“Everyone has to overcome difficulties in order to be successful.”

— Deng Qiqi, a 13-year-old boy who plays the erhu outdoors.

Wang Yuanyuan

A blind boy who plays the erhu on Huaqiangbei road in Futian District has drawn attentiony after a netizen uploaded his picture to http://www.tianya.com, a popular online forum in China.

Deng Qiqi is now a minor celebrity because of the hardship he has overcome and the quality of his performance. Shenzhen Concert Hall plans to host a solo concert for him in May next year.

"I am really excited about the opportunities Shenzhen has given me. I could never have got this far without the kindness of Shenzheners. I am immensely moved by it all, and I intend to develop and improve the quality of my music," the 13-year-old boy from Anhui Province said.

Deng was invited to perform at the Concert Hall following a New Year Concert in 2012.

His mother added, "Playing at the concert hall will be a dream come true for Qiqi and I hoped he could get better and better to thank every one who had helped him."

In love with the erhu

Deng lost his sight when he was two years old after being prescribed the wrong medicine. Doctors predicted that advances in medical science could help him regain his sight, so the family left home in Mengcheng County, hoping to live in a more developed area.

One day when Deng was nine, they passed a music shop and heard somebody playing erhu. "Although he did not know what an erhu was, he was fascinated by the sound and did not want it to stop," said Deng's mother.

A man named Guo Yulong was playing erhu at the shop. After discussing the fee, Guo became Deng's first teacher.

The biggest challenge for Deng was to memorize the music. "There is no musical equivalent of braille, so I had to rote learn by hearing the teacher play repeatedly. Although I am no used to it, it was hard to begin with. It took me weeks to practice one simple piece," he said.

However, Deng did not like to talk about the difficulty of learning erhu. "Everybody has to overcome difficulty in order to be successful," he said.

Guo recognised Deng's talent, so he helped him get into the city's special school for disabled children.

"He learnt it so well and so quick, the school hired three professional teachers to coach him in one year, but they were still not good enough to provide lessons that were challenging enough for him," said Guo.

In 2009, a professor from the special education center of Beijing Nationality University heard about Deng and flew to Mengcheng to meet him. "He was immediately struck by my son's talent and decided to recruit him," said Deng's mother.

However, for a poor family, it was too expensive to live and study in Beijing. "Although there was no tuition fee, we could not afford the accommodation and living expenses because we did not have money and had to save everything we had for eye treatment," said Deng's mother.

Coming to Shenzhen

At the end of 2009, the 11-year-old Deng dropped out of school and came with his mother to busk in Shenzhen. "In this way, we could make some money and find a good erhu teacher," said Deng's mother.

Working in Shenzhen was not easy. Deng's mother suffered from heart disease and could not stay out in the sun for a long time, so Deng decided to play on his own in the daytime.

At night, the two went to play near the Civic Center in Futian District. "There are many street performers there at night and music lovers often flock to see them, so we went there hoping to build a fanbase," said Deng.

Deng could make about 100 yuan (US$16) a day, but it was still too little as the tuition fee for learning erhu in Shenzhen is too high.

Performing at the concert hall

Deng's performance got the attention of Xu Xia, Shenzhen Concert Hall's art director.

"I passed by that square nearly every day and was very impressed by his performance. It was full of virtuosity and emotion and I could not believe that a 13 year-old boy was capable of such variety and profundity," said Xu.

Xu decided to find a teacher to train him and later organized a solo concert.

She found a well-known erhu player in Shenzhen with her connections and introduced them to each other. "We had a long talk and I decided to take this student in and make him a star," said Yin Guibu, Deng's new teacher.

"I was so lucky to meet so many good and warm-hearted people in Shenzhen. Yin was such a great and talented teacher and I am very confident about my future," he said.

Performing outdoors has been the most memorable experience of Deng's life. "I played outside the hall every day and admired everything about it. I did not expect that I would one day have the chance to stand on the stage of Shenzhen Concert Hall. It will be the best day of my life," he said.

Deng practices hard with Yin every day and continues to busk.

"I have no choice because I still have to make money to support my family and save for my treatment fees. Besides, I like having an audience, whether they are in an elegant hall or on the street," he said.

Deng is looking forward to his solo concert in May. "I've had a lot of help from Shenzheners. After they helped me become an Internet celebrity, I even got a lot of money from warm-hearted strangers. I have nothing to repay them with at the moment, so I will express my appreciation to the city and its people through my performances," he said.