I was born in Shen Yang, Northeast of China, and lived there until I was sixteen. Then, I moved to the States to study at the Cutis Institute of Music.

How did you begin to play the piano? Was a family member a musician?

Memories come still fresh when I recall my first encounter with the piano. I was only four years old then, and one day I was watching a cartoon show, don’t remember the name anymore… and it featured the piano concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. My body stopped functioning and I got goose bumps everywhere. I felt deep connection between the music and myself. Interestingly enough, that cartoon show became my very first contact with the Western music and the motivation to learn the piano. Both of my parents are musicians. My dad is a cellist and my mom is a singer (soprano). Therefore, I was surrounded by music throughout my childhood. My parents had to sell our house to buy a piano and to be able to afford the lessons. Since, my piano journey had begun.

Where are your parents now?

My parents live in China now. Dad has to make money to support the family, so he turned to business, but he never lost his passion for music. We still play chamber music together.

How your teachers influenced you as a musician?

I must say I have been abundantly blessed with support and guidance from my mentors throughout my career. I won’t be where I am without their support. I’ve had three invaluable piano teachers in my life, each helpful in a unique way. Say if my parents gave me the chance to be in this wonderful world, then my teachers, trained my wings for me to fly beyond my limits. I would like to mention three invaluable piano teachers in my life, each helpful in a different way.

The first was my piano teacher in China Yafen Zhu, who introduced me to the instrument when I was four years old as the best toy a little girl could ever have. It never felt like impossible task; it was always something I wanted to do. Professor Zhu’s encouragement was incredible, and her support kept me going.

Mr. Lipkin at Curtis has been my teacher for 6 years – since I arrived in the States. He specialize in teaching of Beethoven and Schubert. Therefore, I worked all Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas and most of the piano repertoire by Schubert. To me, Mr. Lipkin is more like a grandfather, well, a pretty strict/serious one. With him, everything had to be to its measure. Never before had I spent hours on a single measure!  No wrong note or wrong phrasing would pass by his ears. He told me that every detail that the composer wrote means something and it is interpreter’s job to search for the answer and one must fully absorbed by it before presenting to the audience. We explored every option, for example, how putting one ounce more of weight on the note can change the color and texture, therefore, possibly altering the entire landscape of musical phrase. Playing the piano was no longer about just playing pretty tunes. He showed me the intricacies and nuances of the instrument. He certainly revolutionized the way I thought about the instrument.

Mr. Lowenthal - he turned me into the artist I am today. Mr. Lowenthal, on the other hand, is quite different from Mr. Lipkin, but he is the most ideal person for me after my six years at Curtis. Mr. Lowenthal is the most musical and inspiring pianist I have ever seen. He gives me a great balance between freedom and guidance. Sometimes my spontaneity gets me into trouble — I will make a whimsical gesture, climax too early with nowhere to go, or bring out weird voices. Mr. Lowenthal helps me to step back and see that something I may think is so exquisite doesn’t fit into whole picture. We are constantly trying to discover my own voice in the context of the beauty and essence of each composition. For me, the greatest lesson I learned from him is to be an individual. In studio classes – the master class type of setting – we used to get together to play for each other, and he would comment at the end, guiding us through the process, telling when it was in bad taste or not right. Somebody could be playing the same piece I was playing and yet sound totally different. She always helped us to find our own voice. Sometimes he might say, “I do not agree with everything you’re doing, but you are the architect of your own building, and if I were to take out one pillar, the whole building might collapse.” For me to realize that this was my own creation was the greatest compliment. If he said, “It’s not really convincing,” that was really the final testimony. I always relied on his opinion. Without him I have no idea where I would be today, and I am grateful for her guidance. Even today, when I’m practicing or performing, I hear him in my head!

Have you attended any other schools but Curtis?

After graduating from Curtis, I attended Juilliard for the Masters Degree. At Juilliard, I studied with Jerome Lowenthal. Both are wonderful schools which support students from every way they required.

Have you received any honors or awards? Which do you cherish most?
I must admit that I enjoy doing competition. To me, doing competition is the fastest way to improve, although the whole process can be very long and intense. For a typical competition, you will need to prepare two solo recitals, two concertos and two chamber music pieces in ten months.  This can be a quite a demanding task for any performers. But, every competition is like a journey in which I have to transform to a different level of artistry. The prize that really changed my life was the Gold Medal at the Virginia Waring piano competition in 2009. The prize was a turning point and a pinnacle of all my efforts. It was also very rewarding to be appreciated for something I didn’t even know I had in me. That came as a surprise. I had entered the competition thinking it would be a great experience for me to gather such an extensive variety of music on that level. When I walked away with Gold, I had to become an adult overnight, a professional artist with a very distinct voice. I was just a second-year student at Juilliard, and until then I simply played the music I loved. Now I had all these high expectations behind me, I was doing interviews, and I had to define my music, not only through my performance but through words. Handling all the attention and adapting both musically and emotionally to the situation was a big challenge. I learned so much through the process, both as a musician and a person. After all, win or lose, it is out off my hand, anything off the stage is beyond my control. All I can do is to convey the beauty of music, tell stories to the listeners and enjoy the moment of earning the stage.

What period of music do you enjoy playing most and why?

I feel deeply connected with from Romantic period. I feel like my playing is incredibly emotional, and I think people like to hear over-the-top, expressive pieces from me. I really play a little bit of everything at this moment. Playing what you want to hear and what the audience wants to hear, that’s tough. What ultimately brings me the most joy is to hear people who are incredibly moved by the music they have never heard. After all, it is performer’s goal to shine a great light on the music for the audience.

What do you do for hobby?

I love photography. In my spare time, I take my camera and walk endlessly around New York City, and it is absolutely amazing and exciting to get to know the different venues of the city. Photography is the best way to capture the world and seize a moment to treasure forever! I’m also learning French as my third language; I just love French poems and hope one day I could be able to read it myself.

Why French?

Two of my teachers attended Paris Conservatory and they speak absolutely beautiful French. They sometime describe the music in French and that softens me. I wish I would be able to speak that beautiful language one day too.

Do you have any upcoming concerts in the US? Scheduled concerts in Europe or Asia?

I will play concerts in Palm Springs, CA in April, followed by a concert at the Carnegie Hall. During the summer, I will give concerts in Canada, Italy and China.

How did you learn about the International Web Concert Hall Competition?

Through internet and from my teacher.

Where do you live now?   I live in New York now.

Who would you say is your favorite composer, and who is most challenging composer?

This changes all the time. It’s like the flavor of the day. Right now I would say Schumann. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of late German repertoire. I love every single piece by Schumann. Schumann is one of the composers with whom I listen to a piece and immediately feel what the composer must have felt. He’s one of those composers I can understand immediately. For performers, it’s rare you like to listen to what you like to play, but I have the absolute best time listening to him.

Do you like any other forms of art? Such as painting?

I love all kinds of art. I try to go to art museums as much as I can. It inspires me as well as reshapes my imagination. I feel especially connected with impressionism paintings, somehow Debussy’s music always come up to my head when I look at them.

What do you hope to accomplish as a musician?

To be a TRUE musician!