When the young Weng Yirui began piano lessons, she had no idea that it was through music that she would meet God. Growing up in an atheist family in China, she often asked herself existential questions. However, her parents only encouraged her to believe in herself and in hard work.
Her mother, a high school physics teacher, and her father, a psychology professor, had only one philosophy of life: utilitarianism. “They never believed in anything,” the young woman tells Italian magazine Tempi in its January 2025 issue.
Unable to express herself in words because “in China, there's not much freedom between parents and children,” Yirui learned to speak through music. More specifically, it was through the piano lessons she began as a child.
Her teacher in China focused solely on technique, but the young Weng Yirui was sure there was something more to this music, even if she didn't understand what it was. “Today, I know that without God, these motifs would never have been possible. They would have existed, but in China, the subject wasn't even mentioned,” explains the 30-year-old.
Agnus Dei, Filius Patris
A graduate of Hangzhou Normal University, she specialized in teaching, piano, and singing. For her love of music, she moved to Italy in 2016 to pursue her studies and become a choral accompanist.
It was here that, for the first time, Yirui, then aged 22, discovered a Catholic church. “One of the first places our Italian teacher took us to visit was the Duomo, Milan's cathedral. I was speechless: I'd never seen anything so beautiful and immediately wondered why such a magnificent building had been built.”
In her spare time, the young woman discovered other churches in the Italian city. “I was surprised by the silence. I saw these people, sitting in the pews, or standing, without speaking. I wondered what they were doing. Then I noticed that everyone was looking at the crucifix, and I couldn't understand why,” she says.
These questions burned inside her like embers under ashes. They were reawakened in 2018, during her second year at the Milan Conservatory of Music, when she began a course in sacred music. Studying Vivaldi's Gloria, Yirui wondered about the meaning of the words “Agnus Dei, Filius Patris” (The Lamb of God, Son of the Father).
This work triggered a series of existential questions about God and the death of Jesus. Her teacher told her about Jesus. Her understanding of sacred music, which had fascinated her without her understanding its spiritual depth, began to be illuminated in the light of the Christian religion.
"Meeting God really changed my life, because now I'm not afraid of anything."
Catechism, Mary, and music
Her meeting with Fr. Francesco Zhao, head of Milan's Chinese Catholic community, really changed her life in 2020. “He never tried to convert me, and at first I had no intention of doing so,” recounts the musician. Thanks to this priest, she discovered the beauty of prayer and started going to catechism classes.
“It wasn't easy to understand why Jesus teaches forgiveness. That's not what I learned in China. If someone hurts me, I thought, why should I forgive him? [...] How can I forgive him? Can I forgive myself? My parents taught me to protect myself, to stand up for myself and not to be too good, because people take advantage of good people. On the other hand, the Church considers that those who forgive are strong and courageous,” recalls the young woman, whose mother always told her not to forgive others.
One day, before a concert, she tried to pray, reciting a Hail Mary and asking the Virgin to protect her during the concert. “To my great surprise, I played better and made no mistakes. From that day on, I started praying more often,” she explains.
Her hope for young people in China
On April 8, 2023, she was baptized in Milan under the name Eleanor. Today, Yirui prays regularly, and faith has become a pillar in her life, both personally and professionally.
At the same time, she keeps a close eye on the situation of young people in China, where the Christian faith is repressed. She hopes that one day they will be able to discover, like her, the truth that goes beyond the materialistic values imposed by society. “I pray that young people in China will be able to see and follow the truth, not society,” she says.
When she returns home, Yirui goes to the church in Hangzhou, which is however always closed, except for the 6 a.m. Mass on weekdays and some services on Sundays. She also told her parents about her faith. “Seeing how happy I was, they supported me as they did with the music,” says Yirui, happy to note that her parents also seem to be interested in Catholicism. “My father has even started making the sign of the cross.”
Everything, however, in its own time. “My parents still work at a state school in China, so it's not wise to talk too much about religion, especially over the phone, as they might be bugged,” admits the young woman. She can't wait to show her parents the magnificent churches of Milan on their next visit to Italy.
“Meeting God has really changed my life, because now I'm not afraid of anything,” concludes the pianist.
