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ZAGREB, March 8-- On a sunny afternoon, people were enjoying their drinks on outdoor terraces of local cafes. Among them was young Chinese musician Zhang Yuchen, who was rehearsing with her professor to get prepared for a concert. "I do notice the pace of life in Zagreb is much slower (than in China), and people are sitting in the sun, enjoying coffee everywhere around the corner," Zhang told Xinhua. "It actually gives me a bit more time to adapt to the life here." Zhang came here almost three years ago and has become the first Chinese student at the Academy of Music of the University of Zagreb. She is also one of the best classic guitar players in her class, very insightful and determined to succeed. TIES WITH CROATIA Back in 2011, Zhang enrolled in China's Tianjin Music Secondary School that is attached to Tianjin Music Conservatory and studied classic guitar there. Meanwhile, Zhang met Darko Petrinjak, one of the best-known Croatian guitarists, who was holding a master class in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin. Petrinjak recognized her musical talent and invited her to come to Croatia. At Petrinjak's invitation, Zhang went to Zagreb in 2017 and spent the whole summer learning from Petrinjak. "I remember I had a feeling that a new chapter in my life had started," she recalled, and it was then when she decided to study in Croatia. Zhang was the top-scorer in the entrance exam of the University of Zagreb and Petrinjak is satisfied with the progress she has made in the past few years. | 
