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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, 2005
TRAV
VEL
CHINA ADVENTURE
Wind ensemble tours, plays for World War II commemoration
Story and photos by Kerri Henderson
Two weeks ago, I was walking past booths filled with everything from native musical instruments to tubs piled with turtles and painted chicks. Experiencing a Chinese marketplace as well as visiting the country itself were firsts for me and for the people walking with me.
I was traveling with the KU Wind Ensemble, the premier wind band at the University, composed of about 60 members and directed by John Lynch. We were asked to play for a commemorative exhibition of the World War II Flying Tigers, an American volunteer group of fighter pilots who helped during that war. Our trip lasted from May 26 to June 7 and included five performances in three cities: Chengdu, Kunming and Shenyang.
Our first performance started out a bit unnervingly. After driving down a dirt road for what seemed to be an eternity, we ended up in a building resembling a hangar. Once inside, we couldn't shake the feeling that at any point they were going to slam all the doors shut, turn off the lights and hold us hostage. We later found out this couldn't have been farther from the truth, and rough dirt roads like the one we traveled on are commonplace outside the major cities. The audience gave us a warm welcome and we surprised them halfway through our performance by changing into authentic Flying Tigers outfits, which were custom-tailored to each individual ensemble member. The costumes turned out to be a huge crowd pleaser.
Even more than the toilet paper deficit or the fun of waiting for my boiled water to cool enough to drink, I will always remember the good hospitality in China. In Chengdu and Kunming, we were greeted at the airport with signs reading "Welcome American Friends." Our tour guides, many of whom were local volunteer university students, were always eager to help us in any way they could. Their pride in their country and heritage was evident in their speech.
After five performances, lots of sightseeing and plenty of late nights, we were all ready for the trip to come to an end. I feel that I gained a lot both in life experiences and forming friendships with the talented members of our ensemble.
If it's possible, I will miss China but appreciate America even more, all for the same reasons. I learned in China that after climbing up hundreds of steps at the Great Wall, it's just as difficult if not more so to climb down, considering the Jell-O-like state of your legs. I learned that you could become skinny pretty fast if you plan to be a vegetarian in China, since even the tofu dishes are sprinkled with tiny slivers of chicken. Sometimes, if you're not sure what kind of meat or vegetable is on your plate, you just have to bite into it and hope for the best. I discovered repeatedly that it is possible to get a decent 1/2-liter of beer for about 30 cents, and an entire case for about $4. Above all else, I learned on this trip that you should never go to China without Immodium AD, but always go expecting friendly people and crowds that love to clap to a good march.
—Edited by Adam Land
Top: This pagoda structure is part of a buddhist temple, open for tourism and religious practice. The temple was built around 1000 A.D. Below: A young girl tempts the fish at a park in Chengdu.
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After climbing several hund the view below. The Wall was extreme incline.
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