From an unknown small town in China to the world’s most important financial hub, she became the star and the center of attention of Hong Kong’s TV stations and the press, and an instant favorite of millions. This is the story of a 9-year old talented girl by the name of Panting.

Little Panting is a role model to children and adults around the world. Her talent and daily hard work are the reasons why she was able to stand out above others at such young age.

Lunlun Zou discovered Panting in August 2004 during a guzheng convention in Yangzhou, while giving her a free guzheng lesson. Lunlun noticed Panting’s talent and potential.

During the days, months and years that followed, Lunlun kept in touch with Panting by telephone and e-mail, and used video teleconferencing to help with guiding her talent. Later in April 2005 Lunlun traveled to Yangzhou to give Panting additional lessons.

This year the time has come, according to Lunlun Zou, that Panting was given the opportunity to show her advanced skills in front of highly critical Hong Kong audiences in a debut recital.

The event took place on 21 February 2006 at Sheung Wan’s Civic Center. The concert hall was filled to maximum capacity of 150 seats with guzheng music lovers, guzheng teachers, guzheng students and members of the press.

Panting performed many Chinese traditional classics, and impressed the audience with flawless interpretation of the difficult, communist-inspired Zhan Tai Feng. Among the most enjoyed scores of the event were Kang Ding Qing Ge and Hua Er Yu Shao Nian (Flowers and Children), which she played in duet with Lunlun Zou.

At the program’s end many members of the audience, including children, surrounded little Panting on the stage to congratulate her with successful debut, made friends and chatted. Many people wanted to purchase Panting’s video, which unfortunately will not be available until a few weeks from now.

Foreign students at Lunlun Zou‘s studio are not an uncommon sight. However, most recent visit of a student from Germany deserves a mention.

Fourteen year old Norman Bravo Sazo is not a typical German kid. Unlike most of his peers who are easily influenced by television and foreign films, Norman has chosen to follow his heart. Norman can tell what is beautiful, what music to listen to and what music to play. Chinese music and Chinese instruments are Norman’s choice.

Norman is enjoying his new custom guzheng, which he purchased from Lunlun Zou.

For the past 2 years, Norman has been learning the art of playing guzheng and erhu with Zhengfang Zhang in Stuttgart, Germany. Eventually, his love for Chinese culture has brought him to visit Lunlun Zou in Hong Kong, buy a very special custom guzheng and take several lessons.

Norman enjoyed interacting with Lunlun Zou’s students.

Norman demonstrated his skill in front of other Lunlun Zou’s students and everyone was very impressed. This was a proof that his teacher in Germany, Zhengfang Zhang, is doing a great job.

Besides the joy of teaching Norman, Lunlun Zou enjoyed having the opportunity making an acquaintance with his mom, Paula Royce-Bravo Sazo, a professional violinist with the Nationaltheater Mannheim. Their visit was one to remember.

Mannheim, Germany, 12 June 2005

Although it is not my practice to make trusted contacts over the internet, I am glad I did in the case of Lunlun Zou.

Having been in the music profession as a violinist in an excellent opera orchestra for 25 years and a private teacher for even longer, I have been deeply impressed with the high degree of authority demonstrated by Ms Zou in all aspects of the art of guzheng. She and her husband have donated much time and effort not only in providing us with a first class instrument at a very reasonable price, but also in encouraging my son to develop his potential by spending generous amounts of time with him during our three-day visit to Hong Kong from Mannheim, Germany, where I have been promoting classical Chinese music performance on original instruments.

She has also been careful to strike a balance in her teaching by allowing him to play according to his own style, yet giving necessary musical intelligent tips without stifling his individuality. She imparts a positive motivation making students want to work harder and excel to new heights.

She is also a very sociable teacher, encouraging students to play together, which is very important later on in ensemble playing.

We are very grateful to Lunlun for her work reaching out to the world with new developments in raising the art of guzheng to new heights through knowledge of repertoire, what makes a good instrument and strings, technique, various styles and schools of playing, teaching, performing, making contacts with other leading international guzheng authorities and composers, and her openness for new ideas and styles.

Her own playing is executed using a wide dynamic range, pulling a very full sound coupled with a high degree of virtuosity as well as freedom of movement and expression within the rhythmic context of the works she plays.

I look forward to having her and Peter as a future guest performers and teachers here in Mannheim, Germany for our developing Chinese music program.

Sincerely,
Paula Royce-Bravo Sazo