RANKED among China's top three classical pianists, the strong-willed Chen Sa now lives in Germany but often returns to perform in China. During a rehearsal in Shanghai last month, Chen told Nancy Zhang about her determination to play the piano and how she came of age living alone overseas.

Chen Sa arrives in Shanghai on a freezing December evening from her home in Germany. She is the only woman among China's top three classical pianists, alongside Lang Lang and Li Yundi, and returns regularly to appreciative audiences. She is a national celebrity and her anticipated arrival at the rehearsal center causes a flurry of activity among directors and managers.

Chen's projected image is one not commonly associated with a classical musician. Her personal Website features glamorous photos of her in pop star poses and modern clothes. In person, she is a direct, self-aware and professional young woman.

Chen, 28, became famous very young - at age 16 - but she eschews the notion that her upbringing was typical of child prodigies. Declaring "I am not a packaged celebrity," she said it was her choice to play the piano.

"My father was a violinist and he started me on violin lessons very young, but I remember in one lesson I just stood up and said 'I don't want to learn your violin anymore' - I was about eight years old at the time," she said

Then she turned to the piano. And though her parents inevitably provided guidance, she said it was always her drive to continue playing the instrument. Even when the going got tough, she never doubted it was the right decision and never considered giving up.

She attributes this to her personality. "Ever since I was little I've always had my own opinions," she said.

But another reason for her independence is that she has lived overseas and alone for most of her adult life - an experience she compares to being "a sheep let out to pasture." This is reflected in her music.

Her greatest talent has been described as the feelings and freshness she brings to even the most difficult pieces. In contrast to her male contemporaries, Chen's talents lie in deeply personal interpretations of music that are far beyond technical virtuosity.

"In music I can find more and more, until I discover the possibilities are infinite," the fresh-faced Chen told a CCTV documentary interviewer last year.

Chen was born in Chongqing and trained first at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and then at Shenzhen School of Arts. She exploded onto the international scene at age 16 when she won fourth place at the 1996 Leeds International Piano Competition - the youngest contestant to win an award. By then, however, she had already made her mark in China, having won the 1994 China International Piano Competition and played for then President Jiang Zemin the same year.

The Leeds competition gave her the chance to study abroad through a scholarship at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

After five years in London, she moved to Germany in 2001 for further studies at the Hochschule Fur Musik und Theater Hannover.

She won more competitions, including first at the 2000 Beethoven Competition and the Crystal award in the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2005.

The prizes are tangible landmarks of her journey to personal and professional maturity - a journey that began when she left China.

"Independence is at the heart of growing up," said Chen. "When I left home for London I couldn't even boil an egg, but I slowly learned to look after myself."

Professionally she also experienced the open style of Western teachers. Preparing for the 2000 Chopin Competition under this new tuition mode allowed her playing personality to flourish and she matured as a pianist.

But when pressed for an example of teaching differences, she deftly demonstrates her strong, independent traits.

"Let's not do this example - I don't want to give the impression that the Western method is better than Chinese," Chen said. "Actually I know many Western musicians who lack technical guidance. They have lots of thoughts about the music, but can't produce it with their hands.

"Ideally the best of both should be combined," she added.

Another important event in Chen's life was falling in love and being in a relationship. Independence gave her the chance to "do whatever I want, like courageously pursuing love."

She believes that a rich life outside of piano playing is crucial to how she responds and interprets the music. But, at the same time, being in love has its pitfalls which she discovered in 2005 when relationship problems affected her performance.

She cites sensitivity to emotional distractions as one reason why few women make it to the elite echelons of classical piano playing.

But being a woman is a double edged sword because her femininity has also made her musical interpretations distinctive.

Chen acknowledges "of course" that her style is influenced by her gender. "Music has a moulding influence. That's why many pianists are gay - to respond to music you need to be somewhere in the middle of feminine and masculine," she said.

She said another reason why women find it harder to compete is that they don't deal as well with emotional problems, although here she appears to be an exception. Strength of will enabled her to overcome her low period in 2005.

This quality has also enabled Chen to flourish in the high pressure classical music environment where, in preparation for a competition, she practices up to six hours a day for six months. She is hardly ever nervous at competitions, not even when she played, at age 14, for China's then president.

Chen's confidence, decisiveness and frankness would seem to make her invulnerable. But despite asserting that interests outside piano playing are important, she has few. She admits to wanting to hang-glide, but stops, reconsiders and says: "But it's difficult because, of course, when I talk about these things I have to protect my hands first."

She stops and changes the topic to comment that it's really cold, clasping her bare, shivering hands. These hands are the sum of her efforts and her career.

She has personally sacrificed a lot for the piano. "I have many other dreams and few have been realized," she said. "But that's true of everything. If you choose one thing, you have to leave others behind."



Chen Sa will tour Guangzhou (January 9), Beijing (January 15) and Shanghai (January 18) with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. The Shanghai concert venue is Shanghai Grand Theatre.

Ticket booking: 962 388

Price: 120-600 yuan