The work was inspired by Nu Shu, a script composed by women in Jiangyong county, Hunan province. Provided to China Daily

After completing the creation of Nu Shu in five years, Tan has now started his third piece of the series. This time he is going northwest, to Gansu province, where the frescos and statues in Dunhuang tell of ancient Chinese people's perception of faith and religion.

Linguists have been arguing about the formation and origin of Nu Shu. Some believe it dates back thousands of years to the age of the oracle bones; while others hold that it was invented by women who were deprived of the right to education 300 years ago.

Tan however turned to the musical root of it, and found the melody and rhythm patterns resembled that of ancient songs of the Yao ethnic group from the border of Hunan and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which are at least 2,000 years old.

Tan wrote the piece featuring the harp, believing the instrument can bring out the lyrical, feminine and romantic characteristic of Nu Shu.

Elizabeth Hainen, principal harpist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, played with the Shanghai Symphony for the Chinese premiere. She will play the piece with colleagues in Philadelphia on Oct 31, and she will be playing for the show's tour in many other countries, too.

"I hope through my instrument, I can use it as a vehicle to reach out to women that perhaps we can create our own fate, rather than be bound by fate," Hainen told China Daily before the Shanghai premiere.

Hainen identifies with Tan's commitment to going back into history.

"That's remarkable about most of Tan's work," she says.

"He documents his heritage and weaves it into this incredible symphonic music in a new, modern way. By doing this he was able to bridge the folk traditions with serious music and with a delicate balance."

Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women will premiere in the United States on Oct 31, when the Philadelphia Orchestra will play the 40-minute piece conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin.

NHK Symphony in Japan presented the global premiere in Tokyo in May.

Next year the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Holland will present the work in Europe.

For the past 20 years, Tan Dun has collaborated with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra for almost all the premieres of his works in China, says the orchestra's director Chen Guangxian.

"We were honored to record Mr. Tan Dun's Oscar-winning composition for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, too."