In Hong Kong's Central, a public piano sits in the open--free for anyone to play. On this day, it brought us to Uncle Ming, who had travelled all the way from Tuen Mun. He wasn't there for attention. He was there because he believes music should be shared: it lifts your own spirits, and it can brighten someone else's day too.
Ming didn't grow up with piano lessons. His family couldn't afford an instrument, so he only began learning after he entered the workforce. He rented practice rooms and spent one to two hours a day at the keyboard, starting at 26 and reaching Grade 8 by around 30.
Today, living in a public housing estate, he has only an electronic keyboard at home. That is why the city's public pianos matter to him. "For amateurs like us who love music, they're really useful," he said. He added that children passing by might stop, listen--and perhaps discover an interest of their own.
Asked how he memorises long pieces, Ming offered no trick, only routine. "Practise two to three hours every day," he said. "Learn a bit of music theory and understand the structure. Once your fingers are trained, the memory comes naturally."
His playing is not confined to public spaces. Ming is also a regular performer at North District Hospital in Sheung Shui, where the atmosphere can be heavy with worry--families visiting sick relatives, patients waiting for treatment. When the piano begins, some people pause to listen. The mood softens; the hospital feels a little less cold.
He recalled one occasion when a family member wheeled an elderly father over in a wheelchair so he could hear the music. The man listened, completely absorbed. "When what I've learned can help others, I feel genuinely happy," Ming said.
Chopin, Beethoven and Bach are his favourites. Their music, he said, "expresses human emotion so fully." When he plays, he calms himself down--and it feels, in his words, "like I'm having a conversation with them."
Before we left, he even taught the reporter a short snippet of Ode to Joy on the spot. After a few tries, it stuck. "Music," Ming said, "is for everyone."
Public pianos first appeared in Hong Kong in 2016. In a busy city, they can feel like a small invitation to slow down--and a reminder that a shared melody can still make space for kindness.
(Reporter: Lynn Zhou; Camera, Video editing: Brayce Chen)
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