In 1976, following the release of the film “Storms Over the South-China Sea” produced by the PLA August 1st Film Studio, its theme song “Xisha, My Beloved Home” became a popular and much-loved tune across China.

The story of how this song came to be is also the story of the song’s composer Lü Yuan and lyricist Su Qixiong’s fateful meeting on the shores of the South China Sea almost half a century ago. What is less well known, however, is the connection between the song’s melody and the “Li-li-mei” fishing song of the fisherfolk from Lingao in Hainan.

What inspiration was drawn from the “Li-li-mei” fishing song when composing the song “Xisha, My Beloved Home”? In this installment of “Hainan Stories with Cai Pa”, Cai pays a visit to the home of the renowned lyricist Su Qixiong in Guangzhou and invites him to share his precious recollections about working on the song “Xisha, My Beloved Home” and reveal more about the intimate connection between a simple fishing song from Lingao and the classic hit made famous by an equally famous film.