From climbing the Great Wall to playing at the gorgeous Concert Hall in Xi'an with the KSU orchestra, China was an experience that will be forever ingrained in my life. It was awe-inspiring to be surrounded by a culture that is thousands of years old. Performing to audiences that were so appreciative in our efforts as a western music ensemble was quite inspiring to me.
Getting to see an actual Chinese orchestra was also quite a unique experience since most of the instruments used where foreign to most of us. The way the ensemble performed deeply impacted me because I could sense elements of pride, joy, and also the human spirit. I also found that hearing and seeing the orchestra at the Central Conservatory in Beijing will not only make us better musicians but also enriched individuals throughout our life. I sense our orchestra at Kennesaw will be able to emote much more after our experiences in China and that will become evident to local audiences in our upcoming performances in the spring semester to come.
[Jan. 3, 2011-BEIJING]]Today was another spectacular day. We started by going to the Great Wall. Normally it is about a two hour drive, but we made it in about an hour because today was a holiday in China. Also, the bus drivers here do not wait for anything. There is only one traffic rule in Beijing, that is to just go. They do not yield to anyone including pedestrians.
The Great Wall was incredible. We could climb to the top of the pass we were at, which was about half a mile straight up. It was an exhilarating feeling to reach the top. Lots of smiling faces and huffing and puffing from the orchestra. The vendors at the bottom and at each outpost were also fascinating. The students are getting quite good at negotiating with them to get good prices.
The afternoon was devoted to shopping as we visited jade and pearl factories and an antique market. Many students bought traditional Chinese instruments to bring home. After another great dinner, we watched the first part of the Peking Opera and then returned to the hotel.
We leave very early tomorrow to head to Xi'an. I feel like we have done so much in two and a half days here, but Beijing is immense. We really started to get that sense today after driving out of it towards the Great Wall. High rises as far as the eye can see. I feel like we are getting familiar with the customs in China now and I look forward to more adventures and two more concerts in Xi'an.
