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It's been a month since our return from China, plenty of time to be re-oriented to American drivers, pizza, talk radio.... One of the great blessings of travel is the gift of perspective, along with a sense of gratitude for living in this great country, with its history of regulations and environmentalism that keeps us safe and healthy. We really have it good here....
In China we saw a country filled with extraordinary treasures and monuments to previous eras of greatness and massive wealth. We saw a country that is on a major buying spree, without the creative infrastructure (yet) to design its own Olympic buildings, importing Audi's by the thousands, while struggling to deal with the environmental damage this frantic growth has wrought. This is a country focused on serving (and perhaps purchasing much of) the west, even at the expense of its greatest resource, its people.
 I had the pleasure of seeing our dear friend Chen Yi, who has become the central figure in introducing the new generation of asian composers to the west. It was so interesting to see her at the Central Conservatory, the same place she attended in the first class of music students post-cultural revolution. I had to ask her what it felt like to be back, did she feel any vindication after the hardships that she endured. She pretended to not understand me, describing how things hadn't changed much since she was last there, deflecting my serious question with great skill. I recalled Ye Xiaogang's describing how "...since everyone was sad in the Cultural Revolution, there's really nothing to talk about." Clearly, this remains the case for these artists.
We saw $140,000 Hamburg Steinways in 5 star hotels that were in poor condition, perhaps a metaphor for the state of affairs over there? We saw a Chinese orchestra struggle to play "Nixon in China". We saw a constant series of near misses by cars, bikes, pedestrians, but very few actual accidents. We saw an incredible power display at the World Expo in the Chinese Pavillion, a tour de force of art, history, and emerging technology.
 We saw the daily street level struggle to make a buck, both in the cities and on the Great Wall..I'll never forget the elderly couple who met us a particularly steep section, carrying a huge backpack full of water, soda, and beer, putting to shame this overweight American!
Looking ahead, there will hopefully be more collaborations with our Chinese colleagues, building on our already fruitful relationship. This past journey was a major labor of love, possible only with the support of so many individuals and funding agencies who really went to bat for us. Thank you City of Portland, Oregon Arts Commission, Karen Goddin in the Governor's office, Vern Rifer, Donna Drummond, Third Angle board, Laura Grimes, and Lisa Volle. And special thanks to the Third Angle players: Mark, Hamilton, Susan, Luanne, Gordon, GeorgeAnne, Todd, for your exceptional artistry. And a special thank you to Professor Ye Xiaogang and his marvelous students at the Central Conservatory!
And last, a special thank you to the wonderful folks who joined us for this trip. Your support, kindness, generosity, and patience made this trip a life changer.....Xie Xie!!!!!
 
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