber cutting hair outdoors, people singing together and children playing freely.

"It's just a beautiful culture," she says. "I've fallen in love with China."