Xiaoxin grew up in a very unusual family. A musical one! Not many people had the privilege to learn how to play different instruments. Her family, however, is different. Both of her parents studied music. Her father played the violin while her mother played many different Chinese instruments. Her parents loved music so much that before Xiaoxin was born, they wanted their child to fall in love with music as much as they do. 

In the 1980s, learning piano was not popular and getting a piano was rather expensive. Because Hainan is a small island, there weren't any good piano teachers there either, but that didn't stop Xiaoxin from learning piano. After she graduated elementary school, her parents sent her away to study piano in Beijing all by herself. Although they weren't poor, they weren't rich either. Her parents needed to stay in Hainan to earn money for her tuition fees. Both her parents started teaching piano and her dad took in extra jobs like performing in restaurants and composing music as well. Because her dad over worked himself, his body and well being became weaker which caused depression and sickness. He was sick to the point where he lost his ability to hear in his left ear. Xiaoxin had no choice but to come back and help her parents teach and earn money for her tuition fees. Once her father got better, she continued school and attended many competitions, learning from the best pianists from all over China like Shenzhen and Shanghai.