Program Notes:

The title of the piece comes from a poem by Yuanxiang Huang, a response to the ‘Chained Woman Incident’ reported in Xuzhou, China. The victim of the incident, Yang, who gave birth to eight children, was found chained up by her husband in the family’s basement. Investigations revealed that she had been a victim of human trafficking and suffered from severe mental health issues. 

The poem, The Funerary (陪葬), was written to expose the social issues of the incident with dark sarcasm, and was banned in China shortly after it was published, while all related criticism and anger was silenced. This music isn’t intended to be a “setting” of the poem but rather a personal interpretation of the issues, amplifying my frustration at the handling and censorship of social issues in my home country, China. I sincerely wish for a society in which individuals facing social injustices are provided with a platform to speak up about their concerns and experiences, along with the fundamental right to be heard.