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Jackson, Tenn.

Known as Cindy to her friends, Zou's homeland is Shanghai, China. A product of China's strict birth control policy, Zou, the only child in her family, lived with her mother in Shanghai before coming to Tennessee as a high school exchange student last year, where she attended Bolivar Central High School in Bolivar as a senior.

"At first it was really hard trying to adjust to making new friends in America," says nineteen-year old Zou. "Chinese people are more reserved and Americans are very open."

Zou's first host family had four daughters. Zou quickly learned to enjoy living in a big family, and liked "sitting down to dinner every night together and everyone talking about their day. I thought it really showed how they cared about each other."

Zou's first host family didn't have a piano, so her piano practicing soon began to suffer. That's when a friend of hers suggested she come practice at his church, First Baptist in Bolivar, Tenn.
The church allowed her to practice three hours every afternoon after school. Slowly over time, Zou got to know the church staff and eventually walked into the church office and asked how she could become a Christian.

"They were so sweet and different. I had heard about Christianity in China and I wanted to know what that difference was so I could have it for myself," says Zou.

Though the church staff was a little surprised at first, someone led her in the plan of salvation, and she was baptized. Zou says her host family was instrumental in helping her understand what it meant to be a Christian, and the Chinese Bible that a missionary to China gave her has also been very helpful in her growth as a new Christian.

After her year as a high school exchange student came to an end, Zou and her mother made the scary discovery that the program did not include her airfare home.

"I didn't have any money to go home, and since I had wanted to come to America to study anyway, my host family helped me start looking at colleges and universities that I could go to," says Zou.

Eventually, she met and auditioned for the music faculty at Union, and was accepted on full scholarship.
"The music faculty at Union have been so wonderful to me. My piano professor, Dr. McRoberts, is hilarious. He lets me play things that I like to play."

Zou performed an hour-long recital earlier this spring, a rare occurrence for freshmen piano students. The pieces she performed included all three movements of Mozart's A minor sonata, pieces from Lizst, Debussy, Bach, and a Chinese piece which she opened the recital with, titled "Colorful Clouds Pursuing the Moon," a favorite song of her mother's.

Though Zou has not been able to see her mother since coming to the United States, her mother made her daughter a traditional Chinese gown to wear for her Union debut, which Zou wore proudly when she performed.

Many people have supported Zou during her stay, particularly a host family living in Middleton, Tenn., who she stays with during the summer and who will be taking her to her first international piano competition this summer.

"My host families have all been wonderful Christian people - God has been so good to me - He is awesome," says Zou.