A Journey Through Strange Lands | Flowers in the Mirror Ambient Music

A Journey Through Strange Lands is an independent musical journey inspired by Li Ruzhen’s Qing dynasty novel Flowers in the Mirror.

Far beyond familiar shores, a traveler enters a world of unfamiliar mountains, rivers, and extraordinary creatures. Each valley reveals something unexpected; each distant landscape seems to follow its own ancient laws.

The music does not attempt to illustrate a specific episode of the novel. Instead, it draws inspiration from the fantastical journeys and strange lands encountered throughout Flowers in the Mirror, creating a new and independent story through traditional Chinese instrumental music.

The visual companion is Bestiary of Real and Imaginary Animals, a remarkable handscroll depicting numerous strange and fantastical creatures. The work bears the traditional title Scroll of Exotic Beasts by Hu Gui of the Tang Dynasty and is generally considered to date approximately to the Ming dynasty, although its attribution and authenticity remain uncertain. It is held by the Sackler Gallery.

This album enters a world of unfamiliar creatures and distant landscapes — a visual and musical journey into the unknown.

Traditional Chinese instruments unfold through spacious melodies, restrained passages, melodic variations, and long-form instrumental development.

Beyond the mountains, another world begins.

Image Credit
Bestiary of Real and Imaginary Animals, traditionally titled Scroll of Exotic Beasts by Hu Gui of the Tang Dynasty, approximately Ming Dynasty, Sackler Gallery, USA.