Introduction of my work Pearl Glimmer:

In Pearl Glimmer, I sampled a work of Xilu Luantan, a folk opera from my hometown Zhuji, and recreate them within hip-hop rhythms. Its lyrics depict Zhuji’s traditional culture, history, and nursery rhymes. Through stretching, slicing, and layering, those sounds found a new heartbeat. To me, this is how I used contemporary voice to tell ancient stories, letting the old breath again in the new, and hearing my hometown echo through every pulse.

Intangible Culture Heritage Festival on Campus:

At school, I founded Intangible Heritage Festival — a week-long event bringing traditional culture into the daily rhythm of students’ lives. From Xilu Luantan workshops and plant-dye art to seal engraving and handmade incense, every booth became a bridge between generations.

To me, this was more than a showcase; it was a revival. Watching my peers engage with crafts and sounds from my hometown, I felt heritage shift from something distant to something alive — carried, shared, and reinvented by our generation.

Field Research on Xilu Luantan in Zhuji:

In Zhuji, I grew up in whispers of old songs and stories. Among them, Xilu Luantan lingers around my ears. Originating in the late Ming–early Qing era, Xilu Qin opera artists came via the Hang-Jia-Hu waterways to Zhuji and merged their art with local dialects and folk traditions.

I later visited performing groups and interviewed inheritors to study how this form — sing in the local tongue, shifting between bangzi tones and gentle narration — continues to evolve. Once performed in market fairs, now honored as national intangible heritage, it remains not a relic, but a living voice awaiting rediscovery.

Authorization Certificate from the Director of Zhuji Museum

Interview with Xilu Luantan Inheritors -- Shu Hengxing

Interview with Xilu Luantan Inheritors -- Zhuo Qiuping

Interview with Meng Qionghui, Director of Zhuji Museum

Introduction of my work Pearl Glimmer:

Intangible Culture Heritage Festival on Campus:

Field Research on Xilu Luantan in Zhuji:

Sheeta Website