The term "Hu" in China refers to the foreign peoples from the north and the Western Regions. The European title "Serindia" (derived from "Seres" for silk and "India") represents a region influenced by both silk and India. As stated in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, "Account of Dayuan": "West of Dayuan, as far as Anxi (Persia), their customs are largely similar, their languages are mutually intelligible, and all have deep-set eyes and abundant beards." The composer's imagery is rooted in places such as "the upper reaches of the Tarim River, the eastern foothills of the Pamir Mountains at the western end of Xinjiang, and the fairyland of Kashgar." The piece consists of two sections, slow and fast, with the slow introductory section performed solely by the violin.