Magic wind

He recalls that it was hard to make a sound in the beginning and he had to practice four hours a day. Since he studied flute along with his younger sister at the same time, he was quite jealous of her ability to learn the instrument more quickly than he did.

When he was in primary school in the UK, one of his teachers played flute in a concert, performing an extract of The Pink Panther Theme, an instrumental composition by Henry Mancini written for the 1963 film.

"It was quite jazzy and also adaptable to other styles, like folk style, classical style," says Daniel Shao, who fell in love with the instrument instantly then.

By the time he was 14, Daniel Shao was discussing his potential career as a flutist with his uncle, who was once the principal flutist of the local orchestra.

"I love playing with an orchestra, making contact with other people through music and communicate with the audiences," he says.

The ambitious young flutist also likes composing with Chinese music elements. The tour in China has inspired him to adapt the Chinese wood flute and folk music into his performance.

"I don't think everyone realizes how classical music impacts their lives. For example, when they watch a film, they may ignore the fact that the music came from a live orchestra rather than a computer," he says.