Encore! Encore!

The Claflin University Concert Choir performed Chinese folk songs in a mass concert in the Forbidden City Concert Hall on June 14.

Entry Seven: Welcome to Shanghai

We had the most turbulence of the entire trip on the way the Shanghai. It was certainly a rocky ride, but we made it here safely. The students did great. This experience will allow them to be able to fly anywhere they want to, nationally and internationally.

 

Our new tour guide is James, who grew up in a small town near Shanghai and migrated here. The choir will perform their second concert here Tuesday night. The first concert in Beijing went very well. Claflin looked and sounded marvelous on that stage. The concert was well attended and the reception was more that gracious. The Chinese especially liked when the choir sang a Chinese song, and Salsaeo drew a thunderous applause as well. Dr. Larry Wyatt did a great job directing the mass choir.

 

Shanghai is like New York to the third power. Seriously. There are skyscrapers upon skyscrapers upon skyscrapers. The city is very modern. Like Julia said earlier, it’s the future of China.

 

All of the hotels we’ve stayed in are nice, but this one is very modern and gorgeous. The students are very happy about that.

 

Shanghai has little history in comparison to Beijing and Xi’an, being just 200 years old. Beijing is the political center of China, and Shanghai is the economic center. People come to Shanghai to make a living. There’s every business you can name and people everywhere. Shanghai has twice as many people as Beijing, more than 15 million. The streets are crowded with people. The roads are stacked on top of one another. Hugh skyscrapers housing apartments line the streets. The city is bursting at the seams, and continuing to grow.

 

Because the people here are more exposed, the pointing and staring has lessened. We are still the center of attraction though. We visited the silk factory on Monday and learned how the Chinese make their precious silk. The Chinese discovered silk worms by chance 5,000 years ago. It has become one of their signature products. We saw the cocoons and how the silk is spun. We also saw how they make silk bedding.

 

We also visited Nanjing Road, a pedestrian shopping area some in our group likened to 125th Street in New York. The street was lined with department stores. The students have become accustomed to peddlers and vendors, who approach us each time we exit the tour bus either asking for money or trying to sell something. They are also getting a lesson in bargaining, as many Chinese vendors give foreigners the highest price, then bargain with us to make the sale. I tell you, some of the students are pros at this.

 

After seeing an amazing performance by the Chinese Acrobats, we returned to the hotel to prepare for our last day. The students will perform at the Oriental Art Center on Tuesday night. We leave for home Wednesday morning. 

 

By the way, the official tree of Shanghai is the Magnolia tree.

 

- Charlene Slaughter

 

More pics from the Silk Factory…

Nanjing Road…

Entry Six: Meeting Alex

We’ve met several Americans in passing here in China including Mr. Alex Brenner, a teacher and freelance journalist in Beijing. Alex is a native of Columbia and found out we were in China from a friend who works at The State newspaper. He got in touch with us via email, so we gave him a call and he had dinner with us on our last night in Beijing. Alex interviewed some of the students and asked about their experiences in China so far.

 

The students asked him questions about his experience coming from South Carolina and living in China. We learned some very interesting things about China from an American point of view.

 

Alex lives in an apartment, as most people in Beijing do. He said his apartment is smaller than what we are used to in South Carolina. He moved to China seven years ago to earn a master’s degree at a local university. He says he is still learning Chinese, even after seven years, and is sure it is something he will be learning for life.

 

He doesn’t drive because getting a license as a foreigner is very difficult and expensive. He doesn’t worry about crime at all. There may be pick pockets and other minor offenders, but nearly no major crime, certainly not against a foreigner as the penalty is harsh. He wasn’t surprised that the Chinese point and stare at us and ask to take pictures as we walk pass or ride by in the tour bus. Chinese people aren’t accustomed to seeing Black people and there is a slight superiority complex at play. The presidential race in America may change the opinions of African-Americans around the world, he said.

 

Unfortunately, we were pressed for time and Alex had to go work on another story. His insight was valuable. He has promised to keep in touch via email.

 

- Charlene Slaughter

Entry Five: What a “Great Wall”…!

The day we climbed the Great Wall was a gloomy day. It was rainy and cool with a thick fog covering the sky. We got a late start and ran into a massive traffic jam which occur frequently on  Beijing’s busy streets. Our time at the Great Wall was cut because of it. Since we were sitting in traffic so long, Julia, our tour guide, gave us a bit of history. 

 

China was once divided into seven countries, all separated by walls hand made by the common people. Once the country was unified, all of the walls were ordered to be torn down, except the northern wall. The emperor wanted to keep the Mongolian people out of China, so he ordered that the northern wall stay up and be extended. We saw the Ming Dynasty portion of the great wall, which is built out of brick. Other parts are made of rocks and clay. The Great Wall is 4,000 miles long and only five sections have been preserved well.

 

The wall is massive. It is absolutely hard to believe that it was man-made. We were told that we could climb the wall as far as we wanted to go. There was no end so how far we went was up to us. So we set off. The students were very ambitious at first, as were the adults that decided to give the wall a climb. The wall is steep and the views from it are spectacular. I looked up at the thousands of steps and common sense told me that I had been to the wall, seen it, took photos, and that was enough. But climbing the Great Wall is a once in a lifetime experience. I had to climb some of the Great Wall.

 

So I and a host of others – Dr. McGee, Mrs. Myrtle McDaniel, and nearly all of the students – set off the climb the wall. The first leg wasn’t so bad, so we decided to go further. The second leg was a bit grueling, at least for me and a few others in the group, but we made it. The farther you go up, the steeper the steps get. You also get a little light headed because of the elevation. I had to move to the side and grab the guard rail. I literally had to pull myself up the steps because of the steepness. After that leg, I felt that my duty was done. I am one of the people who can say I climbed the Great Wall.

 

Many of the students braved the third leg, but that’s as far as anyone went.

 

It’s hard to express how I felt up so high on that wall that day. There was a great sense of history and power, and superiority and oppression when you think about the wall’s purpose. And you can’t help but think about all those years the common people spent building that wall. And how they would feel knowing that even a great wall couldn’t stop progress. 

 

Again, this trip is such a wonderful experience for the students. They have had the opportunity to visit two of the Eight Wonders of the World – the Terra Cotta Soldiers Museum and now the Great Wall.

 

Now that’s powerful.

 

- Charlene Slaughter

In Concert at the Forbidden City Concert Hall

In the Forbidden City…

Entry Four: We Are the World…

According to many members of the Concert Choir, the highlight of the tour came at a local school in Beijing, China. Claflin participated in an exchange concert at Yu Xin School in Beijing along with the concert choir from the University of South Carolina and two choirs from the school. The choirs exchanged gifts during the performance.

 

“Different nationalities, different color of skin, we have the same young face,” said Yu Xin School President Zhang Jin Cheng. “Different nationalities, different areas of the country, we have the same wonderful dream. The magnificence of the Great Wall gives everyone joy and the sunshine of the Carolinas gives everyone joy as well. … let us sing for the Olympic games, let us keep the same dream for our future. You students can make close friendships that will carry across the sea. One world, one dream.”

 

Following USC’s performance, a choir made up of elementary children took the stage dressed in magnificent red Chinese choir robes. Their selections included a rendition of “We are the World” sang in English. It was a touching tribute to the different cultures coming together to fellowship and share music with one another.

 

Claflin performed last, and earned a standing ovation. The students exchanged gifts with the Chinese children and the president of the school presented Claflin with a special gift of artwork. Trustee Nancy Young presented a gift from Claflin to Mr. Cheng on behalf Claflin.

 

After the concert, the choir members mingled with the Chinese students, who were very receptive and enthusiastic – posing for pictures and singing American songs for them. We had to tear the students away from the Chinese students. The choir received many compliments for their singing and the way they interacted with the students. As we were leaving, several students expressed how profound the experience was for them.

 

“That was by far the best experience,” said Chase Graham. “I feel like I can stay in China now.”

 

As is often the case, the spirit of the Olympic theme “One World, One Dream” resonates easiest with the youth. Seeing the excitement on the Chinese children’s faces and the enthusiasm from the choir members – at that moment, they were all the same, despite their differences. They were all connected by music.

 

“This is truly what it’s all about,” said Dr. Isaiah McGee. “We will always remember and cherish performing here and interacting with these kids. Words cannot express the joy we feel right now.”

 

- Charlene Slaughter

 

Entry Three: The Past, Present and Future

 

Beijing, China, is crowded.

 

 

There are tall skyscrapers for miles and miles; people, cars and bicycles are everywhere.

 

 

The concert choir is visiting three cities on this tour, Xi’an which our tour guide there called the grandfather of China. Thus, Beijing is the son and Shanghai is the grandson. Or, as Julia, our tour guide throughout the trip describes it, Xi’an is the past, Beijing represents the present and Shanghai is the future.

 

Other than everyone speaking a different language, it’s really not that much of a culture shock.

 

Well, maybe just a little.

 

We can’t drink the tap water or have ice and other foods. The bathrooms are a little different. One thing’s for sure, we are the center of attention wherever we go, Chinese people don’t get the opportunity to see African-Americans often, especially up close, so the choir members are constantly being stopped and asked to take pictures with the locals. Sometimes they point or stop and stare, smile and wave. The choir members take it all in stride, graciously posing for photographs and attempting to communicate with the Chinese people. On many occasions, they go a step further and sing a song for them.

 

The Claflin University Concert Choir is a hit here in China.

 

Sometimes we feel like celebrities.

 

- Charlene Slaughter

Greetings from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing!

Entry Two: Good Fortune

In China, we’ve learned a lot about feng shui. It’s the Chinese belief in human order and luck. For example, our tour guide Julia told us that scientists say Beijing will never be hit by an earthquake, although it is located on the center of the earthquake line.

 

“Beijing is built on a rock like a turtle’s back,” she said. “That’s good feng shui.”

 

The Concert Choir has been in China for several days now. We’ve toured the Temple of Heaven and visited Tianmen square in Beijing. The choir has performed for all who ask – in restaurants, on the steps of the Temple of Heaven and for workers in a jade factory, China’s most precious stone.

 

In China there is meaning to everything. Wearing jade will protect you from evil. Fish tanks are everywhere because the water and the fish represent good fortune. Place a sculpture of Chinese cabbage in your house with the roots facing outside and good fortune will come into the home. However, if you point it the wrong way then the fortune will flow out of the home. The list goes on.

 

The choir is truly filled up with song. On our way to a venue, they will often begin singing on the bus. Sitting there watching scenes and sights of Beijing pass by through the tour bus window and listening to them sing is remarkable. Their ability to relate to people through song is as strong on the other side of the world as it is at home.

 

Julia says if you believe in feng shui, it really works and is good for you. If you don’t believe in feng shui, she says, it’s still true. Somehow, I believe the people who are on this trip representing Claflin are supposed to be here; each and every one of us. We have had nothing but good fortune on this trip since leaving Claflin. There have been no flight problems, no serious illness, and the choir members have been true ambassadors for the university.

 

Is this because of good feng shui? I won’t say that it’s not.

 

- Charlene Slaughter