Lang Lang is one of the world's greatest concert pianists.

His first contact with western music was when he was just two years old.

He watched a cartoon in which a cat played a famous piece by Franz Liszt.

From this experience, he decided he wanted to learn to play the piano.

When he was three and half years old, he started piano lessons.

Two years later, he won first place in a piano competition.

This early success gave his father high hopes that Lang Lang would become a great pianist.

When Lang Lang was 9 years old, his father quit his job and took him to Beijing.

They left everything behind, including his mother who had to work.

Lang Lang didn't want to leave her behind but his father insisted.

His father wanted him to study at the famous Central Conservatory of Music.

When they moved to Beijing, they rented a flat in a poor area of the city.

During this time Lang Lang practiced for several hours a day.

He started practicing at 5 o'clock which upset his neighbors.

They would often pound on his door and ask him to stop practicing.

They were so angry that he often feared that they would beat him up.