A young girl in Nanjing plays piano in the hope of getting a good grade from the judge behind. Provided to China Daily

So many children were encouraged or forced to learn the piano, not because they wanted to, but to get the certificates so they could go to better schools. Learning piano was thus a painful process for many children. There seemed no difference between piano and math, which Chinese children are famously good at.

"To pass the tests, some children would just practice the four piano works required for tests for a whole year," says Qiu. "How can children learn to enjoy music in that way?"

Although the Ministry of Education has since banned piano proficiency's use for school enrollment purposes, learning the piano is still regarded as a good way to help develop children's brains.

Some parents with great expectations for their children are determined to mold their children into fine pieces of work. They regard a high level of accomplishment in playing the piano as one of the attributes necessary to achieve this.

"That is a reason why many parents want their children to learn piano, regardless of whether children like it or not," He says.

Little love for music

Over the last two decades, the enthusiasm of parents for their kids to learn the piano has never cooled. In fact, as China's economy has rapidly grown, more Chinese families have been able to afford musical instruments and music lessons for their children.

It is hard to know exactly how many Chinese children are learning the piano, but in September 2013, classical pianist Li Yundi said in an interview that the number might be between 40 million to 50 million, more than the population of Canada.