Alumni and friends tour to China returns

While Concordia’s Wind Ensemble performed in some of China’s major concert halls in May of 2007, the university's alumni office coordinated a companion tour of China for alumni and friends of Concordia. The group safely returned to the United States May 28.

Concordia President Brian Friedrich and First Lady Laurie Friedrich hosted, along with Jan Koopman, director of alumni and university relations. The tour offered participants at least two occasions to hear the University Wind Ensemble in concert halls and tour members also had the opportunity to take in the assembly performances at Concordia International School in Shanghai and Hong Kong International School (HKIS).

Tour highlights:

• Attendance at two performances of Concordia University Wind Symphony’s concert tour at first-class concert halls in Beijing and Shanghai.
• Explored Shanghai’s world class architecture and discovered local folklore in the "City God’s Temple" Market.
• Visited Concordia International School in Shanghai.
• Experienced the beauty of Guilin with a cruise on the Li River.
• Discovered how tea is harvested, dried and served in a tea village in Hangzhou, “the most luxurious and beautiful city in the world” according to Marco Polo.
• Visited the extraordinary 2,200-year-old terracotta warriors of China’s first emperor in Xian.
• Traveled to the Great Wall, a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Toured Beijing, featuring Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.
• Learned about Peking traditions with an evening at Peking Opera and a banquet of Peking Duck.
• Enjoyed delicious Chinese foods of a variety of cooking styles throughout the trip.

Checking from China: E-mail reports while on the May 2007 tour

Jan Koopman, alumni director, e-mailed updates on the trip while the group of alumni and friends was on tour:

Final report:

Good Morning from Shanghai!
Monday, May 21st
 
Our day begins with our tour of Concordia International School Shanghai in the Pudong District of Shanghai - an area that truly didn't exist 15 years ago.  This campus community was organized in 1998 and there are now over 800 students.  We will meet several of our alumni and friends at CISS and enjoy a mini-reunion!
 
We are surrounded by skyscrapers that tower above us in all directions.  All of us are trying to compare Shanghai with our cities and we have concluded that all of New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, etc. wouldn't come close!  From the lush countryside and quaint architecture of Guilin to the "concrete jungle" (our Guilin guide Jeremy described it so accurately for us) of Shanghai, we have now definitely moved into the international business center of China.  It is quite evident in that now Microsoft Outlook is all in English!
 
Shanghai has given us a taste of the early 20th century when Europeans lived in "concessions" - areas set aside for their homes and businesses; in 1949 most of these elegant mansions were taken over in the revolution, subdivided into apartment units for the Chinese to more equally distribute land and housing opportunities.  In the 1980's after Mao's death, some were returned to their owners.  Today the French Concession is a trendy boutique area for the younger crowd. 
 
Last night we were treated to the famous Chinese Acrobatic Show at the Ritz-Carlton Theatre Center.  Such grace, athleticism, and sheer power keep us enthralled for 90 minutes.  Afterwards our coach took a tour of the Bund area along the waterfront to see the lights of Shanghai.  Interesting to note...if we were here during the height of summer, those lights would be turned off to conserve electric power for the residents' AC. 
 
We have seen and felt the antiquities of China, the glories of the dynasties, the central plateau of farmland and now we are in the city that is called "the future of China".  While the Beijing construction sites in preparation for the 2008 Olympics amazed us, we all seem to feel that Shanghai is a city we would want to return to again. 
 
Tomorrow we travel by coach to Hangzhou for two days on the West Lake area, a gorgeous site of gardens and a lake at the center.  This is our guide Daisy's hometown so we will truly get the feel of the area.  Having local guides has made all the difference in our understanding and perceptions of the areas.
 
All for now - til we reach Hong Kong on Thursday, May 24th, a national holiday in honor of Buddha's birthday!
 
Jan and the group of 19

Third report:

Gambay!  Literal meaning as well as we could understand: glass of joy or in English: bottom's up!
 
Tonight as we raised our glasses (beverages of choice are Coca-Cola, Sprite, beer or the ever-present bottled water) to celebrate our safe arrival in Guilin (after a 2 hour flight delay from Xi'an) our new guide Jeremy taught us "Gambay!".  He met us at the airport with a cheerful smile and great sense of humor.  He had also been sitting in an airport for several extra hours so we really appreciated his welcome.
 
For many of us, the Qin Dynasty terra cotta warriors will be a highlight of the tour.  Words and even our photos really will not be able to fully describe the entire experience.  Many of our suitcases will be a little heavier because we visited the Xian museum factory where artisans actually make exact models and life-size statues with all of the details, right down to the palm lines and fingerprint whorls. 
 
The food of the various regions we are visiting continues to be amazing in variety and quantity! The Xian dumpling banquet is a direct result of Xi'an being the center of the wheat/corn belt of China and the cuisine reflects that.  As we travel south to Guilin wheat/corn crops change over to rice with the subtropical climate and over 70" of rainfall each year. 
 
Each of our guides is teaching us about Chinese customs, history, and some politics.  As we sat at a stoplight in Xi'an a neighborhood primary school was just letting out for lunch.  Students poured out of the courtyard headed home for lunch from 12-2:30/3:00.  Wondering who would be home to greet them since our guide had said most families have both father and mother working, we learned that workers also have that same lunch hour(s).  All return to school or work until about 4 p.m. each day.
 
Wednesday afternoon, our guide was able to arrange our attendance at the Wind Ensemble concert at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, a school of 8,000 students.  Stephanie Roehrig performed her flute solo with beauty and grace.  The performance of "Stars and Stripes" always brings a good round of hand-clapping and applause.  The next time we see the group will be at Hong Kong International School the end of next week.   
 
Friday, May 18th, is the Li River cruise and visit to an art university where traditional Chinese art and calligraphy are taught. Our guide Jeremy said "be sure to bring the plastic!" For many, the river cruise through the sugarloaf mountains in the mist of Guilin will be a highlight.  The weather has turned much cooler and we did arrive today with a fine mist falling. After the heat of the last few days, we will all welcome the cooler temperatures.
 
Thank you for your continued prayers for our health and safety. 
 
Jan and the troup of 19!
  

Second report:

Greetings from Luoyang, Henan Province, China!

I am so thankful to report that we continue to be healthy (maybe a little less wealthy!) and in good spirits. Yesterday it was 94 degrees and today was about as warm, so the heat is affecting us. It makes returning to a 4-star hotel all the more wonderful!

Sunday, May 13, was a long day for us with an early morning flight on China Air from Beijing to Zengzhou, and then a road trip to the Shaolin Monastery. On the way we had lunch at the Shaolin nunnery vegetarian restaurant. I am not fond of tofu, no matter what kind of sauce you pour over it! But the nuns served us and we enjoyed the experience. The afternoon at the Shaolin monastery and the kung fu demonstration were interesting, but very crowded. The heat forced us to decide on motorized cars to various parts of the site. From Deng Feng we drove to Luoyang, the ancient capital of China, and the city of peonies.

Luoyang claims to have 800,000 peony plants (trees here), but the prime bloom time is mid-April; Chinese roses are in full bloom. Our hotel is the tallest building in the city and overlooks Peony Park, a lovely location with early morning tai chi groups which is intriguing to watch from the 21st floor! Our breakfast is on the 25th floor revolving restaurant so we are treated to a beautiful view while we eat together.

Today was devoted to the Longmen Grottoes, those world-famous landmarks of the Buddhas carved into the mountains on both sides of the Yi River and the White Horse Temple, site of the first introduction of Indian Buddhism into China. The Emperor Li wanted the peace and harmony he dreamed about one night and one of his Chinese wise men told him it could be found in the west (Indian Afghanistan) so he brought two monks to China. They came on white horses who died in China and thus the temple was named for the horses.

Perhaps the most memorable part of Luoyang will be the water banquet (soup banquet) we had last night - 8 hot dishes and 16 soups! It was overwhelming! For most of us, today's "traditional" Chinese food (sweet and sour pork, noodles, etc.) was much more palatable. The quantities of food we are being served means most of us are appreciating the amount of walking we are doing each day!

Tomorrow we take a motor coach to Xi'an; an interesting note there is that our guide from Henan province cannot lead our group in Xi'an province, so we will be met at the border by another motor coach and guide to take us the rest of the way and stay with us in Xi'an. After a long drive we will be ready to tour the Terra Cotta Archaeology Museum and then see the actual terra cotta warrior statues.

Blessing to you all and please continue your prayers for our safety and good health!

Jan Koopman and the alumni & friends group of 19

First report:

Nianhao! Hello from your alumni in China!

We had a great flight from Omaha via O'Hare to Beijing with little difficulty of meeting all of our travelers coming from various parts of the U.S. (Boston, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, and of course, Nebraska) All of our time clocks were a little off because the sun never set on the entire flight as we flew over the Arctic, across Siberia, down into Beijing. Blue skies and brilliant sunshine all the way.

What an amazing mass of people with dozens holding up signs to find their American visitors. I was very glad to see "Concordia University-Nebraska"! Our national guide is David, a university graduate whose English is excellent, but even better, he has a great sense of humor - about Americans and Chinese! We are learning so much, trying to take it all in, enjoying absolutely sumptious meals in restaurants that are stunning in decor, color, and atmosphere.

Friday, May 11th, was spent at the Forbidden City and the Hutong District; for all of us the rickshaw ride was delightful, if a little scary, as rickshaws, cars, and buses all seemed to try to occupy the same lane, often in opposite directions!

Beijing is definitely in the "2008 Olympics" mode; build it big and build it fast! The "birdnest" is an amazing structure! Beijing is the "city of roses"; between all lanes of major highways, and along streets there are wonderful displays of huge rosebuses in a rainbow of colors. How they stay so healthy in a city where air quality is poor is a wonder. David says its the fertilizer!

Friday evening was our first time to meet up with Wind Ensemble and I can vouch for a few teary eyes as we all caught sight of each other at the Chinese Traditional Folk Orchestra Concert Hall at Beijing Union University. They performed beautifully, joined with the Beijing Orchestra, for a rousing Sousa march, A Mighty Fortress, and the closing number "Tequila"! Definitely a standing ovation!

Our evening ended with dinner at the Dai Village Restaurant with the Dai dancers and another amazing meal. There are 55 ethnic minorities in China, and the Dai are exquisite dancers with many similarities to Bali dance and music. Menu items that seem universal are Coca-Cola, Sprite, and beer!

Today, Saturday, May 12, we are off to the Great Wall, the Ming Dynasty tombs, and then shopping at the Friendship Store and market places. There's only so much history and cultural information one can take in and then it is time to shop!

Pray for our continued safety and good health. Tomorrow we have an 8 a.m. flight to Zengzhou where we visit the Shaolin monastery, the birthplace of kung fu, and begin our experience with all of the Buddhist traditions.

David, our guide, believes strongly in feng shui so we are being treated to various observations and superstitions all of which reveal a window into what we are seeing and hearing.

I hope to write a few notes again on Sunday evening in Zengzhou - until then -

Jan and all of our group of 19 alumni and friends!