“When the Sea Recedes” is set against the backdrop of the Triassic marine wave marks found in the Beibei mining area of Chongqing, exploring the relationship between geological memory and human history in the intertwining of time and space. The work takes the audience on a journey 250 million years back in time, inviting them to imagine the vastness and waves of the ancient ocean, to feel the rhythm of life and natural forces of that ancient era, and then contrasts this with the temporal and spatial changes in the current abandoned mining area. With the development and abandonment of the mines, history and memory are continuously discarded and reconstructed.

The work uses performance, imagery, and sound to showcase nature’s “history books” in the mines, creating an atmosphere that transcends time and space. It invites the audience to start from the ancient marine landscapes and imagine the prehistoric creatures that once roamed the ocean’s surface, feeling the winds, seas, and waves of 250 million years ago.