--- --- # Ancient emotions to echo across time and borders  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Children of the Jino ethnic group from Yunnan province rehearse for _The Ocean Etched in the Forest_. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY By CHEN NAN In the verdant hills of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, where the Jino ethnic group has lived in relative isolation for centuries, Du Yun’s latest project, _The Ocean Etched in the Forest_, finds its roots. This ambitious work, which blends the ancient folk traditions of the Jino people with contemporary sound, marks a profound intersection of history, culture and modern innovation. The world premiere of _The Ocean Etched in the Forest_ took place on October 12 as part of the 28th Beijing Music Festival. The production will then travel to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York on November 7. Du was born and raised in Shanghai. An alumna of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College and Conservatory, and Harvard University, she currently lives in New York and is a professor of composition at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. For Du, this project is not merely about music — it’s an exploration of identity, heritage and the power of storytelling across generations. A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer renowned for her boundary-defying creations, Du seeks to use this work to amplify voices that have long been marginalized, bringing ancient traditions into the present. The Jino people, an ethnic group in southern China, are keepers of a unique and ancient oral tradition passed down through songs that recount the histories, emotions and myths of their people. In 1979, the Chinese government officially recognized the Jino as the country’s 56th ethnic group. Du, alongside her longtime collaborator, director and designer Julian Crouch, journeyed to Baduo village in Xishuangbanna, and spent time with local Jino elders and children to learn about their music, stories and way of life. “I was struck by the resonance of these songs and how they spoke not only to the past, but also to the present,” Du says. “The children of the village, the future bearers of this heritage, sing these ancient tunes with passion and purity.” Through this collaboration, Du and Crouch were inspired to create a space where the Jino people’s deep connection to the land, forest and their profound ecological awareness could find new life, echoing across time and borders. “We wanted to ensure that these ancient emotions — these deep cultural ties — would not just remain in the past but would speak to contemporary audiences,” Du notes. “I don’t consider myself a composer in this production because the music is already there. I bring my own concept to it and reimagine it.” One of the Jino folk songs that Du encountered during her visits to Yunnan was _The Shell Song_, which tells the tragic tale of forbidden love. In _The Ocean Etched in the Forest_, Du reimagines this song, blending it with her own compositions and melodies while staying true to its original spirit. The result is a new version of the song that bridges past and present. Crouch, ever the innovator, brought his vision to life by crafting two large puppets from local materials to represent the tragic lovers of _The Shell Song_. This unique form of interactive storytelling blends the materials of the Jino people’s daily lives, such as bamboo used to make baskets and mats, with modern theatrical techniques, adding a visual and dynamic layer to the performance. Du’s dream, besides allowing more people to appreciate the Jino culture, is to see Jino children — whose voices carry the weight of centuries — perform on the world’s largest stages, sharing their ancestral stories with new audiences. “We took videos of these children, asking them to share their wishes,” Du says. “Their answers will be screened during the performance, giving them a voice in the production. “I asked myself what kind of impact this production could have on these children,” she says. “What comes next after the performances? I want them to dare to dream and fulfill those dreams. I also want them to teach their children to sing these old folk songs and pass on the Jino drum dance to future generations.” _The Ocean Etched in the Forest_ is a product of Du’s FutureTradition initiative, which she launched in 2017\. The project focuses on illuminating the roots of folk art and building cross-regional collaborations. For Du, tradition and innovation are not opposites but complementary forces. “Cultural evolution has always been about resilience and creativity,” she says. “No matter where you are, young generations share a curiosity about their roots, and through cultural exchange, new forms of art are born.” Ancient emotions to echo across time and borders ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/ancient-emotions-to-echo-across-time-and-borders/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/ancient-emotions-to-echo-across-time-and-borders/"},"headline":"Ancient emotions to echo across time and borders","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:00.919Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:04.987Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/ancient-emotions-to-echo-across-time-and-borders/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/ancient-emotions-to-echo-across-time-and-borders/","name":"Ancient emotions to echo across time and borders"}}]}] ```