In June 2008, Li Xinmo performed her work, "The Death of the Xinkai River." The Xinkai River is one of the major rivers in Tianjin, and it once nourished the city. In recent years, however, due to urban water pollution and the excessive discharge of industrial waste, the river has become severely contaminated. Every summer, the river emits putrid smells, and a vast quantity of blue-green algae grows on its surface, covering the entire river.
In the spring of 2008, a female freshman at the Academy of Art was murdered, and her corpse was thrown into the river. In response, Li Xinmo held a performance in the Xinkai River, where she submerged herself in the polluted water. Dressed in all white, she walked into the stench of the dead water. She comments: "This beautiful river has already died. The young woman also died. Perhaps I want to intentionally make death appear before us, to make people see their crimes."
This work has two layers of meaning: one is a visit to pay homage to a river; the other is a proclamation about the issues facing Chinese women
