Suzhou Pingtan is a combination of Pinghua and Tanci, originated in Suzhou Jiangsu. The art form has a rich history before moving to the bustling cultural epicenter of Shanghai in the early 20th century, where it blossomed and diverted into schools of style with many artists emerging in the area. Among all the artists, Xu Lixian rose to fame with her distinctive style of “Li Diao”.

　　Xu’s style of “Li Diao” is a breakthrough for traditional Pingtan which not only provided richer contents and more variable forms to the art, but also brought the importance of female vocals into view. Xu and Wu Zongxi composed the New Mulan Overture, with innovative ideas in instrumentation and performance. The piece soon became a classic Li Diao after its premiere. Xu vividly showcased the three emotional stages of Mulan in this piece, which tells a story of a girl who substituted in for her father in times of war.

　　I composed Mulan, a duet for pipa and sanxian, based on the New Mulan Overture. It is an interpretation of Xu’s artistic style through the conversation between Xu Lixian, New Mulan and other Li Diao compositions. Also, the analysis of instrumental compositions based on Pingtan provided a deeper appreciation of Pingtan as an art form and shed new light on rearrangements for other instruments. By utilizing the rhythm and the art style, I transcribed the vocal lines into instrumental melodies. The bending of strings and other technics on the pipa provided the emotional context of the vocal, while the low and rich sound of sanxian served as a firm backbone for the music. The purpose of the composition is to add more possibilities to the performing art of pipa and sanxian while providing more basis for instrumental performances, presenting a different.