Difficult time

Due to the pandemic, Gong has spent much more time at home, during which she has learned traditional Chinese instruments such as the guqin and the pipa.

She told the course participants: "I know we are going through a very difficult time together. I sometimes also experience emotions such as anxiety and fear. I hope that singing can benefit you physically and mentally.

"I also have a tip for you－when you sing a song that you love, you can also move your body and dance to it."

Every Tuesday, Gong gives online vocal training classes from her home in Beijing. Her target audience was initially seniors, but she later attracted many young people.

"Seniors love singing. You see them singing in parks and the gardens of their communities. I also teach my neighbors to sing every weekend, but I never expected so many younger people to join me," Gong said.

She selects one song each week, especially old songs that seniors are familiar with. After her class, students practice at home, where they share their experiences and exchange ideas in WeChat groups.

During her classes, Gong also imitates the sounds of animals, such as a rooster crowing and a cow mooing, as a fun way to encourage her students to open up.

Li, the Shanghai native, is shy and at first she couldn't sing or make such sounds. However, she gradually followed Gong's instructions at home and learned to sing and make animal noises for fun.

"There are many good reasons to keep music in your life, especially now that we're living amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It's more than learning to sing a song. It's about making myself happy and optimistic," Li said.

"We are experiencing increased anxiety during the pandemic, so it's important that we don't lose the ability to enjoy our lives."

Li also plays the guzheng, or Chinese zither, a plucked stringed instrument. She mastered it when she was 25 as a way to entertain herself and relax to its soothing sounds.

"But I played it less and less, even stopping for a few years because I was distracted by many other activities, such as going to the cinema, karaoke and shopping," she said.

"I only started to play the guzheng again about two weeks ago. It brings me peace."