Three times we were rejected for visas, once last October and twice this month, forcing us to reimagine The Ocean Etched in the Forest as a concert staging, accompanied by an exhibition of our original set designs.

Three times, eight children together with their parents, led by Master Guiying He, the revered bearer of Jino culture, traveled from their remote village, nestled deep in the rainforest where China borders Myanmar and Laos, all the way to Beijing for their visa interviews. They came with songs, with the stories of their ancestors, and with their own eyes on their dreams, only to be turned away. These visa rejections weigh heavily on us, and the difficulty of this journey cannot be overstated.

We are heartbroken. Yet amid all the refusals, one young girl—Piao Yunxian, Master He's own granddaughter—defied the odds and received her visa. We are compelled to have her guide us through this concert, sharing with you her Jino village, her cultural universe, and the rainforest her people came out of. The children and Master He have never given up. We persevere. We continue. We bring this story to you. For every door that closes, so many skies open. – Du Yun

ABOUT THE JINO PEOPLE
In Jino mythology, “Amou Yaobai Creates Heaven and Earth,” the big drum is considered sacred. The Big Drum Dance is performed to thank the creation goddess “Amou Yaobai” who saved the Jino people and their ancestors with a drum.

The Jino have no written language. The Big Drum Dance is an important carrier of Jino cultural heritage.

In Jino language, The Big Drum Dance is known as “Situ Guo (“Situ” meaning big drum,and “Guo” meaning dance.) The tradition of Situ Guo has been passed down in Jino villages in Jino Mountain, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, a rainforest bordering China, Mymmar and Laos.

CAST
He Guiying

YOUNG VILLAGE CHILDREN
Piao Niu (Piao Yunxian*)
Zi Yan
Zhou Bulu (Zhou Jiahui*)
Che Jie
Miao Ji (Miao Xinrui*)
Yao Wei
Bu Luye
Sao Bulu (Zhou Hao*)

Some Jino people choose to have two names—one Jino name, and one Han name (marked with an asterisk). DUE TO VISA CIRCUMSTANCES, Piao Niu (Piao Yunxian*) is the only cast member who will appear for this performance.

MUSICIANS AND MUSIC COLLABORATORS
OK MISS:
Aakash Mittal, Bass Clarinet/Xaphoon/Sax/Flute
Grey McMurray, Electric Guitar
Shayna Dunkelman, Drums/Electronics
Nava Dunkelman, Percussion

CREATIVE TEAM
Du Yun, Concept/Co-Direction/Music
Julian Crouch, Co-Direction/Set Design/Puppets
He Guiying, Music Collaborator/Jino Tradition Bearer/Jino Big Drum Dance Teaching
(China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage Bearer of the Jino People)
Josh Higgason, Lighting Designer/Projection Design
Coral Douglas, Assistant Director/Puppetry Assistant
Yuan Dongya, Rehearsal Assistant Director
Qiu Yu, Yuchen Bian, Music Assistant
Zhang Hui, Line Producer
Li Lei, Project Manager (China)
James Egelhofer, Yanni Yuan Gao, Project Managers (International)
Connie Kong, Co-Producer
Bai Guangming, Li Xiaoyun, Sha Xiaosang, Jino Cultural Department (Yunnan Province), Jino Tradition Consultants

Special thanks to Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, Li Guowei, Xishuangbanna Tropical Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Shang Jiyuan, Wang Guanyu, Guan Mengtong, Ren Zeshi, Wang Pu, He Peiyun, Yang Nan, Zhang Zhao, Zhao Yingxin, Wang Lixin, Calvin Hu, Wang Yue, BJ Caibai, Undergrooves (UDG), Ark Care, Pearl Huang, BLI International DBA Allegiant Health, Wu Lü, Jia Yunhao, Emily Zhang, Wei Xiaoxi.

NOTE FROM CONCEPT CREATOR / CO-DIRECTOR / COMPOSER, DU YUN
In 2017 I launched the FutureTradition Initiative, born from an urgent need for a new model of collaboration—particularly with practitioners of oral traditions.

From my work in Zhejiang to the UAE, Pakistan to Oslo, Yushu to the Fergana Valley—regardless of place or border—I have encountered many people drawing from the past to reimagine their future. This act of looking ahead is deeply rooted in a sense of multiplicity. By recasting regional folk arts as living, evolving forms, FutureTradition uses the DNA of these traditions to foster new works and collaborative models.

When we first started working with folk traditions, we faced many constraints. Who should do it? How should it be done? What does my name entail? Who am I in this? The first question broke the seal; a flood of others followed: Should I go out into the other side of the world? What would actually happen if I did? Who are you? What happens after you leave and come back? And later? What happens in “later”? Why should I be the one to go? Who do I get to go with me? I don’t know what my future holds either. Yet one thing I’m sure of—the most instinctive human desire is simply to go over there and see. And at its core, it is the freedom of imagination. The Jino ethnicity, officially recognized as China’s 56th ethnic group in 1979, offers a profound example. Since then, the forest dwelling Jino people, who had lived in the rainforest for centuries, were rapidly integrated into modern Chinese society. This unique history has allowed their culture to retain a distinctive ecological quality. Their awareness of conservation has endured, and remains a vital part of their cultural heritage.

There are many folk elements in this work, such as the meaning of the divine pillars in Jino architecture, yet my collaborator, Julian Crouch, and I never wanted to stop at symbolism. We went over and over to the bamboo weaving market, and he tinkered with everyday bamboo objects again and again, which were incorporated into the final production design.

In myths, I see children’s imaginations of creation. Their wishes and dreams are wildly imaginative, yet firmly grounded.

Why do we need dreams? Why do we speak of tomorrow?

You might ask—is a performance like this a necessity at all?

Yes. Because every gesture, every detail, represents our collective dedication to making these children’s dreams and pride visible to you. Because we are here, we must not only live on, but flourish abundantly. And you—I feel I can sense your presence. Thank you for reminding me that there is human warmth in this world. And thank you to these children; they are the ones who allow this warmth to burn a little longer. This isn’t just sentimentality. It is necessary perseverance. I am not an ethnomusicologist. While our work is rooted in innovation, we are deeply grateful to Bai Guangming, Li Xiaoyun, and Sha Che from the Jino Cultural Center, and especially to Master He Guiying, the national inheritor of Jino cultural heritage. They approach their culture with rigor and depth, patiently broadening and enriching my understanding again and again. Only after generously working with us did they say to me, “This work, here, needs to go beyond.”

Our children and Master He are now reimagining every detail from a new starting point. The next generation holds the same curiosity toward “tradition.” This is a future where cultural creation and diverse traditions meet with wild courage. This is an international team. Thanks to all my collaborators; thanks to my band. We have all learned so much from the children, and we are their collaborators in this show. This performance isn’t a lecture on the Jino people. It is a reimagination—one that lets us witness the lives of people in the Jino rainforest and the self-determined aspirations of Generation Alpha.

What is its style? Its sound? What if you can’t hear? We pass it on together regardless. Take Ziyan, from our performance—though she cannot hear, she feels the vibrations. And it means everything that she leads the Sun Drum—the origin of the Jino people, the very symbol of their spirit.

Three years have passed, and in that time, our kids have grown. What began as childhood age has unfolded into adolescence—with deeper confidence and a courage to dream more boldly than ever. We have seen their curiosity ignite, and their once-quiet hopes rise into loud, determined ambitions. This has been a true collaboration, and in partnership with the children every step of the way.

May the realities and dreams of these children be the past we shared yesterday, and may they be the hope we build together tomorrow. Lastly, on behalf of the children of the Baduo and Baya villages, Xishuangbanna, thank you to the Beijing Music Festival and Lincoln Center for this platform—for bringing us to Beijing and New York City. Our children would like to see you.

A bow to you all.

“Children, let’s walk on!”

– Du Yun
September 9, 2025
New York City

ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE SYNOPSIS
The story centers around an intergenerational community of a grandmother, her granddaughter, the granddaughter’s friend who cannot hear, and a group of children raised on the grandmother’s traditional stories—and on the power of their own imaginations.

The Jino, an ancient culture of forest-dwelling hunters, believe finding shells in their land is sacred. When wind blows through their forest, it sounds like the sea. And that’s where they would like to go. The silent drum has been restruck.

Featuring local Xishuangbanna bamboo weaving, this production examines intergenerational communication and traditional interpretation through new artists’ perspectives. Transcending geography, The Ocean Etched in the Forest reveals how local perspectives can shine a new light on the global world, and the new generation’s understanding of past, future, and self.

In 2017, Du Yun launched the FutureTradition initiative, which promotes the idea that historical traditions can inspire innovation, and evolve culture while preserving its essence. Future generations are best served when they maintain curiosity about traditions, and develop new forms through collision and integration.

Du Yun and her band OK MISS present a reinterpretation of oral culture in collaboration with Xishuangbanna Jino youth.

Du Yun and her co-creator Julian Crouch have visited the Jino people multiple times over the years, exploring the connections between tradition and contemporary life, art and different media. They have worked with local Jino musicians to create a semi-theatrical piece that bridges folk traditions with the realities of living today—all through the eyes of the children.

They’re collaborating with He Guiying, a national Jino cultural heritage artist, who teaches endangered local folk songs to children in Jino’s Bapiao village. In The Ocean Etched in the Forest, the children perform these songs, which Du Yun leads with her band, OK MISS, to reimagine these musical universes. Over the past three years, they’ve worked with He Guiying to teach Jino folk songs in various villages, building a new mythology that reflects local traditions.

ADDITIONAL BIOS
Tauek Kang (Stage Manager) Taeuk Kang is a Korean stage manager working across Korea and New York. A graduate of Columbia University's MFA Stage Management program (2020), his credits include What Happened Was… (Audible Theater at Minetta Lane, 2026), Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Marquis Theatre, 2026), Moulin Rouge! (U.S. Tour, 2023–25), Did You Eat? 밥 먹었니? and SUMO (The Public Theater/Ma-Yi Theater, 2025), Happy Fall (CATF, 2025), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Lyric Theatre/U.S. Tour, 2023–24), An American Soldier and Like They Do In The Movies (PAC NYC, 2024), and KPOP (Circle in the Square, 2022). He is passionate about cross-cultural storytelling and artistic collaboration. IG: @smtaeuk

Yuan Dongya, (Music Rehearsal Director) Yuan Dongya, native of Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China, holds her DMA in Composition from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. As a composer, her recognition includes twice the China’s National Art Fund. As music director, she directed the transdisciplinary production The Sonic Odyssey for the 2025 Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Li Lei, (Project Manager, China) Li Lei received his doctorate from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he now serves as an Associate Professor. His compositions are widely performed throughout China. In recent years, he has pursued pioneering artistic innovation alongside deep engagement in rural cultural revitalization and public music education. Li Lei initiated New Echoes in the Mountains, a large-scale collaborative art project that brought together over one hundred young Chinese artists and teenagers from mountainous rural areas in Western China for joint creative work. The project's outputs—a book and a companion album bearing the same title—have since become powerful vehicles for fostering cultural and artistic revitalization in rural communities across China through music.

Zhang Hui (Line Producer) Zhang Hui is a seasoned film and performing arts producer with extensive expertise in film production, executive producing, and concert curation. Specializing in cross-disciplinary resource integration and full-cycle project management, she has successfully delivered multiple feature films and high-profile live events. Her produced and executive-produced films have garnered several international awards.

Yanni Yuan Gao (Project manager, International) Yanni Yuan Gao is a producer and artist agent specializing in East-West cross-cultural exchange. She maintains long-term partnership with Oscar-winning artist Tim Yip on theatre productions, art exhibitions. Artists represented include pipa virtuoso Wu Man, and has organized tours for leading orchestras and produced Yo-Yo Ma’s Bach Project in Xi’an China. From 2003 to 2010, Gao served as production manager for renowned composer Tan Dun, executing global tours and projects. She also held core production roles for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, with extensive experience in international cultural diplomacy and high-end artistic production.