Yao Jiange, a former coloratura soprano, says the charity project has extended her musical life.

"I planned to hold a recital and donate all the income to the musical education of students in rural areas. But the fates dealt me a lousy hand - I was found to have gum cancer," Yao recalls.

It was a big blow. Her dream of the recital evaporated.

There is still a vertical scar under her mouth, the result of a transplant of the left part of her jaw.

"Thanks to her optimism, Yao got through the cancer very quickly," says Yang Daoli, a friend and a well-known scholar in Dalian.

An accommodating person filled with passion, Yao has participated in most of Dalian's big cultural events over the past two decades, Yang says. Encouraged by her husband and her friends, Yao regained her passion for the project and with the help of her colleague Chen Zhiping (better known as Pingping), she looked for a new way to fulfill her dream.

Pingping found there were more than 200 primary schools in Dalian's rural areas, more than 80 percent of which had no musical instruments. Music education in those schools meant only singing.

"Students in rural areas should receive the same musical education as their peers in urban areas do," says Yao. She decided to seek help from enterprises and individuals, and many local companies and warm-hearted people responded.

"A group of people really dedicated to charity and education is gathering around Yao. She and her team moved me with their enthusiasm and professional attitude," says Bao Hongkui, vice-president of the local property giant Yida Group, the biggest contributor to the project.

Love Music Classroom corresponds perfectly with Yida's charitable work. As a platform to repay society, Yida has invited famous art groups to give a Sound of Yida New Year Concert every year since 1994.