During the recent China tour, Shao's performances have won plenty of applause from the audiences, especially his improvisational performance of some Chinese folk songs, including A Ditty of Yimeng Mountains. Among the crowd was his father, Shao Wei, who watched his son's performance with a contented face.

"I feel proud of him especially when I toured with him, performing in my hometown, Weifang (of Shandong province)," says Shao Wei, a middle-aged businessman, who moved to the United Kingdom in 1994. "Music will follow you throughout your life. Whether he wants to be a professional musician for a lifetime or not, it will be good for him."

An enthusiastic fan of classical music, Shao Wei studied Chinese philosophy in China and received training in composition at the Central Conservatory of Music in the 1980s. He passed his love for classical music to his children like many Chinese parents, but he allowed his children to make decisions on their own.

"First of all, I wanted to play something different. I have some people in my family who play the flute as professional musicians," says Daniel Shao, who started learning flute at 9, attended the Purcell School and played in many master classes with flutists such as Denis Bouriakov, Rachel Brown and Michael Cox. "I like the sound of the flute, which is golden. Also, the instrument is versatile."