郎朗庆祝31岁生日

Lang Lang -- the world renowned piano maestro has just had his 31st birthday on Friday. He’s chosen to spend it in a special way, by organizing a star-studded gala themed "My Chinese Dream" at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.

According to an old Chinese saying, "when a man has entered his thirties, he must be able to leave his footprint on society." It appears that Lang Lang is ready to take that step.

The pianist pulls out all the stops for this entertaining and inspiring show. Two of China’s most popular TV entertainers, Huashao and Luyu, host the event, while some of the country’s most outstanding figures talk about their journeys to success. The guest list includes Olympic gold medalist Lin Dan, pop musicians Jay Chou and Jane Zhang, as well as several other business and artistic icons.

Chou said, "I studied classical music at school. And for students like us, the only dream we had was to become internationally established musicians, just like Lang Lang is now. It’s quite emotional for me to think about that period, since my family really invested a lot in me. But when I got involved with pop music, somehow I just went astray. "

Lang Lang said, "Piano competitions were extremely expensive. My parents borrowed 50,000 yuan in 1996 to get me into my first international piano competition. At that time it was a huge fortune. They didn’t tell me about the loan until I won first place. I nearly fainted when I heard."

The experiences of these successful artists clearly inspire the young dreamers in the audience.

In the past year, Lang Lang has been active in all kinds of cultural and social events at home and abroad, moving beyond his role as an artist. As if to echo the old Chinese saying, most of the guests invited to the gala are around the age of 30. Hopefully it’s a sign that new Chinese celebrities are using their influence to direct young people toward a better future.