TWO young men living at a shelter set up by a Shenzhen policewoman won two gold medals in a national art competition for nonprofessionals, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.
Zhang Xiaoli, in his early 20s, won gold at the traditional Chinese music instruments category at the Fourth Stars & Torch China Youth Artists Selection competition. He played the suona horn, a woodwind instrument, the newspaper said.
Zhang, from an impoverished family in Luohe, Henan Province, came to Shenzhen to pursue his art dream in May last year. However, he could not find a job and became a street artist. But he could barely feed himself on the money he earned.
Zhang met Pao Jinping, a policewoman who had just set up the homeless shelter at her own expense earlier this year, as he played music on a Luohu street last winter.
Pao took Zhang back to the shelter, giving him food and accommodation. Pao told Zhang that he could stay in the shelter if he taught other homeless youths to play suona or other musical instruments.
On hearing of the national competition in June, Pao entered Zhang, encouraging him to pursue his dream of music. “She paid for all the expenses I incurred allowing me to focus on the competition,” said Zhang, adding that he would always be extremely grateful to Pao.
Yu Han, 20, also won gold in the Chinese opera category with his performance of Yu opera.
Yu, an orphan also from Henan, came to Shenzhen at 16 when his grandmother died.
“My passion for Yu opera was cultivated by my grandmother who taught me when I was a child,” said Yu. However, Yu did not have an ID card and couldn’t make a living for himself as the opera is not popular in Shenzhen.
Pao met Yu and took him to her shelter. “I no longer starved after Pao took me in and I had more time to practice the opera. I sometimes teach other kids in the shelter how to sing Yu opera in return for Pao’s kindness,” he said.
Pao set up the shelter with the money she raised after selling her apartment and a car from her previous marriage. “I met a lot of young men and children who didn’t have a home to go when I was on duty. They need help or they could be forced into crimes like theft or robbery to survive,” she said.
(Claudia Wei)