BEIJING, China — I feel fortunate to be part of the University Advancement media crew covering the BYUH Concert Choir tour to China and Mongolia — with performances in Urumqi, Xi'an, Beijing, Tianjin and Ulaanbaatar — from May 7-29. With this submission, I would like to depart a little from my normal coverage of the tour and share a few of my own impressions and feelings:
'Not in Kansas anymore'
After more than a year of preparation, the traveling group met in the campus choir room at 7 a.m. on May 7. About five hours later we left Honolulu International Airport on a nine-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. After a four-hour layover there, we took another six-hour flight to Urumqi, the main city in the far-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.
Having crossed the International Date Line, we arrived about 1:30 a.m. in Urumqi on May 9, to discover it was very cold and the city had just experienced a rare heavy rainstorm, because otherwise Xinjiang is mostly a vast desert. After resting we went to the Grand Bazaar ["bazaar" means "market" in many Middle-Eastern languages], which quickly made it very apparent we were barely in China.
Uyghurs comprise just under 50% of the population of Urumqi, and about 70% of the population in the province. The Uyghurs are an ethnic minority closely related to the Turkic people of the Middle East, including their language which is nearly the same as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as their songs, dances, food and Islamic faith.
The good news for the BYU-Hawaii people is that Uyghurs love many of the same things we do: food — spicy and plentiful with lots of lamb dishes; singing and dancing; and families. Everywhere we went the choir developed good rapport with the people.
Camel ride, anyone?
Some of our BYU-Hawaii students just had to go on a camel ride at the Grand Bazaar. The handler wanted 10 yuan (about $1.25) for a short ride, but because our gang is quickly catching on to the notion you bargain for just about everything in China, they got him down to 5 yuan. He agreed, but of course, at that point he also sensibly cut the length of the ride in half.
Instant Rapport / Shared Talents
In a land full of fascination, one of our most satisfying experiences has been to meet the people — especially the Uyghurs.
Our BYUH Concert Choir tour has been organized so we do exchanges with local students. We held the first such exchange at Urumqi High School on May 10. Their kids were so excited to meet the bus and share musical and dance numbers with us in the auditorium. Afterwards, everyone went out on the school playground to talk story and exchange gifts, plus allow many of them to practice speaking English. They all quickly learned "aloha" and also the shaka sign.
The same thing quickly happened with our counterparts at Xinjian University in the second exchange: Our students and theirs shared songs, dances and laughs. In fact, their officials said they never expected how successful the exchanges would be. Of course, they had never heard of the aloha spirit before, either.
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar in Urumqi is a wonderful place to explore, buy a few things and observe the people. For example, almost all of the Uyghur people are Moslems and many of the women wear a traditional head covering while a few wear the head-to-toe shroud. A lot of Uyghur men wear a doppa — the traditional four-corner hat of Middle-Eastern design that's often placed toward the back of the head. Otherwise, most of the people this time of year wear dark, plain clothing — except for the dancers, who wear a lot of colorful silks.
I was busy photographing the faces of the people and scoping out the souq [market] across the street from the Grand Bazaar. For example, I was curious why a large group of men were mingling on the sidewalk. It turned out they were buying and selling cell phones and watches. Another smaller group was looking at "rocks," which I later learned were amber [petrified resin] when a Uyghur vendor tried hard to sell me one, demonstrating how good it was by rubbing it on his face. I must admit, however — to use a phrase from back east — I don't know from amber.
There are a lot of shops in the bazaar selling barbecue lamb kabobs, and little bakeries selling nang — the traditional Uyghur sesame flat bread. One night when we returned to our hotel near midnight, after a concert, a lot of these places were still going strong.
Of course, in the bazaar you could also buy lots of leather goods, unusual jewelry, Islamic daggers and, of course, oriental silk rugs. Or how about a glass of fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice?
Gotta' dance
On our last full day in Urumqi a minor incident at the Grand Bazaar summarized part of my fascination with the people of this place: A small group of Uygher musicians were playing their exotic Middle Eastern music — with a lot of small drum sounds, tambourines, a brass horn you might associate with a snake charmer, and even an accordion — when an old, plainly dressed man felt impressed to get up and dance . . . and dance . . . and dance.
For more than a half-hour while I was watching he vigorously entertained the crowd which gathered. When he finally took a break, I felt compelled to recognize his remarkable skill and energy by making the Uyghur gesture of heart-felt appreciation — placing the right hand on the heart (toward the left shoulder). He immediately repeated the gesture . . . and then embraced me. It was a moment of pure delight.
China's ancient capital
Xi'an, China's ancient imperial capital at the head of the famed "silk road" and the modern hub of Shaanxi Province, is said to contain thousands of royal tombs and, of course, is the home of the famed terra cotta warriors. The government has created a world-class museum over and around the three pits containing those amazing sculptures.
But it is perhaps the focus on modern education that is truly the marvel of this city: We were told there are about 500,000 students attending over 700 universities here. Some of the older, established ones, have built new campuses on the outskirts of town — huge, architectural wonders.
We gained some insights into a couple of these universities — Shaanxi Normal University and Xi'an International Studies University — when we did exchanges with their students, similar to the successful ones we did with students in Urumqi. I also met two of the English language volunteers who teach in China through the David Kennedy Center at BYU Provo:
Brother Phil Wach, a retired petroleum geologist most recently from Lake Havasu, Arizona, said he and his wife absolutely love their assignment at XISU. "The freshman business English students I teach are so absolutely wonderful it's indescribable. They have so much love and respect for me and all older people. This has been an experience I can't put into words. I love to go to class and teach them."
Though it's been a little over 30 years ago since I last taught an English as a second language class, you might find my wife, Sally, and I over here doing the same one of these years.
The VIP treatment
President Eric Shumway and other members of his party accompanying the Concert Choir tour, receive the highest respect and VIP treatment here. For example, at a luncheon following the signing of an agreement between BYU-Hawaii and Shaanxi Normal University in Xi'an, the private dining room included an electric "lazy susan." Waitresses would place each major course on the device for one revolution before serving it on individual plates. The flatware was fine "China" or porcelain and some of it looked gold-plated; and the food was to die. For those of you familiar with Patti's Chinese Kitchen in Ala Moana and Windward Malls, well, it was nothing like that.
In addition, the VIP treatment usually includes a police escort with flashing lights when we travel on the freeway: Imagine that on the H-1; and, of course, President Shumway was expected to get up and dance by all the Uygher entertainers. In once case, he even danced with about a six-foot snake.
— Photos by Mike Foley
