China's 'big 3' keep their individuality

His biography, Journey of a Thousand Miles, published by Random House, has been translated into 11 languages.

People have frowned over his high profile, but Lang, born in early 1980s, has his own attitude toward his life and the world.

"The education in society sometimes is more important than those provided by schools, and is actually the foundation for an arts education. Performers should find more time to take part in this social education," Lang said at the launch ceremony in Hamburg in 2009 for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, which seeks to bring music into the lives of children around the world.

Lang started playing the piano at 3. At 13, he played the complete Chopin Etudes at the Beijing Concert Hall. At 14, he went to the US to study at Curtis with Gary Graffman. At 17, Lang made his name through a dramatic last-minute substitution for a famous pianist. In the "Gala of the Century", he substituted for Andre Watts, playing a Tchaikovsky concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The third celebrated Chinese pianist of the same generation as Lang and Wang is Li Yundi.

Li, also born in 1982, is by far the youngest winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition, the Olympics of piano competitions. When he won the competition at age 18, he brought to an end the run of 15 consecutive years when no one won first place.

Compared with Lang and Wang, Li enjoys keeping a much lower profile, although more than 16 million follow his micro blog

In earlier years, Li had longer hair, which made him look gentle and romantic, matching the music of the composers with which he is associated.

In 2003, his album Liszt was named by New York Times as the "album of the year".

But recently he has adopted a higher profile, frequently appearing in entertainment TV programs and working with pop singers such as Leehom Wang and Jay Chou.

The three young Chinese pianists of the 1980s generation have drawn the world's attention not only with their talent but also with their different personal styles and characters.

These young people are successful being themselves, inspiring more children around the world to realize their dreams.