While watching a Chinese drama called “Zhu Jue (主角)” today, a scene suddenly reminded me of my viola teacher, Ms. Li.

In Episode 19, the main character, a young girl from a poor family, finally gets the chance to perform on stage. At first, she never wanted to learn opera. But after her family went through many hardships, she decided to dedicate herself to it. She worked extremely hard and went through many difficulties before finally standing on that stage.

So when she performed for the first time, even though it was only a short piece, it was deeply moving. While she was shining on stage, the audience was excited and moved. Some of her classmates, however, started to feel confused and even jealous because they did not understand why she was receiving so much attention. But the four teachers of her watching from below and on the stage saw something completely different. They were smiling with tears in their eyes, clapping for her with so much pride. It almost felt like they were also applauding themselves. Looking at their faces, even their wrinkles seemed full of beauty and warmth.

That scene made me think of the older generation of artists, including my teacher Ms. Li and Mr. Cao. They lived through a very difficult period in Chinese history. During the Cultural Revolution, many forms of traditional art were restricted, and artists had to find ways to protect what they loved. I remember Ms. Li and Mr. Cao telling me stories about those years, about how they secretly kept Western music scores because they were afraid those materials would be destroyed. It reminded me of the scene in the episode where the four teachers risked their safety to hide the old opera costumes.

After those difficult years finally passed, they had grown older. They knew they were probably no longer the young performers who could stand on stage like before. They knew the world of art was changing, with many new forms and new styles emerging around them. But they still wanted to pass on everything they had learned to the next generation.

Of course, they must have missed being the ones standing under the spotlight. But I think seeing their students step onto the stage was also a different kind of fulfillment. When they saw their students performing, carrying small habits, expressions, and qualities that came from them, it must have been an incredibly touching moment for them as well.

Only teachers truly know the whole story behind a student’s success. They know what the student looks like when no one is watching, the days when things go well, the days when things go wrong, the frustrations, the hard work, and all the small steps that eventually lead to the stage.

(This might be very good topic for the next post) Maybe this is also why I have always been drawn to classical music and old songs. Of course, there are so many wonderful new things being created in the world today, but some classics carry something that can never be recreated. They carry the stories, struggles, and emotions of the people behind them. Many of those artists lived through difficult times with very limited resources, yet they still created something so beautiful and timeless. I hope these melodies and works can continue to stay with us for many more years.

Thank you, Ms. Li, for giving me so much love and encouragement in so many ways, through your words and also through the things you quietly did for me.

I miss you so much.