Shenzhen is moving full steam ahead to promote an open, inclusive and innovative culture by bringing residents closer to music. Zhou Mo reports from Shenzhen.

Chen Yunchang plays music for the public in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei district in December. The 74-year-old, known among his audiences as “piano grandpa”, plays the keyboard instrument regularly in the electronics market to express his enthusiasm for music and inspire people through melodies. (ZHOU MO / CHINA DAILY)

On a cold winter night, Chen Yunchang, who is dressed in summery shorts and a national-flag-decorated short-sleeved shirt as a way to boost his health, turns his head to the audience around him from time to time as he moves his fingers deftly on the keys of a piano on the main street of Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei — one of the largest electronics markets in the world. 

Whenever he has the time, the 74-year-old travels 20 kilometers from his home to China’s “No 1 electronics street” to play the city-provided piano for free.

Chen often plays after 9 pm as the crowds then are bigger than they are during the daytime because visitors usually are at work or doing business before the sun sets.

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He plays different types of music — classical, popular, and children’s songs. As the audience follows the melodies and sings along with him, Chen immerses himself in the chorus as if he were a popular musician giving a grand concert.

“I hope people could be moved and inspired by music, and could understand what true music is,” he says.

Chen’s dream to be a musician was realized when pianos were placed on Huaqiangbei’s main street six years ago for the public to play freely. The idea was inspired by British artist Luke Jerram, who initiated a public piano campaign called “Play Me, I’m Yours” in 2008. The campaign was aimed at giving full play to the power of music in promoting people-to-people communication. So far, more than 2,000 street pianos have been placed in over 70 cities worldwide.

At Huaqiangbei, there are eight pianos on the 900-meter-long street. The pianists come from diverse backgrounds, including migrant workers, delivery couriers and security guards.

The project shows how Shenzhen is moving to build up its “soft power” by promoting an “open and inclusive” culture, after the city proved itself to be a “hard power” to the world by creating an economic miracle. In the past 44 years since it became a special economic zone, Shenzhen has grown from a small fishing village to a metropolis with a GDP reaching 3.2 trillion yuan ($447.7 billion) in 2022 — ranking third among cities on the Chinese mainland.

Shenzhen is going full steam ahead with cultural development, embracing a culture that features openness, inclusiveness and innovation.

According to the 2022 “Chinese City Creativity Index”, compiled by the research team of the College of Management of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen grabbed the third spot among the mainland’s most creative cities, after Beijing and Shanghai.

With the number of patent applications in Shenzhen topping the list, the innovation spirit has become the “soul” of the city’s culture, the report said.

“Shenzhen’s culture has been fueling the city’s economic and social development,” says Fang Yingling, director of the Social Development Institute at the Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences, citing the city’s famous slogan — “You are a Shenzhener once you come here” — which demonstrates the spirit of inclusiveness.

“While embracing openness and inclusiveness, Shenzhen adheres to core socialist values as its mainstream merits. It can be said that Shenzhen’s culture is ‘an example of the cultural development of Chinese modern cities’,” says Fang.

Born in 1950, Chen started playing the piano when he was 6. “When I was in kindergarten, my teacher discovered I had talent in music. My family was poor at the time, so the teacher taught me the piano for free,” he recalls.

There was no piano at his home, so Chen practiced playing the musical instrument at a place nearby until his father bought him a secondhand piano for 1,000 yuan by installments.

At the age of 13, Chen was offered a place to study music at a renowned college, now known as the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, in Guangdong’s provincial capital, Guangzhou. But he rejected the offer as the college focused on traditional Chinese musical instruments instead of Western ones at that time. He didn’t want to waste previous years of piano practice.

Chen continued his pursuit of music by working as a pianist with an art troupe in the then-Guangzhou Military Region, where he and his teammates frequently performed for soldiers. His years of experience as a professional artist sharpened his musical skills and strengthened his determination to scale greater heights.

After retiring from military service, Chen moved to Shenzhen in 1984 to launch his career as a piano teacher at the city’s activity center for children. His aim is to cultivate young artistes who “really understand the music”, rather than performers who can only play certain songs.

“Huaqiangbei’s pianos for the public set the stage for me to show my love for music. By performing here, I feel I’m a step closer to my aspiration to inspire more people through music,” says Chen.

A 27-year-old man surnamed Zhu, who visits Huaqiangbei regularly to listen to Chen’s music, says the project is a “warm and caring” gesture by the government that will increase its appeal to people from all over the world, especially young people.

“In a fast-paced city like Shenzhen, such a warm and caring move is particularly needed. It will make people feel that Shenzhen isn’t just a place to work. It’s also a place to foster a sense of belonging and where they can call home,” Zhu says.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com