In a well-decorated music studio, its walls adorned with posters of Ne Zha 2, China’s highest-grossing blockbuster, two ultrawide monitors sit atop a large desk. It’s here that Tang Hanxiao, an experienced singer and composer, who was born in Liaoyang, Liaoning Province, wrote the theme song for the film, re-recording the lyrics more than 600 times to achieve the final version.

For Tang, the creation process of Jiushi Nezha (It is Nezha), the song for the character, was a deeply personal journey — one that used music to connect with and reflect the unique personalities of the roles.

The composer says the suona, an instrument known for its stirring and powerful sound, symbolizes the courage to challenge society bias, making it a perfect match for Nezha’s bold and rebellious nature. Moved by Nezha’s courage, Tang wrote the first lyric — “I want to turn the ridiculous world upside down” — setting the scene with its bold, resolute tone. In addition to electric guitar and bass, the suona adds a soul-piercing touch. The guzheng (a plucked zither) and the pipa enhance its depth and richness.

In just three weeks, the song has amassed 3 million views on the video-sharing platform Bilibili and received more than 50,000 comments on QQ Music, a streaming service owned by Tencent Music Entertainment.

“Making art is like dreaming, you can shape a world of your own,” Tang says. “When I connected with Nezha, there was a moment I truly felt like I was him. That feeling gave power to the song.”