Travels from: Hong Kong

Language spoken: Cantonese, Mandarin, English

Expertise:

• Disabled arts

• Motivation​

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Born and raised in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Yang Enhua, 24, moved to Hong Kong in 2014. He has been playing the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed bow instrument, since the age of 11. His vision, which was damaged because of a premature birth, has been deteriorating since 2017, when he had to learn to read Braille. Enhua’s dream of becoming a policeman and a scientist shattered all at once. Grieving for a lost future with the labels of “new immigrant” and “blind”, his journey of learning Erhu led him to the realization of hope and purpose in life. With that, he achieved Grade 10 in two years.
 

Despite the setback, Enhua remained optimistic and is inspired by the blind Chinese musician Hua Yanjun, who became famous for performing daily at a public square during the early 20th century. He has studied with Professor Li Aping, Professor Gan Bailin, and currently Ms. Peng Cheng from the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Professor Yang Xue from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He graduated from Man Kiu College in 2020 and Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired in 2016.
 

Currently, Enhua’s eyesight is less than 5% and he can only sense light. In spite of this, his passion for pursuing his musical dream at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts has never subsided for the slightest. As one of the members of True Colors Symphony, Arts with the Disabled Association and Hong Kong Enharmonica, he hopes to contribute to the society by helping for the visually impaired to learn Erhu. “There are three reasons why I love Erhu. Firstly, it was my grandma’s encouragement. Secondly, there is a special affinity between Erhu and the visually impaired. Great musicians like Abing and Sun Wenming were both visually impaired Erhu players and songwriters. Finally, it is the exuberant emotional expression of Erhu, which makes it a leading instrument in Chinese orchestras,” Enhua said.