In 2006, Hisaishi released a studio album, "Asian X.T.C.", the compositions of which demonstrated a significantly eclectic and contemporary Eastern style. The erhu player of the Chinese band 12 Girls Band Zhan Li Jun played in a live concert featuring music from that album. The following year, he composed and recorded the soundtrack for Frederic Lepage's film, "Sunny and the Elephant" and the Miyazaki film, "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea", both released in 2008, as well as the score for Jiang Wen's film, "The Sun Also Rises" (太阳照常升起).