For three hours, Luo Hongjun barely spoke, his erhu in his hand instead of words. "Horse racing" "Iron Blood Dan Xin" "Backgammon"...... The unique timbre of Erhu penetrates the screen directly to the heart, bringing the audience into the mood of sometimes emotional, sometimes bleak and sad. After more than 20 years of busking on the streets of Shenzhen and playing for netizens in Douyin studios, Luo Hongjun's love for the erhu has remained the same. Now, with the income from webcasting, he not only gives himself and his family a better life, but also finds a broader music path.

Luo Hongjun, 67, has been associated with the erhu for nearly 60 years. When he was 8 years old, he found a broken erhu on the wall of his school classroom. Luo Hongjun, who could read and sing music at that time, groped out a complete piece of music in half a day with this erhu with only one string. In this way, Luo Hongjun began half a lifetime of erhu self-study. Later, whether as an educated youth, a worker, or his own business, Erhu never left his life.

In 2000, Mr. Luo moved south to Shenzhen for work. But unfamiliar, no contacts, no resources, his money soon ran out, unable to pay the rent, he even in the street to help people write couplets to make money. One night, Luo Hongjun saw someone playing erhu at a food stall, which sparked his childhood love for the erhu. "I think I can live playing the erhu this way." Since then, his piano stall from the food stall, busy street to the business district.

In June 2015, Luo passed the exam to obtain a busker's license, which allows him to perform in a permanent position at the Civic Center Square. It made him feel more at home, that life had never been so open. Videos of his performances have been posted on the Internet, and many have been viewed millions of times. Some people invited him to perform in other places, some entrepreneurs invited him to enlighten their children at home, and he even appeared on Phoenix Satellite TV to communicate with famous people on the same stage.

Erhu, let Luo Hongjun get different respect. "It's as if you find your value in the crowd, and the audience is very appreciative of me. Let me feel that I am not every day for a few silver a few banknotes, my life value has been greatly improved."

After 20 years as a street performer, Luo earns more than 70 percent of his income from outdoor performances. Since 2020, the outdoor performance has been suspended. With his income cut off, Luo Hongjun sat at home eating and drinking every day, with nothing to do and itching fingers. On the advice of an old fan in Guangzhou, he registered a Douyin account, @Zuomei Erhu-Luo Hongjun, and put a piano stall in the studio.

Now, every night at 19:30, Luo Hongjun will be punctual in the broadcast room, in three hours of live broadcast, for the Internet users to play more than 40 classic Erhu songs. In Mr. Luo's view, the studio is like a bustling Internet street: "There are more fronts here and more pedestrians on the road." And their age to do live, not young people. He had no tricks, relying only on a repertoire that was rich and expressive enough to resonate with the listener. So he hand-painted the background for the broadcast room and replaced it with a better sounding erhu.

Compared to playing on the street, the audience is more diverse. There are people from the northeast, there are people from the south, they are generally younger, they have very different occupations. "Unlike playing on the street, in the studio it's more about me adapting to the audience." In order to satisfy the public opinion that it is difficult to tune, Luo Hongjun constantly selects the repertoire and enriches the number and style of the repertoire. Today, he has accumulated more than 300 songs in his music book, and songs that were popular when he performed offline, such as "Heart of Iron and Blood," "City in the Sky," and "Big Fish," are also kept in the studio.

Another habit he brought with him to the studio was playing in the street -- not talking directly to the audience. "I can see the subtitles and fans commenting on what they like to listen to. Not communicating is not me pretending to be deep, but I want to maintain the emotional immersion in the performance, can not speak to bring myself out." He laughed at himself and said, "My speech is not good, and my appearance is not good, so let's play the song well and express my mood in the song. Maybe people will appreciate me more."

With his skills and touching emotions, Luo has attracted more than half a million followers on Douyin. Over the years, with the steady income from offline performances and online rewards, he not only supported his two children to go to college, but also built a three-story house in his hometown, enabling his family to live a comfortable life. He's also spending more on erhu -- he's got three new ones worth tens of thousands of yuan. Because of the large repertoire, one erhu in a set tune is not enough. Also plans to configure a pair of good sound card, "even if it is eight thousand, are no problem."

Luo Hongjun has always considered himself a busker and wants to stay afloat for a few more years. Once he crowded the subway with young people every day, and felt himself alive; Now he is happier watching young people's comments in the studio. And no matter where he is, the erhu is always with him, which is probably the most important thing in his life.