The youngest champion ever to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition shared his experiences with over 500 secondary school students at a forum recently.
Born in Chongqing, Sichuan, Li Yundi is the first Chinese and the youngest pianist, at 18, to win the competition, held in Warsaw last October.
The forum at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium was co-organised by the Dragon Foundation and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The Dragon Foundation is a non-profit making organisation jointly established by the Home Affairs Bureau, Home Affairs Department and Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups. It aims to establish an exchange network among Chinese youth across the globe and develop their potential.
Li started playing the piano at the age of seven. In 1994, he en tered the Sichuan Conservatory Secondary School. The following year he transferred to the Shenzhen School of Arts where he studies today.
Li has won several awards at international piano competitions since 1995, including a gold medal at the Gina Bachauer Young Artists International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a third place at the Liszt Piano Competition in the Netherlands.