Fresh start

Yi first arrived in Shenzhen 19 years ago and worked in factories, on construction sites and in kitchens, while teaching himself to play instruments such as the harmonica, flute and saxophone in his spare time. He had not played a piano for nearly 30 years.

The public pianos in Huaqiangbei offered him a fresh start.

On a hot summer's day, while taking a break from work at a nearby construction site, Yi and his son passed one of the instruments. Encouraged by his son, Yi decided to give it a try.

Feeling a little awkward at first, he rubbed his hands nervously on his clothes, but the moment he placed his fingers on the keys, his confidence returned.

"It was like chatting with an old friend. It had been a long time since my last piano practice. I was so excited, that my heart was still beating rapidly when I returned home," Yi said.

Although his success quickly made him an online sensation in China and overseas, Yi is not the only one to benefit from the pianos in Huaqiangbei.

Inspired by the British artist Luke Jerram, who has placed more than 2,000 street pianos in over 70 cities worldwide since 2008 with the words "Play Me, I'm Yours" printed on their sides, the public piano project in Huaqiangbei was launched by the local government in 2018.

Zhang Chen, deputy director of the Huaqiangbei subdistrict office, said: "Huaqiangbei is located in the commercial district in the center of Shenzhen. We have been trying to provide diverse facilities to bring high-quality public cultural services to the area. We are surprised that the public piano project has attracted so many people to play the instruments, and others to watch them perform."

The project is also part of a bigger plan in Shenzhen to build a city culture characterized by openness and inclusiveness, which are the expectations of President Xi Jinping, Zhang said.