Marios Joannou Elia, a Cypriot director and composer, directed Sound of Shanghai, a documentary that uses sound to highlight China's intangible cultural heritage.

When he first arrived in Shanghai, Elia knew little about China's intangible cultural heritage — until a visit to the studio of Kunqu Opera inheritor Zhao Jinyu. Though he could not understand the lyrics of The Peony Pavilion, a classic Kunqu Opera piece, its haunting melodies moved him deeply.

The visit sparked Elia's enthusiasm to make a documentary about Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage.

Zhao was initially hesitant about the approach, having never told an intangible cultural heritage story with sound at its center.

"When we talk about intangible cultural heritage, we always focus on what we can see — how exquisite the embroidery is, how refined the tea ceremony is, how graceful the qipao is — yet we rarely listen to the sonic charm behind the heritage," Zhao said.

"Elia's arrival has opened a brand-new auditory window for the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage," Zhao said.

To capture the authentic sounds of these traditions, Elia embarked on a journey of aural archaeology. He went to embroidery workshops, teahouses, martial arts halls, and opera stages with his recording equipment, capturing the subtle, easily overlooked sounds of intangible cultural heritage.

From the sound of feet brushing the ground during tai chi and the sounds of needles piercing fabric and scissors cutting thread in Gu embroidery to the rhythmic clatter of high heels striking the floor as qipao-clad ladies walk, Elia was like a conductor, weaving the sounds into his compositions.

Elia said he wanted the film to show how Shanghai's past, present, and future coexist, with intangible cultural heritage connecting them.

He introduced a range of new technologies to push the boundaries of sound. Recordings of traditional instruments were electronically processed and combined with modern sound effects to blend the tranquility of classical music with the vibrancy of contemporary sounds.

Yang Li, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, said: "The film pioneers the use of auditory narration to create an immersive audio-visual experience, using a language the whole world can understand to interpret Shanghai."

Watching the film, Kunqu Opera inheritor Zhao Jinyu said she saw the possibility of fulfilling her long-held wish to share Kunqu Opera with the world.

After two years of refinement, Sound of Shanghai had its Asian premiere at the Hongqiao Art Center in Shanghai on June 27. The film will continue to be screened overseas, introducing Shanghai and China's intangible cultural heritage to international audiences.

Source: Shanghai Changning Media Center