Seven Tunes heard in China is a collection of short pieces based on folk melodies from various provinces in China and Taiwan. The work was written for Yo-Yo Ma, who also released a recording of it.

While the composition draws from folk music tunes, preserving their original form is not Sheng's goal. He looks to Bartok, Kodaly, and Stravinsky as his models: "They were the ones who began a new approach to using roots music. Before them, composers just harmonized folk melodies. They didn't convey the roughness, the savageness of this music." For Sheng, the folk melodies provide a point of departure for inspiration; from there, he takes a lot of freedom. This philosophy shows in Seven Tunes heard in China, where the melodies are transfigured through different tonalities, timbres and rhythms and arranged in overlapping, contrapuntal lines.

The first tune performed tonight stems from a Qinghai melody and is accompanied by the following text:

Spring is coming,
Narcissi are blooming,
The maiden is out from her boudoir seeking,
My love boy, lend me a hand, please.

The second tune is based on a Taiwanese melody:

The train is coming,
It is going through the tunnel!