“We did it!” As LEGENDS closed to thunderous applause, South Coast Chinese Orchestra conductor Bin He spoke the words that captured more than one triumphant night—they captured three years of vision, labor, and belief.
What moved him most was not the applause itself, but what it proved: that LEGENDS had done what it set out to do—connect people and hearts through performance, and help Chinese culture overseas be truly seen, understood, and embraced.
Purpose Steady • Path Wide
For Bin He, LEGENDS was never accidental. From the start, it set out to open a cultural door through the performing arts, making Chinese culture not just a Chinese memory, but a shared language across backgrounds and generations.
At its core, LEGENDS is not simply about staging myths, but telling Chinese stories in a global language.
Bin He believes Chinese culture belongs not only to the Chinese community, but to human civilization as a whole. It should not be confined to one group, but shared, understood, and passed on as part of world culture.
As he puts it, “A closed mind leads nowhere; an open mind opens everything.” For him, LEGENDS succeeds by staying open—building a cross-disciplinary platform, drawing in community artists, and bringing Chinese culture to life on the modern stage.
Vision Builds • Arts Rise
Bin He also credited LEGENDS’ journey to the vision and support of Board Chair Janie Tsao, and to CEO Yulan Chung for creating and sustaining a platform for cross-disciplinary work.
One saw the need for Chinese culture to enter the mainstream in new ways; the other helped turn that idea into a living stage.
Because of that support, LEGENDS has become more than a performance—it is now a cultural platform that brings together artists of different backgrounds and communities.
Crossing Borders • Blending Beauty
He Bin said crossover is not a gimmick, but a cultural opening. He pointed to Side Huang and Yuan Tian, who used Latin dance in Nezha to express Li Jing and his wife. If it carries emotion and advances the story, it belongs in LEGENDS.
In his view, that is not a break from Chinese culture, but a deeper form of recognition. True cultural transmission is not about guarding one form, but inviting more people to approach Chinese culture through the artistic language they know best.
Sound Meets Light • Dreams Take Flight
The same idea shapes Chang’e Flies to the Moon. What moved Bin He most was how dance, aerials, light, image, and music all served one emotional core.
He also stressed the power of Chinese instruments to speak straight to the heart. The erhu, guzheng, and hulusi need no translation. For him, LEGENDS does not just tell audiences about Chinese culture—it lets them feel it.
Strength in Unity • LEGENDS Takes Shape
What stayed with Bin He most was not the show itself, but the team behind it. Nearly 200 performers, musicians, teachers, and crew gave their time, energy, and heart to one shared goal.
Some traveled long distances to rehearse. Others set aside school, work, and competition. For him, that shared commitment is LEGENDS’ greatest strength.
He believes LEGENDS is not just staging myths, but building a cultural path that can keep growing. As its values and spirit take shape, it becomes more than a show—it becomes a platform others can join.
So when he said, “We did it,” he meant more than one successful night. He meant that after three years, LEGENDS has found its own way: staying open, building a cross-disciplinary platform, and telling Chinese stories in a global language.
That is why the next LEGENDS chapter is even more anticipated.