Zhou Zhou was born in Wuhan, Hubei Province on April 1, 1978. His father Hu Houpei hoped that his child would be like a boat and have a safe life, so he named him Hu Yizhou.
But God also seems to like to joke. One month later, Zhouzhou, who was born on April Fool’s Day, was told that he was born with Down syndrome, commonly known as Down syndrome.
Because Zhouzhou has an intellectual disability and cannot go to school like a normal child, Zhouzhou has followed his father to work since he was a child. His father, Hu Houpei, is the double bass player of the Wuhan Symphony Orchestra. Therefore, Zhouzhou has been urinating since he was very young. A small audience at the Wuhan Song and Dance Theater.
After each performance, Zhouzhou ran to the stage excitedly. Standing on the podium, Zhouzhou looked like a normal person, waving his baton and conducting the performance in a decent manner. .
In this way, when Zhouzhou was 6 years old, under the hesitation of his father’s colleagues, Zhouzhou had the opportunity to perform on stage for the first time. The song was “Carmen” that he was familiar with.
Perhaps because of his constant exposure, he imitated the movements of the old conductor, starting and ending the beat, and every step was in place. Even the orchestra conductor’s movements of wearing glasses and holding them with his hands were imitated by Zhou Zhou. .
This was originally a game played by a group of adults with children, but Zhouzhou’s imitation shocked everyone present. On the podium, Zhouzhou has determined that he is the real conductor.
Since then, people have discovered that Zhouzhou is not the "idiot" people call him. He seems to have a certain talent in music. Sometimes, when God closes a door for you, he will also open a window for you.
What really brought Zhouzhou into the public eye was the documentary "Zhouzhou's World" shot by director Zhang Yiqing, and everyone got to know this "genius conductor" with "Down syndrome" "Zhouzhou.
In early 1997, when director Zhang Yiqing was filming other videos at the Wuhan Song and Dance Theater, he accidentally discovered Zhouzhou sitting in the corner. The 19-year-old Zhouzhou was gesticulating gracefully in the audience.
This scene caught the eye of director Zhang Yiqing, and he decided to make a documentary based on Zhouzhou’s deeds.
"I hope you can do a good job of filming and let the whole society care for the disabled." In this way, Hu Houpei agreed to the filming.
After ten months of tracking and filming, in May 1998, the 50-minute documentary "Zhouzhou's World" was broadcast on TV.
For a time, Zhouzhou, a young conductor with Down syndrome, attracted everyone's attention. In 1999, the Disabled Persons' Federation approached Zhouzhou and invited her to attend the New Year's Day party.
CCTV’s report made more people aware of Zhouzhou, and a German TV station even bought the rights to broadcast abroad.
Zhouzhou’s fame is growing. In 2000, he performed at the world's top Carnegie Hall, which was regarded by his father Hu Houpei as the most glorious moment in Zhouzhou's life.
In this way, Zhouzhou became a famous "genius conductor" all over the world.
In 2017, a hot topic on a certain website broke the silence for many years. "What is the level of Zhouzhou's command?" has attracted widespread attention.
"Zhouzhou is not a conductor, he is a mentally retarded person who can move to music, a poor person who has been hyped for consumption."
"Zhouzhou is lucky. , met many good people who were unwilling to expose him"...
In 2019, Zhouzhou's father Hu Houpei said in an interview with News Network Weekly: "Zhouzhou is not a conductor, he cannot train the orchestra. , it is impossible for him to achieve the qualities and attainments that a conductor should have."
In fact, many years ago, Hu Houpei did not like this title. He repeatedly emphasized that Zhouzhou was not a conductor. A true conductor is not a genius. He also said frankly: Thank you everyone for playing with Zhouzhou. But these voices have long been drowned out due to the direction of public opinion.
After so many years, Zhouzhou has fallen from the top of the world's attention. He has also experienced the death of his mother and the torture of his own illness...
Although he only has his father around him now company, but finally lived a stable life.
As the documentary said: "Zhouzhou is a person who likes perfection, even though he himself is not perfect."