Ruo Yu Liu’s theatre troupe experienced an existential crisis when they were hit by not one but two consecutive disasters. The first, a fire that razed the group’s mountain home and rehearsal space in Laoquan mountain, destroying all the props and drums essential to their performances. Just as they were struggling to collectively rebuild their compound up in the forest, by March 2020 the news about the virus became all too real.

With all of the group’s performances cancelled, Liu grappled with the question of the role of performance art in life: if it is considered non-essential during periods of human difficulty. The answer came during a visit to a temple where she saw hundreds of people waiting to have a dialogue with the divine. Inspired, she created a performance piece that drew upon the tradition of the ceremony, combining it with confessional narrations from the performers’ own lives. The cathartic experience strengthened the group’s reverence for its spiritual mountain home and its significance in artistic mission.