Wu Xing: The Five Elements

Wu Xing (五行) reimagines the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements —Metal 金, Wood 木, Water水, Fire 火, and Earth土— as a living, dynamic cycle. This 70 minute interdisciplinary work explores themes of creation, destruction, and renewal, resonating across ecology, culture, and human emotion.

Musically directed by Ray Lin, the performance is brought to life by the Echo of Jade ensemble, featuring Yuren (Cara) Shen (guzheng), Sally Xi (liuqin), Ziwei Wang (dizi/xiao), Jinqi Guo (pipa), and Ray Lin (piano), alongside the Brisbane Chinese Dance Collective.

The ensemble anchors the experience in heritage while celebrating radical innovation; the score seamlessly weaves together classic repertoire with daring, contemporary improvisations. From the stage, the performers engage the audience in a vibrant, visceral dialogue where venerable traditions are constantly transformed by the pulse of the now. This captivating performance invites viewers to witness the elemental forces of nature and humanity colliding in a powerful, staged experience.

Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre
406 Montague Road, West End
7:00pm, Monday 24 August
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Artist Biographies

Ray Lin — Composer & Music Director
Ray Lin is an award-winning Australian-Chinese composer, conductor, and music director. His works have been performed across the USA, UK, China, Australia, and New Zealand by leading ensembles, including the Queensland Pops Orchestra, Southern Cross Soloists, Nanjing Philharmonic among others. Ray has written/arranged for renowned artists include Ray Chen, Karin Schaupp, members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and his works have been heard at major platforms and festivals including ABC Classic, SBS, VIVID Sydney, Brisbane Festival, Antenna Film Festival, and Sydney Film Festival.

Ray won Contemporary Classical Song of the Year at the 2020 Queensland Music Awards, he was named Young Composer of the Year by the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra (2024) and Emerging Composer-in-Residence with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra (2023). As a conductor and music director, Ray has led performances at London’s Duke’s Hall, Sinfonia Smith Square, Menuhin Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Brisbane Festival, etc. Ray studied composition at the Queensland Conservatorium, AFTRS, and the Royal College of Music, London.

Cara Shen — Guzheng
Yuren (Cara) Shen is a Brisbane-based guzheng artist and founder of Echo of Jade. Trained from the age of five and later at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, she brings a deep foundation in traditional Chinese music into contemporary Australian performance contexts.

Her practice explores the guzheng as a living medium for cross-cultural dialogue, storytelling, and collaboration. Cara’s work has been featured across major cultural platforms including Brisbane Festival, BrisAsia Festival, BEMAC, and ABC recording projects. Through Echo of Jade, she continues to reimagine the guzheng’s voice within a global contemporary arts landscape, bridging traditional Chinese aesthetics with new forms of intercultural expression.

Sally Xi — Liuqin and ruan
Sally Xi is a Brisbane-based liuqin and ruan artist whose practice explores Chinese traditional music through contemporary performance, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Trained at Shandong University of Arts, she has performed across China, Taiwan, and Australia, including at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Since relocating to Australia in 2014, her work has focused on creating dialogue between Chinese musical traditions and diverse cultural contexts, including the Australian premiere of Dunhuang. Sally is the founder of the Queensland Liuqin and Ruan Ensemble and co-founder of the Echo of Jade, where she continues to develop projects that connect tradition with contemporary artistic practice.

Jinqi Guo — Pipa
Jinqi Guo is a versatile pipa performer based in Sydney. Trained at the Central Conservatory of Music in China and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, she recently completed studies under Dr LIU Lu in the intercultural music stream and teaches pipa within the Chinese Music Ensemble program. Her international performances span prominent venues including Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Sydney Town Hall, and various concert halls in Europe.

A Gold Medallist at the 2026 Dunhuang Cup (AUS/NZ), Jinqi is dedicated to expanding the pipa’s modern repertoire. She frequently collaborates with Australian composers to develop and premiere new works, finding new ways to utilize the instrument’s traditional techniques within modern musical frameworks. Her performance practice also extends beyond conventional concert halls into the contemporary art world, with appearances at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Verge Gallery, where the pipa’s raw acoustic presence interacts naturally with visual exhibition spaces.

Ziwei Wang— Dizi and xiao
Ziwei Wang is a Brisbane-based Chinese bamboo flautist, composer, and arranger. He began learning the dizi at the age of four and later trained at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Associate Professor Zhang Kewei and served as principal woodwind in the conservatory’s Modern Chinese Orchestra.

After completing a Master of Music at the University of Queensland in 2019, Ziwei has continued to contribute to Queensland’s multicultural music scene through performance, composition, and collaboration. He has appeared at Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane Powerhouse, and in the world premiere of Anna Yen’s Slow Boat as part of Brisbane Festival 2022.

Chi Hong – Artistic Director & Choreographer
Chi Hong is a Chinese choreographer and dance educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Brisbane Chinese Dance Collective (BCDC). A graduate of Beijing Dance Academy, she holds a Master’s degree in Dance Education from Shanghai Theatre Academy and previously taught dance at Shanghai Normal University. Her original choreographic works have received multiple awards at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, including the Gold Award for Rigorous Splendor (Yin Yang) in 2023 and the Bronze Award for Warriors of Shadow (Xia Ying) in 2024.

In recent years, Chi was awarded funding through the Creative Sparks Grant Program and has collaborated with universities and cultural institutions across Queensland. Under her artistic leadership, Brisbane Chinese Dance Collective creates original productions and performs regularly at festivals, public & commercial events, and the annual Queen Street Mall Lunar New Year Celebrations. Drawing on the rich traditions of Chinese dance, Chi creates work that speaks to contemporary audiences while remaining deeply connected to its cultural roots. Through performance and choreography, she hopes to share the beauty, spirit, and continuing evolution of Chinese dance with people from different backgrounds.

Photo: Ange Costes Photography

Presented by BEMAC.

BEMAC is a subsidiary of SSI and supported by Arts Queensland through the Queensland Government.