Rocking out a goodbye to students

The lights suddenly went out, and the audience fell silent. The drummer raised her sticks, held them aloft for a split second, then brought them crashing down.

"Hey, you in West Zone Dorm 19! What are you still doing after lights out?" "Girls in Sanli Dorm! If you don't sweep up all that hair, I'll think I've wandered into the Spider Cave!"

More than 2,000 glow sticks swayed across the arena. Onstage stood five dormitory matrons — familiar faces students had seen almost every day for years. But this was a side of them no one had seen before.

At a recent graduation concert at Hubei Engineering University in Xiaogan, Hubei province, a rock band made up of five dormitory matrons brought the house down.

The lineup featured lead singer Li Wei, bassist Zheng Jun, keyboardist Zeng Qingli, drummer Liu Shuangqing, and guitarist Zeng Huizhen. Usually seen hurrying through dormitories in work uniforms, the five women took the stage in punk-inspired outfits.

Zheng had her hair braided into tiny plaits for the first time in her life. Zeng Huizhen, who usually oversees the men's dormitories and is known for her stern demeanor, wrapped a sun-protection face covering around her head to complete her edgy look.

Averaging 50 years old, the women performed an original song, Go Shine, written for the occasion, as a heartfelt farewell to the graduating class.

The contrast between their everyday jobs and rock-star personas, combined with humorous and touching lyrics peppered with local dialect, drew wave after wave of cheers. Videos of the performance quickly went viral online.

Singer Li, 46, is the youngest in the band. She got a wild perm especially for this performance.

"My palms were sweating from nerves before going on stage. I never get flustered when chatting with hundreds of students during dorm inspections, yet standing under the bright lights of the huge gymnasium stage made my legs go weak. We kept encouraging each other right before our performance," she says.

"But the moment we stepped onto the stage and heard the students cheering, with glow sticks lighting up the crowd, all my nerves disappeared. All I could see were the kids, smiling and full of excitement."

Li has worked as a dormitory matron for four years. Her days are spent keeping dormitory records, making nightly rounds, mending torn clothes, and lining up electric scooters outside the buildings. Thanks to her outgoing personality, students affectionately call her Sister Wei.

Her favorite lyrics read: "If you're wronged and have nowhere to turn, just buy a ticket and come back. … A window in the dormitory building will always stay open for you."

"I want them to know they don't have to carry every burden alone," she adds.

Practice makes perfect

None of the five women had any real musical experience before joining the band.

"I can't even read sheet music, let alone play an instrument," says keyboardist Zeng Qingli, 49.

For a month, they rehearsed during work breaks in the dormitory duty room. With the curtains drawn and their instruments unplugged, they silently counted beats and practiced finger movements.

"We didn't want to make noise that might disturb students studying for exams or sleeping in the dorms," says Liu, the drummer.

She says the rehearsals were meant to remain a secret.

"But some students walking past the duty room late at night heard us humming and guessed we were preparing for a performance," Liu says.

"They even told us not to push ourselves too hard."

Without a drum kit at home, Liu lined up washbasins, rice bowls and pot lids in her kitchen, using chopsticks as drumsticks while following tutorial videos on her phone.

"My husband laughed at first, saying I'd turned the kitchen into a band rehearsal room," she says.

"Later, he sat with me every day, helping me keep time."

The idea for the performance began when the university's facilities and logistics department and the Communist Youth League Committee started planning a performance for the graduation concert. Graduates from the School of Literature, Journalism and Communication suggested writing a song dedicated to the dormitory matrons who had cared for them throughout their university years.

The concert's faculty adviser believed rock music best captured the energy and optimism of graduates about to begin a new chapter in life.

To create an original song, Ouyang Chengxiu and his students interviewed classmates and dormitory matrons, collecting stories that reflected everyday moments and the deep bonds between them.

The lyrics recall students pretending to be asleep when they heard the matrons' jangling keys, hiding laptops beneath blankets, tucking takeout into wardrobes, or climbing over campus walls late at night with excuses about buying medicine.

The song went through more than 10 revisions before it was finalized.

"Our concept was built around contrast and resonance," Ouyang says. "We wanted to break the stereotype that dormitory matrons are simply there to check rooms."

The five performers were selected from across the university. After speaking with them, Ouyang's team realized how many moving stories they had.

No matter how late students returned, the matrons always left a door open for them. Years after graduation, many former students still send local specialties from their hometowns or greetings during festivals. "We wove those genuine moments into the lyrics," Ouyang says.

Memories and wishes

The four-minute performance quickly went viral, drawing more than 3 million views on Sina Weibo. Many viewers say it brought back memories of their university days.

"I don't know them personally at all, but I'm in tears," one netizen writes.

Lei Wenjia, an English major who attended the concert, says she was stunned when the dormitory matrons walked onstage with their punk-inspired performance.

"The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. It made this graduation concert a truly unforgettable experience," she says.

For Lei, the song was filled with memories, heartfelt reminders and warm wishes. "I'll carry all of them with me as I begin the next chapter of my life," she says.

To Lei, the matrons were more than dorm supervisors. They reminded students to close their windows before it rained and to pack warm clothes when temperatures dropped, comforted them when they were upset, and shared their happiest moments.

Cao Yixi, who graduated with a degree in primary education, describes the matrons as dependable guardians who were always there whenever students ran into trouble.

"They could solve almost anything," she says. "Once I dropped something into a drain, and my dormitory matron lent me a long pair of tongs to retrieve it. It felt like there was nothing she couldn't do, and we could always turn to her for help."

Two days after the June 14 concert, at the university's graduation ceremony, Zeng Qingli fought back tears as she addressed the graduating class.

"There won't be any aunties reminding you to turn off the lights at night anymore. But I hope you'll always keep a light burning in your hearts and remember to take good care of yourselves," she says.

Zeng Qingli's duty room is like a treasure chest for over 3,400 students: sewing kits, bike pumps, screwdrivers, first-aid kits, and umbrellas. It stocks all kinds of daily supplies students might need. A well-worn registration book bears dense records of key and item borrowings. On average, at least five or six students come to her every day, and she always greets them with a smile.

"It feels like only yesterday that I watched them move into the dormitories," she says. "And now, it's time to say goodbye."

The five women shared one final message with the graduates: "Go after your dreams with courage and let your light shine. If you ever feel worn out, you're always welcome to come back. Don't compare yourself with others, no matter how your life turns out. Peace, smooth days and happiness matter most.

"Stay in touch with your family and your alma mater. When you have time, come back to Xiaogan and Hubei Engineering University. The corridors will still feel familiar, and we'll still be here. Just call out to us when you return, and we'll greet you with a smile and ask, 'Have you eaten yet?'"