I love to watch musical or dance performances when they are beautifully done by professionals. However, recently I have found some amateur performances were even more interesting. Perhaps I have always had high expectations for professionals, so when they do well I take it for granted. On the contrary, I never expect too much from amateurs. I respect their courage and am always amazed if their performance is near professional level.

A few days ago, Shyi Dong and I attended a singing performance by a superstar, Mr. Chia Chung Lieu. Since it would be the last performance Mr. Lieu planned in his career, it was quite a hit in Taiwan. Apparently, his fans didn’t want to miss this last opportunity to enjoy his singing. The auditorium was packed. Even though Mr. Lieu hadn’t performed for nearly ten years, he still had great charisma on the stage. While the audience was deeply touched by his fabulous singing, Mr. Lieu announced that he would invite a secret guest to perform for this special event. Mr. Lieu said that it was impossible for anyone to hear this special guest sing because his high social status, but he accepted the invitation only because it was the historical moment at the end of Mr. Lieu’s performing life. When everyone was wondering who this secret guest was. President Yen, the CEO of Yulon Motors, stepped on stage. The audience gasped. President Yen looked like a giant standing next to the singer. He started to sing. The audience couldn’t believe their ears when his loud, clear and sensational voice spread out in the auditorium. After one song, the roars of applause and encores lasted for minutes. The audience went crazy when he continued with another couple of songs. Without knowing it, Mr. Yen quickly stole the glamour from the singer and became the real superstar in that performance. Shyi Dong and I were amazed to see this young, handsome celebrity had a hidden talent of singing. In public President Yen has always kept himself at a low profile. What people know about him is that he’s a very shy and dour entrepreneur.

Shyi Dong and I were very impressed with President Yen’s extraordinary performance. We wondered how could he be able to sing like a professional. It always takes time and lots of practice to be excellent. How could he manage it in his extremely tight schedule?

President Yen’s performance is not the only one I’ve enjoyed. Recently I have had quite a few opportunities to see some other amateur performances. I was very impressed with all of them. I found that they had something in common which was the determination to make the performances perfect while they all had other roles in life.

Those amateurs make me think about the roles all of us play in life. Perhaps we underestimate our abilities to do different things well. We assume that we should only focus on our job. Therefore, businessmen should just do business, professors should just do research, singers should just sing, and dancers should just dance etc. How can this kind of life be fun? How many interesting opportunities we might miss in our life if we only play one role? We might be experts in our professional field, but who cares?

Bih-Hua Chen
September 30, 2010