Ding was diagnosed with autism when she was 5. As she was too energetic, her mother Lan Li found a piano instructor to teach her and to calm her down.

"Although she cried, I did not give up until she met the teacher's requirements. Gradually, she could stay longer playing the piano and could play it very well even though she didn't understand musical notes," her mother says.

When she was 12, Ding participated in the National Youth Art Talent Recommendation Competition held in Beijing and emerged champion in the category for people with disabilities. She also participated in that year's CCTV Children's Spring Festival Evening Show.