Chinese poet Su Shi gifted a piece of music to a courtesan living in the house of one of his friends for some reason. When he was kicked out of the royal court and sent to the southern part of the country due to party strife, dozens of his political partners were relegated to regions outside of the capital. Wang Dingguo was one of the friends of Su Shi who had to leave the capital. Forcibly sent to Guangxi Province in the southernmost part of the continent, it took three years or so for Wang to return to the royal court. Among many courtesans residing in his house, only Yuniang followed her master on his way out of the capital city. Su Shi listened to this faithful woman's story when he later encountered his friend. With it in mind, her silvery voice sounded music to his ears, bringing all the refreshness as if snowflakes were melting on the hot seawater of the southern land. Her smile tasted as fresh as a plum scent from the Lingnan region.
Asking her lightly what life had been like in Lingnan, Su Shi only expected her to grumble about all the difficulties of living in a remote area sickened by endemic diseases. However, she gave a surprisingly thoughtful reply, saying, “Wherever I feel at home, I call it my hometown.” Inspired by her warm-hearted and considerate way of speaking, the poet could not help but acclaim her personality. “Calming the Waves” is only a name of a tune for poetry written in the Song dynasty, irrelevant to the poem's message.