Pu Shu's Mandopop creations stir a feeling of nostalgia that can transport listeners from their busy day to a better past. Raised in Beijing, Shu left university to compose skeletal folk songs that lay bittersweet lyrics over delicately strummed guitar. He often accents his work with unexpected elements—such as faint synthesizer notes or Soviet-era accordion—which accentuate the atmosphere of a bygone era. Shu's heartfelt sentiments and haunting guitar caught public attention around 2000, but he takes his time composing, waiting as much as a decade before putting out new material.