Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen - The Farthest Place from the Sea

On October 22, 2021, the University Arts Center of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen invited Xingyu Li to present his sound art project The Farthest Place from the Sea.

In 2018, Xingyu Li initiated the Journey to the West in Search of Sound project, setting out to find the seeds of sound that ancient sages had buried in that land farthest from the ocean. Over the course of the journey, the group moved from an initial sense of unfamiliarity with the region to a deep emotional connection, gradually finding themselves touched and healed by it. It was both a physical expedition and a witnessed process of life cultivation. The music they created during that week in Urumqi was eventually produced into the album The Farthest Place from the Sea.

In September 2020, Xingyu Li once again led his team westward, driving from Beijing in his vehicle “Mercury” toward the small desert town of Shaya on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, where they held a three day live streamed music performance beneath beautiful vineyard trellises.

As the three day performance drew to a close, a thought came to him. He decided that this album would not be sold, but would instead remain in Xinjiang forever.

“I do not wish to take anything away from that place.

I only hope to plant a seed

and let it take root and grow.”