(CFP)

Sheng Zhongguo, the famous Chinese violinist, held a concert, with his wife Hiroko Seta, a well-known Japanese pianist, in Shanxi Province on April 16. Seta expressed her gratitude during the concert to Chinese people for their help in the wake of the recent Japanese earthquake.

Dubbed "the most charming Chinese violinist," Sheng was one of China's first few violinists to win international stardom.

Sheng, 60, was born in Chongqing. He began to learn violin at the age of 5 with instruction from his father and made his debut at 7, winning acclaim as a child prodigy. He attended the affiliated secondary school of the Central Conservatory of Music, attaining that class' highest grades in 1954 and was sent to the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory of Music in Moscow to learn from world-famous violinist Leonid Kogan in 1960. Returning home in 1964, Sheng gave a series of performances both at home and abroad.

Sheng's masterpiece, the Chinese concerto Butterfly Lovers, is one of the most classic editions in history and he has played it the most abroad of any Chinese musician. Sheng now holds more than 100 concerts each year domestically and abroad, and he has racked up a total of more than 10,000 concerts. He and his wife have held series of concerts together since 1987.