The Challenge
In recent years, Chinese people have begun rediscovering the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, alongside China’s visa‑free policies welcoming more international travelers. Riding this shift, tourism bureaus across the country intensified efforts to reintroduce local heritage. In this increasingly competitive landscape, Yangzhou — a thousand‑year‑old cultural city — sought to reignite city pride and present its culture to a wider world. For many people today, Qiao Bei, a traditional back‑tapping massage, feels distant and outdated. As a result, this traditional back‑tapping massage was at risk of fading from cultural memory. The challenge was to reintroduce this tradition to create contemporary cultural impact and encourage more visits to Yangzhou for The Yangzhou Tourism Bureau.
The Solution
The Yangzhou Qiao Bei Musical Suite reimagined Qiao Bei not as a massage but as music. Four historical Qiao Bei rhythmic patterns were selected, each with a long‑established poetic name that guided our musical composition. “The magpie perches on the plum tree” unfolds slowly like a spring awakening, symbolizing renewal and good fortune. “The sound of copper coins ringing” reflects Yangzhou’s history as a post‑station, where coin sounds represented vitality and prosperity. “The galloping of ten thousand horses” marks the rhythmic climax, channelling the grandeur of constant horse traffic through powerful, battle‑drum‑driven rhythms. “9, 7, 5” references three auspicious numbers in Chinese culture, symbolizing seven days, the five elements, harmony, and exuberance. In phase 1, four distinct rhythms were recorded at four century‑old bathhouses in Yangzhou, in collaboration with Qiao Bei masters. By remixing the raw back‑tapping into contemporary arrangements, the four original music pieces translated cultural meaning into engaging audio content. The music was launched on major social platforms, with NFC‑enabled bath towels allowing direct access. In phase 2, we brought “The galloping of ten thousand horses” to scale. Featuring piano and erhu, we amplified its battle-drum energy. During the final of the “Suchao” city league, the rhythm was recorded in the stadium, merging its battle drum energy with music to create a symphony of cheers. Together, the project drew renewed attention to Yangzhou and reintroduced Qiao Bei as a living, contemporary cultural icon of the city.
