In October 2008, Li Xinmo continued to focus on the subject of water pollution in her performance piece, "Farewell Ceremony," which she presented at the Dadao Live Art Festival. A giant glass box was placed in the performance space, into which she poured water collected from a river that flows from Tianjin to Beijing.
The water was polluted and emitted a foul odor. She lay in the glass box, dressed entirely in white, as the polluted water was continuously poured in until it gradually covered her body. In the freezing cold, foul-smelling water, her labored breathing and groans persisted until she was completely submerged. This marked the end of the performance. She has previously explained her work as follows: "I’m just like a fish approaching death, lying in polluted, dirty water. This is the environment in which I live. The spectators are watching the process of my death, just as many Chinese people can walk past a dying person without noticing or seeing them. Sometimes the heart can be colder than the freezing river water."
