The Farthest Place From The Sea
In 2018, I packed my backpack once again and set out as a traveler, journeying by train from Dunhuang to Urumqi. Along the way, I met young people who had just returned from Xinjiang, as well as those preparing to go there. I heard many stories, though most of them rarely featured anyone beyond the storytellers themselves.
As the train moved across the Gobi Desert, childhood memories resurfaced with striking clarity: the familiar yet distant neighbors from faraway lands who once lived beside my home; the aroma of grilled meat; the congested traffic in front of small restaurants; the voices of friends calling out to one another; and a promise I had never kept—a promise made with a young Uyghur boy I had once met. When I revisited these scattered fragments of memory, more than twenty years had already passed. Perhaps many events in life are quietly predetermined, and decades later, I found myself traveling to Xinjiang to fulfill that promise.
My story has many protagonists. Through music, I hope to tell each of their stories to you.
Sound Journey to the West
July 21 – September 3, 2018
On November 14, 2018, at 22:54 Beijing Time, the dutar master, modern music educator, and renowned instrument maker Mushajiang Ruozi passed away at the age of 93.
This album is dedicated to the memory of Master Mushajiang Ruozi.
August 2, 2020
Taklamakan Desert