Among the artifacts found at Sanxingdui, a 3.96-meter-tall bronze holy tree is one of the most enigmatic, and attracted Zhao during her visit.

With a main body and a base, the holy tree has three levels to its trunk and nine birds stand on its branches. Experts believe it reflects the ancient Shu people's worship of the sun.

"Perhaps the birds serve as a connection between the sky and earth, between the mortal world and the heavens," says Zhao. "The tree conjured up a lot of images and sounds for me.

"I wanted to take the listeners back to ancient China by using sounds from the future. Only electronic music could work with pipa to create such an atmospheric sonic experience, which is full of imagination," she adds.

As soon as she returned to her home in Beijing, Zhao called her friend Liu Sichao, who graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music with a major in electronic music composition.

"I was very excited when she told me about her ideas. It was not the first time that I worked with a traditional Chinese musician, but it was the first time that I composed for pipa," says Liu.