In mid-April, pianist Lang Lang sat at an electronic keyboard inside a classroom at Dahejia Primary School, a small rural school tucked beneath the snowcapped ridges of the Qilian Mountains.

Outside, the Yellow River flowed quietly across the Loess Plateau. Harsh sunlight streamed through the classroom windows. Inside, Lang's fingers drifted over the keys, the notes flowing through the room like water finding its course.

The children listening might not fully realize that the man before them was one of China's most internationally celebrated musicians. Many had never attended a live piano performance. They just knew that the music sounded beautiful, and that the keyboard in their classroom could produce sounds they had never imagined.

"When class ended, they didn't want to leave," says Zhang Zhengyun, the school's music teacher, who taught the lesson alongside Lang. He is one of the few full-time music instructors in the entire county.

Students at Dahejia Primary School post sticky-note messages to welcome pianist Lang Lang.[Photo provided by Bai Shuhao/China Daily]

Dahejia Primary School is located in Jishishan county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in western Gansu province — an autonomous county where ethnic groups account for roughly two-thirds of the population. Long affected by poverty, the county was removed from China's national poverty list in 2020.

But three years later, disaster struck. On a winter night in December 2023, a magnitude-6.2 earthquake shook the region, followed by more than 400 aftershocks. Many homes built of adobe or brick collapsed; in some villages, as much as 70 percent of the residences were damaged. Dahejia Town, where the school stands, was among the hardest-hit areas.

After the earthquake, the school building remained standing but was deemed unsafe. For months, students attended classes in temporary prefabricated shelters. A new campus was later constructed, tripling the school's size and upgrading its facilities. Today, it serves 510 students across 12 classes.

Students use drawings to express their understanding of music.[Photo provided by Bai Shuhao/China Daily]

When Lang arrived this spring, children were running on a newly laid rubber track during their physical education class. Word of his visit spread quickly. Within minutes, students gathered around him, curious and excited.

They know his name well and affectionately call him "Uncle Lang". On the third floor is a music classroom he donated.

The Lang Lang Arts Foundation first donated a piano classroom to a school in Jishishan in 2021. In 2025, the initiative expanded through a partnership with the Ant Foundation and One Foundation and educators from Beijing Normal University, introducing music courses designed specifically for rural schools. Altogether, 22 schools and 35 teachers in the county received music training, while the number of equipped music classrooms grew to eight.

Inside Dahejia's music room stand five electronic keyboards, along with tambourines, triangles and hand drums. Before every class, students rush in, tapping the black-and-white keys.

Lang Lang poses for a group photo with students at Dahejia Primary School.[Photo provided by Bai Shuhao/China Daily]

"Most of them can't perform yet," Zhang says. "But the instruments spark their curiosity."

That curiosity is precisely the goal. In Jishishan, where villages are widely scattered across mountainous terrain, some remote teaching sites serve only three to five students. Teachers are often responsible for multiple subjects and music education, when it exists at all, may amount to little more than playing popular songs through classroom speakers.

"The biggest challenge is the shortage of trained music teachers," says Bu Xiaomei, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University who helped design the online curriculum after conducting field research in the region.

Providing a dedicated music teacher for every teaching site, she explains, is unrealistic. Instead, the program trains existing teachers to deliver structured, high-quality lessons supported by prepared materials and recorded instruction.

Students listen attentively during Lang's music class.[Photo provided by Bai Shuhao/China Daily]

The curriculum introduces basic music theory, singing, and simple piano accompaniment, with deliberately modest expectations intended to ensure that every child has access to an instrument.

"The goal is to teach them to use the piano to play simple harmonies and accompany their own singing, so that every child gets a chance," Bu says.

During the class, Zhang divided students into groups and asked them to draw musical notes on paper as a challenge for Lang, who then improvised based on their creations.

Earlier that day, Lang had noticed vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes on the street. He turned the image into a playful improvisation, composing a rustic melody inspired by local life — prompting laughter and instant recognition from the children.

The school is nestled against the mountains near the Yellow River.[Photo provided by Bai Shuhao/China Daily]

He also invited volunteers to play alongside him. Nearly every hand shot up.

One girl carefully played a melody, note by note, while Lang listened attentively. A boy with no musical training joined next. Starting with the familiar tune Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Lang guided him through simple harmonies.

"See?" he told the class. "Playing the piano isn't so hard."

The lesson ended with Lang performing Mozart's Turkish March, while students clapped to the rhythm in unison. He left them with a challenge: to learn the piece before his next visit.

"It feels a little like a spring outing," Lang says, looking toward the surrounding mountains.

Music, he says, has shaped his own life. "It made me a better person.

"No matter how well they play, something more important is letting them find the joy of music."

For many children here, music serves another purpose. Most of the current students experienced the earthquake firsthand. Some still jump at sudden noises. Many families relocated after losing their homes, forcing children to adapt to unfamiliar surroundings.

At the end of the class, Lang performs Mozart's Turkish March.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Schools provide psychological counseling, but teachers say music classes also help students process their emotions.

"Music gives children a way to express their feelings," Bu says.

Zhang agrees. After completing the required lessons, he often allows students to choose activities freely."The most important thing is that they feel happy."

The enthusiasm is unmistakable. Students wait outside the classroom before the teacher arrives, constantly asking when the next music class will begin. Many eagerly volunteer to sing or perform, disappointed when they are not chosen.

Zhang himself pursued music despite family opposition when he was young. He still draws inspiration from the works of Franz Liszt, whose music, he says, gave him strength during difficult times. He hopes to pass that same energy on to his students.

After the lesson, students from eight local schools gathered for a small concert with Lang. Children from Dahejia sang in clear, bright voices. Before performing, they explained the meaning of their county's name: Jishishan — "stones accumulating into a mountain". They said they are just like those small stones.

The impact of such a project is difficult to measure. Few students here are likely to become professional musicians. But Lang says he understands that.

"Of course I would be happy if some became pianists, but what is more important is that music grows with them, helping them become better versions of themselves."

Before his arrival, students had covered a whiteboard with handwritten messages for him:

"Thank you for coming. We are very happy."

"I want to become a musician."

"I want to be successful like you -even though I play basketball better than the piano."

As he said goodbye, Lang left them with a phrase he often shares with students, one that reflects his own journey:

"May your dreams come true."