bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Given name: Xue Xiaoqiu
Born: Nanjing
Zodiac sign: Leo
Chinese zodiac: Snake
Nickname: Duo Duo
Album: Magic Finger (2010)
I've been to Hong Kong ... many times in the past. In 2005 and 2006, I had some shows at the  Hong Kong Cultural Centre.  This time I'm here  to promote my new album.
I like Hong Kong because ... the food is delicious  and shopping is very convenient. I enjoy watching Hong Kong films, too.
When I was small  ... I was very naughty. One day, my parents bought me a piano, hoping music would help me to become a more disciplined person. I was still naughty, but I did learn to play it. 
However, when I was around 14,  I wasn't making much progress. So I stopped practising for eight months and decided to take up photography.
I like ... photography a lot. I had my own photo exhibition on the mainland this year. Besides photography, I enjoy magic and film. The last film I saw was Inception, with Leonardo DiCaprio. It  was a really good movie.  
I've been practising magic ... for about six years.  I enjoy showing  others my tricks.  I also like to play snooker. I almost gave up piano because of snooker.
In 2006 I won ... a piano contest [Missouri Southern International Piano Competition], which was really satisfying. That's a high point in my career, along with  the Magic Finger album. But I'll keep working to improve myself.  
My biggest influence is ...  my piano teacher, Dan Zhaoyi  [a former teacher of renowned  pianist Yundi Li]. He's been an important part of my life.
I've met [pianist] Lang Lang  ... twice, but we didn't have much interaction. He really doesn't talk much [laughs]. People don't compare us much. They mostly compare him with [Yundi] Li.
Magic Finger ... is my first album. I like all the tracks, but the third one, Oblivion, is my favourite.  The first piece [Flight of the Bumblebee] was the hardest because it has such a fast rhythm.  There are multiple versions of that track  and it took me about four weeks to  master it.
The title  of the album was decided ... at a meeting with people from the record company.  I mostly contributed my fingers in the decision-making process [laughs].
I would love to play with ... Mozart. Someone still alive? Not so much Jay Chou but  Jackie Cheung. I really love  his songs.
Over the next two months ...  I will tour the mainland  to promote my album. It will be available there next month.
If you want to be a musician ... you need to have the passion. You can't just say to yourself I want to be a  pianist and so on. And don't put too much emphasis on winning and losing. You simply need to take music seriously, and you will be rewarded.



Finger on the musical pulse