If music soothes the soul, uplifts the spirit – play on!
August 25, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PLATO once said, "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."
Bao Meili, 76, a resident of the Longbai neighborhood, doesn't count herself among the world's great philosophers, but she certainly can testify to the power of music in soothing the soul and elevating the human spirit.
Bao, a retired music teacher who has been battling cancer for 13 years, has been bringing joy to the lonely and ailing by introducing them to the healing magic of music.
She started what she calls "Happy Hut" in her home, inviting other residents, mainly seniors, to come along for singing and musical instrument playing.
In the five years since Happy Hut first opened, the popular gathering spot has not only cheered up many lonely, often depressed, usually elderly people, but it has also given Bao a welcome respite from the shadow of death.
Bao's music career started when she was a teenager. In 1950s, after she graduated from senior high school, Bao began singing in a choir. Emboldened by that experience, she embarked on a career as a music teacher.
She retired in 1992 but wasn't about to abandon music. She still taught music in senior citizens classes and also participated in some performances.
Her happy, full life came to an abrupt halt on May 25, 1999. She remembers the date well. It was the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Shanghai, and she was participating in a celebratory musical performance on Nanjing Road.
"I was playing accordion when I felt a burning pain in my stomach," she recalled. "The sensation grew stronger and stronger, and I was sweating profusely. I could hardly hold myself up."
She went straight to hospital after the performance, where she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.
"I was in despair," she said. "I knew I would have to stop everything to have surgery. But I was unwilling to let go of my music."
After the surgical operation, Bao moved to Minhang from the Huangpu District in August 1999. Her music followed her there.
"One day I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and I saw a school for seniors was recruiting students," she said. "It had several classes, such as painting, calligraphy and knitting, but there was no singing class. So I told the staff there that I was a retired music teacher and was willing to teach a singing class."
Although Bao said she enjoyed the teaching very much, she still felt she could do more. Looking around at all the senior citizens suffering from despair and no purpose in life, she decided to open Happy Hut in 2006.
Bao redecorated one of the rooms in her apartment, painting the walls herself and adorning them with ribbons, balloons and pictures. In the beginning, the hut attracted about only 10 seniors.
Now the idea has spread. Bao's "students" have opened up 15 branches of the hut in their own homes, and hundreds of people have become regular visitors.
"At first I just wanted a place to teach singing, and I took advantage of my own apartment," said Bao. "And now the hut concept has developed into places where people can gather together to share their lives."
People meet at the hut once a week. They take the outing very seriously. Ladies show up in their best clothes, and dab on a bit of makeup to look their finest.
Some people who come to the hut don't have any musical background. Some are too shy at first to sing in front of others. Most can't read a sheet of music. Bao doesn't care. She patiently teaches people what they need to know to enjoy themselves.
"I can feel their happiness here," Bao said. "Everybody has become close friends, and our focus isn't just music anymore. When a senior has a worrying problem, we sit down and discuss it. Just like a family would."
One elderly woman named Pan Dexian suffered from bad rheumatism. People often called her the "glass woman" because she had rather weak feet. Bao remembered when Pan had to make frequent trips to the hospital and always wore a gloomy face.
After visiting the hut several times, Pan's whole character changed, like a flower blossoming. She was willing to sing and talk. One time when she was in hospital, Bao and other members of the hut went to visit her and sang in her room.
"Her face lit up," Bao recalled. "When she left the hospital, she opened her own branch, called 'Lily Hut' in her home to pass on the happiness."
Residents living in the neighborhood said Bao and her hut have been the salvation for many older people.
"The hut taught me that learning music in my 60s was a happier experience than I could have imagined," said Chen Rongzhu, a regular hut visitor. "I really appreciate Bao's hard work because she's the one who brought us together."
Bao remains an eternal optimist even as dark clouds gather in her life. She is still on medication for cancer, and her husband suffered a stroke last year and needs her care.
"In order to take better care of my husband, I quit teaching at the school for seniors," she said. "But now I have more time to spend on the hut. I will keep singing as long as I can and play the piano until my fingers cease to function."
Bao Meili, 76, a resident of the Longbai neighborhood, doesn't count herself among the world's great philosophers, but she certainly can testify to the power of music in soothing the soul and elevating the human spirit.
Bao, a retired music teacher who has been battling cancer for 13 years, has been bringing joy to the lonely and ailing by introducing them to the healing magic of music.
She started what she calls "Happy Hut" in her home, inviting other residents, mainly seniors, to come along for singing and musical instrument playing.
In the five years since Happy Hut first opened, the popular gathering spot has not only cheered up many lonely, often depressed, usually elderly people, but it has also given Bao a welcome respite from the shadow of death.
Bao's music career started when she was a teenager. In 1950s, after she graduated from senior high school, Bao began singing in a choir. Emboldened by that experience, she embarked on a career as a music teacher.
She retired in 1992 but wasn't about to abandon music. She still taught music in senior citizens classes and also participated in some performances.
Her happy, full life came to an abrupt halt on May 25, 1999. She remembers the date well. It was the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Shanghai, and she was participating in a celebratory musical performance on Nanjing Road.
"I was playing accordion when I felt a burning pain in my stomach," she recalled. "The sensation grew stronger and stronger, and I was sweating profusely. I could hardly hold myself up."
She went straight to hospital after the performance, where she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.
"I was in despair," she said. "I knew I would have to stop everything to have surgery. But I was unwilling to let go of my music."
After the surgical operation, Bao moved to Minhang from the Huangpu District in August 1999. Her music followed her there.
"One day I was taking a walk in the neighborhood and I saw a school for seniors was recruiting students," she said. "It had several classes, such as painting, calligraphy and knitting, but there was no singing class. So I told the staff there that I was a retired music teacher and was willing to teach a singing class."
Although Bao said she enjoyed the teaching very much, she still felt she could do more. Looking around at all the senior citizens suffering from despair and no purpose in life, she decided to open Happy Hut in 2006.
Bao redecorated one of the rooms in her apartment, painting the walls herself and adorning them with ribbons, balloons and pictures. In the beginning, the hut attracted about only 10 seniors.
Now the idea has spread. Bao's "students" have opened up 15 branches of the hut in their own homes, and hundreds of people have become regular visitors.
"At first I just wanted a place to teach singing, and I took advantage of my own apartment," said Bao. "And now the hut concept has developed into places where people can gather together to share their lives."
People meet at the hut once a week. They take the outing very seriously. Ladies show up in their best clothes, and dab on a bit of makeup to look their finest.
Some people who come to the hut don't have any musical background. Some are too shy at first to sing in front of others. Most can't read a sheet of music. Bao doesn't care. She patiently teaches people what they need to know to enjoy themselves.
"I can feel their happiness here," Bao said. "Everybody has become close friends, and our focus isn't just music anymore. When a senior has a worrying problem, we sit down and discuss it. Just like a family would."
One elderly woman named Pan Dexian suffered from bad rheumatism. People often called her the "glass woman" because she had rather weak feet. Bao remembered when Pan had to make frequent trips to the hospital and always wore a gloomy face.
After visiting the hut several times, Pan's whole character changed, like a flower blossoming. She was willing to sing and talk. One time when she was in hospital, Bao and other members of the hut went to visit her and sang in her room.
"Her face lit up," Bao recalled. "When she left the hospital, she opened her own branch, called 'Lily Hut' in her home to pass on the happiness."
Residents living in the neighborhood said Bao and her hut have been the salvation for many older people.
"The hut taught me that learning music in my 60s was a happier experience than I could have imagined," said Chen Rongzhu, a regular hut visitor. "I really appreciate Bao's hard work because she's the one who brought us together."
Bao remains an eternal optimist even as dark clouds gather in her life. She is still on medication for cancer, and her husband suffered a stroke last year and needs her care.
"In order to take better care of my husband, I quit teaching at the school for seniors," she said. "But now I have more time to spend on the hut. I will keep singing as long as I can and play the piano until my fingers cease to function."
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