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"I'm longing for a visit to China"
A scene highlighting Washington is that every day large sundries of art lovers are seen in and out of the Kennedy Art Center. But to add to this human stream these two days there has appeared a new large throng of people with an artistic eye for an unknown art display wedded to China.
On August 26 and 27, two music performances were staged by the famous Chinese Central National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Art Center and with these as an unknown art form to people in the US an intriguing effect has been unprecedentedly created by presentations of Chinese music. Also inaugurated is a "China Photo Show" on August 26 bringing people in the US many consummate scenes about China.
Eissenhower Theater is a large communal center known in Washington, with a seating capacity for over 1000 people at one time. But it seems it had never been so much tightly packed as it was on the first day when the Chinese Central National Symphony Orchestra came to stage its premiere performance of traditional Chinese music. So, a compatriot from the cultural department of the Chinese Embassy to the US told the theater had run out some days for tickets because a too great demand has been raised.
After the first two premiere music pieces were performed, young musician Wu Yuxia seems with her Pipa concerto "A Night of Flowers and Moonlight by the Spring River" to have an ethereal world floating on clouds created for the whole American audience in the theatre. Soloist Li Guangcai followed with his surnay solo "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix", in a high and long exalted call, casts nearly a long irresistible spell to make the whole theatre a trifle tipsy, necks stretched high, beating on time, lost in the rhythm of music. But soon an abrupt turn of aria helped the whole music assembly sprightly out. "At Dead of Night", "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", solo "Herdsmen's New Song" and other music pieces played on a large array of Chinese traditional musical instruments had produced such an intoxicating effect in the way the whole assembly couldn't restrain from applauding their Chinese guest musicians in excitement.
"Time honored" conductor Chen Xieyang, obviously infected, finally turned to face his American hosts with encores "Beautiful Flowers Facing a Full Moon", "Prelude to Carmen" and "Radetzky March" to radiate all the more the full brilliance of music, long hailed by standing ovations from the audience. This was truly a time rejoiced both by guest musicians and American hosts on and off the stage for no one wants to leave first in order to enjoy the music performances throughout in the theater. A veteran theater usher agitatedly told her satisfaction with the music wonderland she had been brought in, "Wonderful, marvelously good! I will certainly bring my husband here to enjoy the music!" Meanwhile, seen in parlors of the theater was also a large gathering of white-haired audience agitatedly talking about their happiness in hearing the music in a way not to be disturbed. Certainly, at Kennedy Art Center throughout nothing could be articulately heard but ejaculations from the American music assembly in commendation of Chinese music!
Since the first day "China Culture Tour" makes its debut in Washington it has won universal appraisal and wide acclaim from people in the city. Open-type performances were staged on August 27, with free tickets given, and totally out of guest musicians' expectation a new large music throng turned up at the Kennedy Art Center, leaving an even larger greater standing in parlors and about the center to enjoy themselves through live broadcast for hours��.
If we say music performance has produced the shock among Americans we should say "China Photo Show" inaugurated at the same time must claim an effect in purifying the sensual soul of people in the US. The whole art show is one as is mirrored in every photo among over one hundred pictures in which the Chinese history, culture and land are well and closely linked up as an integrated whole with the lifestyles and customs of a big multination family in China.
A veteran reporter in the company of his wife, lingering long before a picture showing new high scrapers rising in Shanghai Pudong, praised the fast changes China has made. Just then two young American maidens were seen walking out of the photo show. Of the two, one named "Mimi", wearing golden hair, especially having on a traditional Chinese women's cheongsam, speaking about what she had seen at the Chinese art show, said agitatedly: "Splendid, very marvelous!" Meanwhile, her company told her Chinese guest newsmen that she couldn't help herself to say, "I'm longing for a visit to China. I must go and have a look in China! I almost cannot wait!"
On August 29, when we two newsmen turned up once again at the China Photo Show we met two American women, one in her eighties telling her counterparts interestingly about those Chinese photo exhibits on show. He told her guest newsmen that it was just over a month time that she has been with a tourist delegation on a China tour to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Guilin. Telling her visits, she nearly sang high praises of China's beautiful scenery and the great warmth and hospitality she had with her counterparts been extended in days living among the Chinese people and what is more she feels always happy with every passing day in China! A uniformed black worker also couldn't help himself take a look at Chinese picture exhibits put on show from time to time, obviously he knew not much about China. So, he put his question to his guest newsmen, "Is this China?" "Yes, that's the western part of China" was the answer. "Really a great land, very beautiful!" he said wide eyed after a momentary loss in thought, adding that he has never been in China but he has longed for long a visit to China! (People's Daily Journalists Shi Xiaohui and Ren Yujun)
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