Zhong's violin prowess was recognized at age 14 by renowned violinist Nathan Milstein, and led to a series of concerts promoted and arranged by Milstein's manager Harold Shaw in United States, including a debut at New York's Carnegie Hall main stage at age 16.
Born to a family of professional violinists, Zhong started violin lessons around age four with his parents.
His progress was quick enough that at age 11 he won a national audition with the fiendish Paganini Violin Concerto No.
This earned him a place in the studio of veteran violin professor Ke Qiang Sui at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Afterward, Zhong sought Bronstein's famed student Elmar Oliveira for further advice and obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree at State University of New York at Purchase.