Update #3 - China Tour

Tuesday, December 29, 2009, 3:00 pm local time

Monday, December 28, midnight Tucson Time

The “instrument people” are on the move again. We’ve flown from Los Angeles to North China and now are heading south across this vast country nearly to Hong Kong.

On the first leg of our journey, other travelers on the flight dubbed us the “instrument people” as we stowed violins, violas, oboes, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trombones and other musical gear into the overhead bins. In the bowels of the plane are three cellos, three bass stools, a keyboard and a sturdy 1950s suitcase with its sound system, a snare drum and stand, the very heavy bells and various other percussion items like shakers and tambourines.

We are abuzz about Dalian. As we board the steps to the plane, a few tiny snowflakes dust our shoulders. We leave 19 degree temperatures for the mid-60 in Shenzhen.

Dalian is at the tip of a peninsula between mainland China to the west and Korea and Japan to the east. It is a strategic location and the only ice-free deep-water port this far north – ruled by Russia, then Japan and now China.

This booming city is a center of import, export and finance. It is architecturally impressive, with many new skyscrapers and more on the way. This is a city in progress, the downtown a showpiece of the “new China.” As we rode the bus to the theatre yesterday afternoon we passed many blocks already reduced to piles of rubble and other old multi-story structures being readied for the wrecking ball. In other neighborhoods, the businesses have large colorful Chinese names that blur together as we pass.

Here are a few highlights of our visit:

- Tis the holiday season. Christmas is here. There were decorated trees in the Shanghai airport, Merry Christmas wreathes in the hotel, sugar-sculpture trees in the dining room and holiday carol melodies in the elevator. “Silent Night” was playing as we checked out. Preparations are well underway for Chinese New Year on Feb. 14. In the large square between our hotel and the sea trees are pruned back for winter and wrapped in tiny lights. One section features cheerful yellow leaves tied on by hand.

- As we approached our hotel, Linus told us that “Dalian is probably the most Chinese of any of the cities we will visit.” The very next thing we saw was sign for Haagen Dazs ice cream.

- Breakfast is absolutely NOT to be missed. The buffet is enormous – with fresh baked pastries, homemade jams and marmalade, a bounty of traditional breakfast choices. Boring. We are now into Chinese breakfast delicacies – eggs hardboiled in tea, curious fruits and soups: One was Congee, a milky breakfast soup to which you add ingredients ranging from chili oil and parsley to soy beans and vinegars. Another was a West China specialty – with Langzou noodles made to order as you watched. The man took a ball of dough and swiftly stretched it and twirled it to three or four feet long, then magically split it with is fingers into scores of long strands of noodles. These are deftly and quickly cooked, then served to you in a rich broth (vegetarian) with another array of intriguing toppings. (Here’s a tip: The speckled quail egg is raw. You are supposed to add it to the hot miso soup thereby cooking it.)

- Expect to see many pictures of SASO musicians hamming it up with a whimsical series of bronze sculptures by the sea. Forget the ubiquitous image of someone holding up the Eiffel Tower. Here you can drum with a sextet of jazz musicians, sit for a portrait with the artist, even step into a pair of bronze rollerblades and glide along with the kids.

- Across the street from the hotel was a curved and gilded contemporary convention center. Inside was a traditional Chinese marketplace, a maze of perhaps 200 vendors hawking their wares – everything from exotic (to us) produce and medicinal herbs to raw meat, porcelain plumbing fixtures, leather goods, clothing, textiles, artifacts, even sting rays. One savvy shopper in the midst of this cacophony scored a pair of fresh water pearls for $3.

- To meet unexpected needs we have in our travel group four people who speak Chinese (two natives), plus two doctors and one luthier who can repair string instruments. So far so good.

- Linguistically, we haven’t really encountered many challenges yet. The five-star hotel had many English speaking staff. We are nodding politely and learning to say “ni hao” (a greeting for any time of day), “xiexie” (thank you) and “quin” (please). “ching.” “Wo bu yao” (I don’t understand) also comes in handy. (These sound roughly like “knee-how,” “shay shay”and “ching.” The Chinese-to-English translations can be curious. Our hotel welcome letter said, “Weather is starting to turn cold. Please increase your clothes when you go out. Pay attention to cold.” Skim milk was labeled “weak milk.” And the toothpick that just came with our lunch read: “You are welcome to travel by our plane.”

So far we’ve traveled nearly the full length of China from north to south. We’ve seen nothing but clouds below.

- Donna Kreutz, violist