Palace of harmony

Besides music works, they also brought a series of videos featuring pieces played by musicians of the orchestra against the backdrop of the museum.

The China National Traditional Orchestra is known for its instruments and reviving them with contemporary works, says Zhao.

"We had lots of discussions about the music project, The Sounds of the Palace Museum. We are very excited about interpreting the sounds of the Palace Museum with our ancient musical instruments."

The participation of the China division of Universal Music Group started with Zhao. Her album, Sound of China — Dance in the Moon, which was released by Universal Music Group's China division in 2008, was a breakthrough for Zhao.

It was the record company's first album — and so far the only one — dedicated to traditional Chinese music, featuring producer-songwriter Ma Jiuyue and Danish sound engineer Hans Nielsen.