Video and photos by Liu Xudong
Dongbei Village is a small residence nestling among the hills of Maluan Mountain in eastern Shenzhen and is located adjacent to the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China Shenzhen School. Seen from the sky, the village has dozens of residential buildings and crisscross roads. Roosters are crowing. Dogs are barking. It’s a vibrant village brimming with life.在深圳东部的马峦山畔，群山叠嶂之中隐藏着一个小山村：洞背村。村子旁是人大附中深圳学校。从空中俯瞰，几十幢民房构成了洞背村的全部。阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻，一切都在这个充满生命力的村庄自然成长。
A bird's-eye view of Dongbei Village.In the past, Dongbei Village had only about 20 households, and most of them were Hakka people. Now, the number exceeds 100. Many people, some of whom work as painters, anchorpeople, playwrights, poets, translators, musicians, designers, and more, chose to settle down in the village for a sense of seclusion. They are unique, full of fun, and are all living and creating together in peace in the village. They like telling you in their own words that they are just dreaming away their time through doing wonderful things.洞背村原来只有二十来户居民，以客家人为主。现在有了一百多户人家，大多是来这里寻找疏离感的租客，如画家、主持人、编剧、诗人、翻译家、音乐人、设计师等。他们都独特而有趣，静静地享受生命和创作的美好。用他们自己的话来讲，他们就是把时间浪费在美好的事物上。
Residents at Dongbei Village in Dapeng New Area gather at Me Town, a B&B in the village, to socialize with each other and exchange their ideas on fine art at a salon which is part of the village's "Wasting Time on Beautiful Things" culture event.82-year-old Zhao Jing learned to play the pipa from Li Tingsong, a master from the renowned Wang School. Working at the School of Music of Northwest Minzu University before her retirement, Zhao has taught many students and experienced many memorable moments in her life. She stated that one of her most wonderful memories was the cast party after the performance of the opera “The Xiangyang River,” when late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai invited her to join him in a dance.这位82岁高龄的老太太名叫赵晶，师从汪派琵琶大师李廷松。退休前，她任教于西北民族大学音乐学院，是一位培养了无数学生的琵琶教育家。几十年的表演和教学生涯，赵晶经历了许多的人生高光时刻。最让她难忘的是随甘肃省歌剧院巡演歌剧《向阳川》时，应邀和周恩来总理跳舞时的情景。
Zhao during an interview with Shenzhen Daily on Jan. 22.
Two years ago, Zhao relocated to Dongbei Village with her son Ding Lu.两年前，赵晶随儿子丁路来到洞背村生活。The pipa is a traditional Chinese plucked chordophone featuring a fretted fingerboard that requires a complicated fingering technique, and provides a variety of rich expressions, and thus is dubbed “the king of traditional Chinese musical instruments.”琵琶，是中国传统弹拨乐器，音域宽广，指法复杂，表现力丰富，有着“民乐之王”的美称。
Zhao (R) performs in a garden in Dongbei on Jan. 22. Dongbei Village also holds a series of cultural events, including art salons, photo exhibitions and art shows.在洞背村，一些小型艺术沙龙、摄影展、画展也随处可见。
Art works on display in a workshop in Dongbei.
On the evening of Jan. 22, Zhao performed six renowned pieces for the audience at an intimate pipa recital held at a bed-and-breakfast inn in the village.1月22日，赵晶在洞背村举行一场小型的琵琶独奏会。当天晚上，民宿里坐满了慕名而来的听众。赵晶为他们演奏了六首风格各异的琵琶名曲。
Zhao performs six renowned pieces of pipa classics at a recital held at the Me Town B&B in Dongbei Village on Jan. 22.
Writer / Wang Haolan
WeChat Editors / Lin Songtao, Jane
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