I was born in Xinjiang, where my parents’ artistic influence inspired my childhood passion for dance. At 19, I joined the Beijing Dance Academy to study ethnic and folk dance, marking the start of my professional dancing career. Later, I joined the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, rising to the position of director by age 32.

Despite my success, I yearned for change and growth. At 36, I decided to leave everything behind and moved to the U.S. to start anew. Upon arriving, I faced huge challenges, both in language and daily life. To make a living, I opened a Chinese dance studio, and during the pandemic, I pursued a graduate degree, studying during the day and teaching dance online at night.

 A turning point came one day when a professor asked me in class to describe why I dance. At that moment, I was at a loss for words and burst into tears with all my emotions. For years, I had been dancing to represent other cultures, other people, and I had lost touch with my own identity.

This period of uncertainty transformed my dance life. From that moment on, I began to redefine my identity and break through previous boundaries. My art began to absorb and integrate new elements, becoming richer and more profound, like aged wine that evolves with the addition of new elements. With my newfound self-awareness, I began to create in my own way: whether it was telling the story of Chinese immigrants' resilience in Angel Island or exploring themes of loss and rebirth in Dream Horse, both works emerged from my second artistic life.

From Xinjiang to the U.S., diverse cultures have nourished my artistic growth, and I believe my art will give back to it, helping multiculturalism flourish even more vividly.

我出生在美丽的新疆，童年深受父母给予的艺术熏陶，立志成为一名舞蹈家。我19岁考入了北京舞蹈学院，学习民族民间舞，正式踏上了职业舞蹈生涯的道路。几年后，我加入了东方歌舞团，从一名舞蹈演员一路成长，最终在32岁成为舞蹈团的团长。那时，我的舞蹈事业正如日中天。

然而，那时的我感到自己的未来已被定格。尽管事业顺利，我却渴望更多的变化和成长。于是，我决定放下一切，在36岁时来到美国试图重新开始。刚到美国时，我面临了语言和生存的巨大挑战。为了生计，我成立了一个中国舞工作室。在疫情期间，我同时攻读研究生学位，白天是学生，晚上则在网上教授舞蹈。

研究生期间的经历，成了我舞蹈生涯中的转折点。尤其是在一次课堂上，老师要求我用一段话描述自己跳舞的原因。那一刻，所有的情感瞬间爆发，我失声痛哭。多年来，我一直在舞蹈中演绎着别的文化别的人。来到美国后，面对多元文化的冲击，我感到自己失去了自我，内心无比迷茫，过去的荣誉也似乎不再有意义。

但也正是这段迷茫的时光，成了我舞蹈生命的蜕变期。从那时起，我开始重新定义自己的身份，突破了原有的边界。我的艺术开始吸收并融合更多以前没有的元素，像是一瓶陈年老酒，不断被加入新的微生物，变得愈加醇厚。我借着全新的自我认同，用属于我的方式开始创作：不管是讲述百年前赴美华人面对社会不公时的坚韧不屈的《天使岛》，还是探讨迷失与重生的《Dream Horse》，都来自我的第二次艺术生命。

从新疆到美国，丰富多元的文化环境滋养了我的艺术生命。我深信，正是这份养育让我更加坚定地创作，而我的艺术也必将回馈这份滋养，让多元文化的花朵绽放得更加绚丽夺目。