Read this Smithsonian article about the Great Wall!

Sunday, June 15 - The PYA Tour "Farewell" concert was presented in the courthouse plaza in Redwood City! It was quite well attended!

Monday, June 16 - Packing Day.

Thursday, June 19. Our first full day in China. After breakfast we left the hotel to visit and perform at the Great Wall, at a location near Beijing. On the way, we stopped for a peaceful stroll through the Ming Tombs, where 13 of the Ming Dynasty Emperors are buried. At the Great Wall we quickly set up and performed a 1/2-hour concert, then had time to climb as far as we could on the diabolical steps of the barricade. We had a dim-sum lunch and tour of a Cloisonné factory, then saw an exciting performance by Chinese acrobats. Finally, we had a traditional Peking Duck dinner.

Friday, June 20. This morning we drove to the Summer Palace, which is on the outskirts of Beijing. It covers a huge area, and includes a man-made lake, and a man-made mountain. We spent the morning there, walking and shopping. After lunch, we drove to the National Library Concert Hall, where we rehearsed and presented a joint concert with the Beijing May 1st Symphony Orchestra of the Beijing Broadcasting Radio Station. This is a "community orchestra" with several conductors. We had a pretty good audience. After dinner we went to the Beijing equivalent of "5th Avenue" or the Ginza and spent an hour shopping. Very large modern (and often familiar) shops. It has been very grey in Beijing, and this evening we had light showers. It cooled things off some.

Saturday, June 21. The day started out well - the sun finally came out in Beijing. It was pretty clear, and over 100 today. We saw the Tianan'men Square and the Forbidden City ( a LONG walk). We visited a pearl factory. We had the usual Chinese lunch and dinner. We visited a really neat park. The concert situation was confusing - things kept getting rescheduled, even down to the last minute. We finally got to perform at 7:30, and our hosts knew we had a 45-minute program. However, some middle-level Commissar decided that we should be done by 8, and at that time, after much backstage shouting (while PYA was performing) he ordered the Stage Crew to remove us from the stage. Which they began to do. PYA had enormous support from the audience - it consisted of PYA parents and hundreds of student musicians from all over the world - but the incident was ugly, and the Orchestra was very upset (and outraged, and hurt), and the tour guides were in tears - for them this was a huge embarrassment, for their people and their land. So the day did not end so spectacularly. The performance was spectacular, and very much appreciated.

Tomorrow we leave Beijing for Quinhuangdao, where we have another performance in the evening. After that it is sightseeing until we leave!

Sunday, June 22. The fog returned today, but in spite of that, today was a better day. We drove to Qinhuangdao - about 4 hours. (we are staying and performing in a district of Qinhuangdao called Beidaihe). When we arrived, we were greeted with a banquet featuring some local government people (best food we've had by far!). We then were taken to the Olympic Park, where they performed part of their water-and-sound show (lights are ineffective at 3 PM...). We walked around in the park, and saw the especially nice Olympic Wall. We had a short rehearsal in the concert hall; dinner; and our concert at 7:30. The concert went well (and we played through to the end of it!) We had pictures with the local dignitaries, and now the musical part of the tour is complete. Tomorrow we visit the "beginning" of the Great Wall.

Monday, June 23. We were awakended at 5:30 with an extremely loud thunderclap. Today has been very rainy. In spite of the weather, we took the buses through Qinhuangdao to the beginning of the Great Wall at "Old Dragon Head." Here the Great Wall extends a short distance into the sea. We also walked around at the place on the Great Wall called "The First Gate of Heaven." We had lunch, and then organized activities in Beidaihe the afternoon - shopping, staying at the hotel, visiting a hydroponic garden center, walking to the beach.
At 7 we had a buffet dinner (a welcome change) and a dance party at a club next door. This was a lot of fun, until the rain came and soaked everybody. So the day ended as it began - with a thunderclap - and we dragged our wet bodies back to the hotel and to bed.

Tuesday, June 24. Sunny this morning! We left Beidaihe a little before nine. On the way to Tianjin, the sun disappeared, and the haze re-emerged. We got to Tianjin around noon. We had lunch (buffet style) at the Astor Hotel where we are staying. Then we checked in. At 2:30 we were scheduled to leave for shopping in a bazaar-like area in Tianjin. We expected to have our luggage by then, but it was late. We had a couple hours of shopping time (and discovered some expert hagglers!). Then we visited the Cathay Future Children's Art Center. We were treated to a short concert of dance, singing, flute and Erhu performances, and martial arts. Then we had dinner with these young kids. When we got to the hotel at 9, the luggage had arrived! Yay! Tomorrow we go back to Beijing.

Wednesday, June 25: Sunny this morning in Tianjin, but we left for Beijing, and on the way the sun gave way to haze and then rain. We arrived in Beijing at around noon, and went to the Temple of Heaven. Lunch followed, then a check in at the hotel, and shopping finally in the downtown Beijing shopping area. This area is on a par with any other big city in the world...
Dinner at the hotel, and skits and awards by the buses.
Tomorrow most of us leave for the airport at 8 AM ... in 24 hours or so we will be home.