Our very first activity in China (after a sleep-deprived breakfast at the hotel) was a morning rehearsal at 10am. Let me tell you, after a full day of traveling plus very little sleep, focusing on playing the violin, even as a professional, is not an easy task. Luckily it only lasted about an hour. The music director, Mr. E wanted to give the cello and bass players a chance to get used to their new instruments since they had brand new ones made for them specifically for this trip. (Travelling with large stringed instruments is not the best idea. The smaller instruments such as violin and viola are easier to transport since they can be taken on the plane as a carry-on.) After our rehearsal, we headed over to lunch at another hotel. They booked the conference room just for our tour group. It was the first time all of us were in the same room in China, including three student/alumni groups, a patron group (those who wanted to come along for the ride) and all chaperones and staff, upwards of around 125 people. We were treated to a delicious authentic Chinese lunch, “Lazy Susan” style. So good! Afterward, we enjoyed a show put on by a fantastic mask-changer. He pulled Mr. E onstage for a little dress-up. Oh, what he had to put up with on this trip! The next stop of the day was a visit to the Forbidden City, where we got to see just a few of its magnificent 9,999 rooms and its stunning ancient Chinese architecture. We then briefly stopped by Tiananmen Square, where I got my first glimpse of what it’s like to be a white person in China. We had separated into smaller groups to explore the square and were stopped several times by natives asking us to have our picture taken with them. It was kind of fascinating. I tried not to notice all the stares people were giving us. I felt like somewhat of a celebrity. Afterward, we headed back to the hotel for a buffet dinner and then a few of us walked across the street to window shop at the mall. I discovered some fun food products at the upscale supermarket inside the mall and started using my math skills to convert Chinese yuan into American dollars. Fun fact: 100 yuan is about 16 dollars. So, I got really good at figuring out 16% of a price. Another funny thing we learned from Maggie earlier is that the phrase for “thank you” and “take a shower” are really close in pronunciation. So, you’d better make sure you know what you’re saying after someone gives something to you.
One of the first things I noticed about Beijing is the very thick smog. We never fully saw the sun during the four days we were there. The air is so thick one can practically feel it. Within the first couple days, I developed a sore throat and stuffy nose because of it. It went away immediately when we arrived in the second, smaller city, Yantai. There are tons of people in the big city, more than I’ve ever seen before! If you’re in someone’s way, you will get pushed. The drivers, including buses, cars, mopeds and bikes simply don’t care how they drive, just as long as they get there. I’ve never heard so much honking in one place. If you are a pedestrian, you’d better watch out because they won’t stop, they’ll simply honk for you to get out of the way. The lines separating the lanes on the streets are blurred, figuratively. They just drive wherever they want. There are a great number of very poor people who live in Beijing. One street after another was filled with hutongs and dirty apartment complexes. Laundry would be hung out to dry outside one’s window. Trash all over the street and vendors constantly in your face trying to sell merchandise at unbelievable low prices, one wonders how they can make a living. Buildings consist of modern Western and old Chinese architecture. There is no room to build out, so they build up. Even the apartments are sky-high. But, despite all that, the people are some of the nicest I’ve met. They welcomed us like I never expected. Plus, it is so green! The landscaping is exquisite everywhere you go. Day one of Beijing was just the tip of the iceberg.
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