China
- Sept/Oct 2006
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Wandering
around the streets after midnight, we find
rows of people washing all the taxis and street
food everywhere: Hundreds of people eating
amongst the smoke, the steam, the aromas of
all manner of food, both exotic and ordinary.
Our Nanjing Show was again at the University
and again great fun – more photos with
the locals after the gig. The post concert
meal was this time at a downtown restaurant
which specialises in local snacks. This was
an amazing collection of items too numerous
to mention although the two most unusual things
were a nut which grows near the waterside
encased in a shell shaped something like a
Victorian moustache or the horns of an ox:
And a cooked chicken, still in its egg. All
the while a duo sang Chinese opera while we
dined
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Due
to the cancellation of these gigs, our only
remaining work consists of keeping Robin, the
ultimate consumer, from buying everything in
China, one radio interview, and one television
appearance; Having watched a fair bit of Chinese
television, we knew that we had to bone up both
on our table tennis and acrobatics
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As
it happens it was only Alasdair who had to perform
a wee bit of acrobatics with a couple of beautiful
Yi girls from south-eastern China near the border
with Vietnam. The amazing Yi musician with them
played a number of wind instruments, most notably
a leaf (see video & pics below). This was
astounding: Not just a note, he played an entire
tune, lyrically and beautifully. We all had
a shot at a leaf – he had a whole bush
of them – and we were unanimously hopeless.
But we did hammer him at table tennis...
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On
National Day – October 1st – we
went to the Great wall. It was quiet and another
beautiful day so a great opportunity for photos.
There
is at the Great wall, a very “James
Bond” style cable car which commemorates
on its window “Prime Minister John Major
rode this carriage on a certain day in 1994”.
He must have really liked this attraction
as he evidently had a go in every car.
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Having
nights off didn’t mean that we didn’t
play music. Our hotel was situated near a bar street
adjacent to one of the embassy districts in Beijing
– San li tun – and we took the batties
guerrilla gig to the streets therein. Many an unusual
westerner we found on the streets here: Patrick who
had seen us in Pittsburgh only several months ago,
Nationals of Togo, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of
Congo, and Singapore, and the U.S.; All playing pool
here in China with the Battlefield Band
Playing
tunes placed us within the street community
of barmen, painters, street children, and “Cultural
companions” who ply their trade here in
San Li Tun. After our first Beijing session,
we were not harassed but welcomed by our new
chums.
Experiences like this are impossible to explain
and hopefully the pictures will convey some
of the incredible atmosphere in Beijing. We
had a great time in China: The kindliness, friendliness,
and hospitality with which we were met, not
only by Steven and his colleagues but also by
strangers on the streets and in the restaurants
and Markets. Thanks again to Pei, James, Mr.
Cheng Pengyang, and especially Steven Wang for
making our trip to China so enjoyable
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click here to get back to the tour diary archive
Photos
were taken by various people, one of whom may, or may not,
have been Rob Van Sante.
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