China Japan Tour 2008

Overview

From May 19 - June 1, 2008 the Notre Dame Concert Band toured China and Japan. The trip included stops in four different cities, each providing us a different glimpse into Chinese culture and history. In Beijing we saw the Chinese capital as it prepared to host the 2008 Summer Olympics as well as the historic Forbidden City and Tianmen Square. Xi'an is the ancient capital of China and home of the famous Terracotta Warriors. Shanghai is China's most modern city and home to over 18 million residents. The final stop, Tokyo, offered a look at the famous city and Japanese culture. Below is a brief account of each stop on the tour.

The Olympics are a part of why we chose to visit China and not only did we have the opportunity to see some of the Olympic venues like the Bird's Nest (the brand new Olympic Stadium) and the Beijing National Aquatics Center, but our concerts also featured Olympic themed music during our as well as the premiere of a brand new piece written especially for our tour and the Beijing Olympics by Dr. Ken Dye.

The 2008 Olympic Suite for Band was inspired by the fuwa (mascots) of the Beijing games. Each mascot carries a different blessing, represents one of the Olympic rings, and excel at different sports. The mascots represent four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Antelope, the Swallow, and the Olympic Flame. Each fuwa has a repeated two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei the Fish, Jingjing, the Panda, Huanhuan, the Olympic Flame, Yingying the Antelope, and Nini the Swallow. When their names are said together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," The Olympic Suite for Band was composed in five movements each featuring the traits of one of the Fuwa.

Beijing

The time in Beijing included visits to some of the most famous sites in China. The highlight for many was the visit to the Great Wall of China. There are five sections of the Great Wall near Beijing and we toured the Badaling section. We were given 90 minutes to climb as much as we could and many people traversed a substantial section of the wall. The scale of the wall and terrain that it is constructed through is breathtaking.

The next day we visited the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world and it is framed by many of China's most famous landmarks. Chairman Mao Zedong's mausoleum sits to one side of the square, a huge building described by our guide as "China's Parliament" sits to the another side, the Chinese Museum of Natural History to another side, and the Forbidden City to another. Chairman Mao's presence is still felt very strongly throughout China. His books are sold by street vendors throughout Beijing and his portrait adorns the entrance to the Forbidden City.

On our final day in Beijing we visited the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. The Summer Palace is outside of Beijing and located in the hills where it is on a body of water and typically is much cooler than Beijing. The Temple of Heaven is a beautiful structure constructed with no screws or nails. The emperor would visit this temple two times each year and pray for a good harvest and other blessings.

The Band performed two concerts in Beijing. The first at a small venue at a local university. The second concert was in the beautiful Beijing Concert Hall, a very modern and stunning venue. Both performances were well attended and the Beijing audiences enjoyed the concerts very much. Below is footage from our performance at the Beijing Concert Hall.

Xi'an

We were told by our guides that if one wants to truly understand China they need to see Shanghai, to see China's future, Beijing to see China's present, and Xi'an to see China's past. The city is the ancient capital of China and is home to some of the most remarkable monuments of ancient China.

Our stay in Xi'an was brief but very memorable. The band presented a concert at Xi'an Communications University. We were greeted by a large group of students studying english. They accompanied us to dinner and it was a great opportunity to interact with the each other and make new friends. The concert was dedicated to the earthquake recovery efforts and the effects of the disaster could be felt strongly in the area. Our instruments were transported on a separate flight in order to make room for relief supplies and while we were driving to the university our guides pointed out several trucks carrying relief supplies to the earthquake area.

The Terracotta Warriors are not far from Xi'an and we had the opportunity to tour this amazing site during our visit. The warriors were constructed for the Emperor of Qin, Shi Huang Di to help him rule another empire in the afterlife. The soldiers are displayed in several pits that are still being excavated. Each statue tells a different story and no two statues are identical. One can tell the rank of the soldier by the style of their hair and according to our guide, in many cases you can tell what region of China the warrior may be from by the expression on their face.

We also visited the City Wall of Xi'an. The Wall was constructed during the Ming Dynasty beginning in 1370 and is extraordinarily well preserved. Xi'an uses the Wall still to this day. The area around the wall is used as a park and people can ride bikes, run, or walk all along the top of the wall. Many of the band members rented bicycles during our visit and were able to see a large area of Xi'an and appreciate how difficult this wall would have been to construct.

Shanghai

The final stop in China was Shanghai, China's most populous city with over 18 million residents. We performed at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of China's finest schools. The concert hall on their campus was excellent and we performed for an enthusiastic audience of over 1,000 people. We toured the "Bund" area one of the evenings. This area is along the waterfront and has a spectacular view of the Shanghai skyline. The waterway was busy with activity, everything from fishing boats to large container ships past the Bund.

One of the most prominent landmarks in the Shanghai skyline is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Some members of the band had the opportunity to travel to the top of the tower and enjoy the view. The view was breathtaking from inside the tower. One could see the entire waterfront as well as most of the business district of Shanghai. The lower levels of the tower also housed a museum, roller coaster, and shopping area.

Our other stops in Shanghai included visits to a silk fabric factory, the Shanghai Bazaar, and the Yu Garden. On the last evening in Shanghai we attended an acrobatics show. The show featured a slew of daring stunts and remarkable feats including six motorcycles driving full speed inside a metal sphere, a man balance himself 20 feet in the air on top of stacked chairs, 12 people ride one bicycle.

Tokyo

Our final stop of the tour was Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo is a modern city and had many of the western ammenities that we were accustomed to. We performed a brief concert at the Yamaha musical instrument factory in Hamamatsu, Japan. To get from Tokyo to Hamamatsu we took a bullet train. The train traveled at a speed of over 170 miles per hour and was an extremely efficient way to travel between the two cities. Yamaha was a tremendous host. They provided us with a nice outdoor venue to perform for their employees and also gave us an in-depth tour of their factory. We were able to see the entire process of how trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and custom woodwind instruments are made. The craftsmanship was extraordinary and everyone left with a greater understanding of what goes into the making of a quality instrument.

We visited many sites in Tokyo including the Emperor's Palace, the National Diet Building (Tokyo's governmental building), a Buddhist temple, a Shinto shrine, and had time to explore the many shopping opportunities that Tokyo provides.

The tour was a huge success and the experiences that the students had will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Everyone left Asia with a new respect and understanding for their ways of life and a better grasp on the history of the area.