With all of their concerts behind them the boys of the Georgia Boy Choir were in good spirits when they awoke on Sunday morning to go visit a local school in Kunming. Upon arrival, they were greeted by a welcoming committee of teachers and students specially dressed for the occasion. After a short tour of the large facility, they were able to witness the schoolchildren performing their daily exercises. This was a spectacle which left the Americans slack-jawed.
Friday morning the Georgia Boy Choir woke happy and refreshed, still reveling in the overwhelming reception they received at the previous evening’s concert. The boys still had some Chinese currency burning a hole in their pockets, so they headed to a place called “The Bird Market,” an area of winding streets filled with various venders selling wares of all kinds, including many varieties of plants and animals such as birds, squirrels, rabbits, lizards, fish, turtles, beetles, worms, and even wombats. While this was exciting and interesting to see, fortunately, there were also many vendors with terrific souvenirs which would actually fit into a suitcase. It is wonderful to see the boys shopping not only for themselves, but for souvenirs to take home to their friends and family members as well. A lot of thought is put into each gift, and the boys are really good at bargaining for the best deal.
On Tuesday afternoon, after having had one more marvelous feast, courtesy of the kind folks at the Chengdu Children’s Television Station, the Georgia Boy Choir filed into the Chengdu Railway Station for the 20-hour train ride to the city of Kunming in the southern part of China. After settling into their bunks, the boys broke out their playing cards and board games and enjoyed playing together while traveling past some of the most remarkable scenery any had ever seen. As the elevation began to rise, the train followed its serpentine route over and through the mountainous region, passing rivers, and valleys, large cities and small villages.
The ancient city of Luodai sits in the hill country about 10 miles outside the city of Chengdu. It is noted for its typical Chinese architecture which has been remarkably preserved over the years. Its narrow streets are filled with quaint shops and restaurants, and vendors peddling their wares. The primary structures are Guild Halls which in ancient times were gathering places for various trade unions. On the town square there is a large stage which is hundreds of years old. When the Georgia Boy Choir arrived in the rain on Sunday morning, they found that the entire back wall of the stage was filled with an enormous banner proclaiming the concert they were to give later that day.
Morning came very early on Friday for the members of the Georgia Boy Choir in China. There was a plane to catch. After a couple of days in Beijing, an overnight train, and a day in Xian, it was time to move on to the metropolis of Chengdu, about a 90-minute plane ride south east of Xian. Located in the Szechuan province, Chengdu prides itself as “The cleanest city in China.” With a population of almost 11 million people, it is almost double the size of our own home town.
There is perhaps no greater symbol of the country of China than the Great Wall. It is centuries old and extends for more than 4000 miles across the massive continent. On Wednesday morning the Georgia Boy Choir had the amazing opportunity not only to see the Great Wall but to walk on it. The portion of the Wall where we went is a short bus ride from downtown Beijing. It extends from one mountaintop to another with extremely steep stairs. Have you ever wondered why you hear people refer to “climbing” the Great Wall?
Tuesday morning the sun came up early. Our bodies and minds are a little confused because of the 12-hour time difference between here and home. So as we were arising and eating breakfast, our friends and family in the US were eating Monday evening’s supper. And as they retired for the evening, our Chinese adventure was just getting started.
Early, early on Sunday morning, while most of the world was still asleep, the 29 members of the Georgia Boy Choir Touring Choir (the combined forces of the Concert Choir and Young Men’s Ensemble), met under the watchful eye of the Dinosaur skeleton in the atrium of Atlanta’s Hartsfield/Jackson airport. After a few tearful goodbyes, they lined up and boarded a plane, ultimately bound for a 17-day concert tour to China. They actually boarded two planes, one headed to Dallas, the other for Chicago, but after a couple of connecting flights, everybody reunited in Tokyo, and flew together to Beijing where they are all now resting peacefully in their hotel beds.