Posted by Bob Daniel on August 29, 2002 at 07:54:50:
In Reply to: Band visit to China posted by Bob on August 28, 2002 at 09:44:49:
I toured Mainland China in 1987 with the USAF Band. We were the first US service band to ever tour China. It was an incredible trip. We were hosted by the People's Liberation Army Air Force and they treated us like kings. We were in China for 12 days and performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Guanghou (Canton). Most of our audiences were military or government, but we did several public concerts and the audiences were very receptive to our music. I'm sure it has changed a great deal over there in the past 15 years. I still have very fond memories of the people, the incredible history, the sites (Great Wall, etc). The food is different, nothing like what you might expect and it changes along with the dialect with each region. Also, hopefully you can get some great deals shopping. It was amazing what the US dollar would buy then.
Good luck with your trip and keep an open mind about everything and I think you'll thoroughly enjoy the experience.