CITY officials will soon formalize a plan for developing Shenzhen into a "City of Piano,"well-known Shenzhen piano professor Dan Zhaoyi said Thursday before the Shenzhen Piano Open Competition.

An independent research company has prepared an evaluation of piano education and culture in Shenzhen, and government officials are reviewing related documents. Dan said results of the evaluation would be announced after the review.

Dan said promoting piano education among Shenzhen residents is key to the plan. He has formerly worked with well-known young Chinese pianists Li Yundi, Chen Sa, Zhang Haochen and Zuo Zhang.

"In 2004, there were about 100,000 people learning the piano in the city and the number has increased sharply, by at least 300 percent, over the past nine years,"he said. "Compared with older major cities in China, Shenzhen does not have a long cultural history. Universal, basic piano education could help Shenzhen build up its cultural construction."

Shenzhen began "City of Piano" efforts in 2003 and has held various piano-related activities and events since then.

A total of 572 contestants, of ages from 4 to 67 and from more than 30 provinces and regions across the country, attended this year's open competition.

Sixty-three of them were professional pianists and 87 of them were from outside the city, Dan said.

Winners of the nonprofessional competition will be eligible to attend Shenzhen Art School for free.

(Source:Shenzhen Daily)