Nearly a dozen pianists from China enter the first round of this year's Leeds International Piano Competition, Chen Nan reports.

When pianist Fang Yan performed pieces by Mozart and Aleksandr Scriabin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing on April 6, it was a different experience to his usual shows. Cameras were his audience.

The 23-year-old pianist was taking part in the first round of the Leeds International Piano Competition. In its 20th edition, the competition is taking place in 17 cities across the world this year, and for the first time in Beijing.

Held every three years, the competition has made some changes to its 2021 format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time, the first round of the competition will be judged online. Each competitor is given about 25 minutes for a recital, which is filmed and viewed remotely by the jury.

That afternoon, five young Chinese pianists also took part in the first round. The results will be announced in early May.

"With no live jury or audience, it was a bit challenging for me in the beginning. However, when I started to play, it was just about music," says Fang.

Born and raised in Xiamen, Fujian province, Fang is a student of piano at New England Conservatory in the United States and will graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2022.