Day 10 - Reflections on a Remarkable Adventure.

By Brynne Blaikie

Thinking back on the past ten days, I still cannot believe we are in China… or at least we were in China. One of the best parts of this tour was getting to experience the immense culture. It was overwhelming at times, and I am not sure that that was a bad thing. The culture in China opened everyone’s eyes to so much more than we thought possible. We have been to many great places and seen some incredible things; the process of making silk, the Terracotta Warriors, West Lake, jade masterpieces, and a breathtaking temple- to name a few. We even climbed the Great Wall together! We laughed with one another as we climbed each step, some of us drenched in sweat, and others wearing boots due to injuries. It was quite an experience and I can guarantee many pictures were taken at the top.

While all these things were amazing, I must say that this past day has been the highlight. Together as a choir, we grew so much. Throughout the entire year, David Sawatzky, Phillip Lapatha, and Leanne Regehr Lee have been constantly pushing us to achieve greatness. It became all the more evident when we prepared for each concert in China. We were reminded that we were across the world singing on another continent, in a completely different culture. I know for a fact that we sounded wonderful at all of our concerts, even with any minor hiccups. Something however, changed on the day of the last concert. Before we started warm-up, PTV Singers sat in one large circle and talked with each other. We talked about Chinese culture alongside our own, the sense of community we felt whilst there, our legacy, and advice the seniors wished to share. As mentioned above, the culture in China is so incredibly rich, and I would like to expand on that thought.

Before we went to our concert venue in Beijing, we went on a rickshaw tour through a Hutong neighbourhood. Along the way, we saw a group of older gentlemen all gathered together playing a game. Later on, we, being two fairly large groups, were welcomed into a home and fed a delicious meal (maybe even the best meal of the entire trip) that took four hours of preparation. The chef and a local guide who was with us continued to tell us stories after we had finished eating. We were told about people opening their homes to other families to play games with each other and in my opinion, to really just be in each other’s presence. The guide also told us about the showers in that neighbourhood. She explained how it was shared between everyone and it was not just used for bathing. It was another area that people socialized at, some people may even stay there the entire day. From what I have experienced, I believe that the culture in China revolves around community. Taking all of this in, the large group of us discussed how different it was from back home; how lucky we are to have so many privileges and how lucky they are to be so connected to each other. I think it is fair to say that one legacy PTV would like to leave behind is being known as a group of tightly-knit people who have fun together and are passionate about music. This is certainly something that I felt we were growing closer to, even just on this tour. As we finished talking together, all of the grade twelves offered up a piece, or many pieces, of advice. Many beautiful things were said, a lot of which included how PTV has shaped people into who they are today. I must admit, I could not hold the tears in- as I am sure every chorister can tell you. In this moment I felt such a sense of community within our choir, which should not be taken lightly. Not only were we a choir, but we were a family too.

This feeling continued on through our practice, as we sounded the best I had heard in quite some time. We are PTV though, and we do always sound good. What pushed it over the edge was the passion that everyone put into their voices. As we sang, I looked around and I saw movement! Everyone was feeling the music and enjoying it. That special something had finally clicked for our last concert. Last night was entirely different from any other performance. I am absolutely sure that I am not the only one who felt it. What we did was inspiring and I hope PTV will keep it up. I actually feel so sorry for all the family members and friends who could not see the performance. You should all ask the choristers about it. After the concert was finished, many more tears were shed by many more people. Some tears were sad and many were happy. We all knew that what we had just accomplished was inconceivable. Sadly, it was also a goodbye for many of us. What a way to go out though; a final concert in Beijing, China, where we blew the audience and ourselves away.

As this tour comes to an end, I am sitting on a plane laughing with new friends and surrounded by many sleeping people (it’s quite late for us!), and all the events of this tour still linger in my mind. I know PTV will continue to grow in new, marvelous ways. I am so proud to say I was a part of it.

On behalf of all of the PTV Singers, I bid you adieu for the 2014-2015 season.

Day 9 - Final Concert Day

Today, our guides took us to an old neighbourhood in Beijing.  And by old, I mean really old.  It is called a Hutong.  It is a community which was originally build around old water wells of the city.  These houses are between 200 and 400 years old.  They are small and very tight-knit.  What is unique about the Hutong, is the community that exists around them.  The entire area actually shares several community bathrooms, so everyone gets to know each other very well.  It is a very close community, and it was here where we were treated to a rickshaw ride through the hutong.

The people were so welcoming, that we ate at one of the homes for lunch.  Our host was a retired chef at a 5-star hotel, who loves to cook.  We were told that, while these are poorer communities, what makes them special is the sense of family that permeates them.  Some people live here precisely for that reason.  Our hosts home was small and humble, but the family was so warm and welcoming, and the food was amazing!  You could tell that he loved having us there, and it was great to see how people actually live in these communities.  This was one of the most memorable meals of the trip.

In the centre of this hutong was a large square with a bell tower and small tea market.  It was great to see families out playing and children from the community playing their games in the square.  We were also treated to a tea ceremony where we learned the right way to drink tea.

Then it was time for rehearsal.  This was the day of our last concert.  It was at the National Library Arts Centre, which is a large centre and school for a variety of arts endeavors, like film, music, and literature.

Philip and I wanted to create something quite special for our kids.  We wanted to really empower them to achieve their true potential.  So with that in mind, we began rehearsal quite differently.  We gathered the singers on stage, and had them sit in one large circle around the centre of the stage.  We gave them a few questions to consider as they sat there, and then we left them.  I ushered the chaperones out of the concert hall, Philip and I and Leanne left, and the students, for about half an hour, had the whole concert hall to themselves - to share experiences, to express to each other what the choir meant to them, etc.  I will never know exactly what was said - and that's as it should be.  All I know, is that when we finally gathered to sing it was the most glorious sound any of us had ever heard from these wonderful singers.  The chaperones came to us and asked us what we had done to their kids.  We assured them, it had nothing to do with us.

The concert was brilliant.  A lot of tears were shed, and a lot of happy memories created.  I'll let the students tell you more at home.

Day 8 - Olympic Park and The Great Wall

We began the day at the Olympic Park viewing the Big Birds Nest stadium and seeing the aquatic center.  The size of the park was immense, and I can only imagine how many people were here for the games in 2008.  The buildings were closed, however, so we couldn’t see them from the inside.  But that didn’t matter.  Despite the overcrowding in Beijing and China and general, they can still make space for large areas like this.

After the Olympic area, we went to visit the jade museum.  The jewelry and art was quite incredible, and many of the students purchased gifts for friends and family.

Then it was the event that all of us were waiting for.  Climbing the Great Wall of China.  Terry began his description of the great wall by saying “When we arrive, you will notice that to one side, the wall is very steep.  When you look to the other side, the wall is even steeper.”  In other words, we were climbing no matter what.  It was a phenomenal hike.  We took our pictures, sang as a choir, got our exercise and worked to get to the top.  Even Shanlyn, who has had a boot on her leg all tour, managed to climb to the top of the wall.  She wasn’t going to miss it for anything.  At the top of the mountain, we rested, and took even more pictures.  The way down was much easier.

Everyday on this tour has been one exciting adventure after another.  It’s hard to believe that we have only been here one week.  We have done and seen so much.  It’s somewhat fortuitous that we’ve travelled through China in this order as well.  Originally we were supposed to end in Shanghai.  We’ve learned that they are suffering from a large typhoon right now.  Thankfully our weather has been fantastic this whole tour.

For dinner we had our Peking Duck.  They brought out a couple of ducks and carved them in front of us.  The carver took his time and was very precise with his he cut it.  The precision and efficiency the Chinese people display on a routine basis is also very impressive.  We’ve certainly noticed that.  They take incredible pride in their work, their discipline, and traditions.  We could learn something from that.

At the end of the day, myself, Philip, and Leanne had decided to give the chaperones the night off.  They have been working incredibly hard and deserved a break.  The kids were fine with it, and the three of us took on chaperone duties for the night.  The kids were great, the chaperones let loose for an evening, and we all got to bed exhausted from a very long, amazing day.

Day 7 - The Forbidden City and Death-defying Stunts!

Today was the first full day in Beijing, and one of several without a concert.  We get to be tourists for a while.  The first thing on the agenda – visiting Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  Wow!

We arrived at Tiananmen square amidst a sea of people.  This is one of the biggest attractions in China.  The square is so large, that it can fit over a million people at one time.  You could likely have the entire province of Manitoba standing on this square.  The old buildings which used to surround the square had been replaced with large government buildings.  The grand size was almost overwhelming.

After taking a myriad of pictures it was off to the forbidden city.  A relatively short walk straight north.  The city is built in a series of layers, with vast space between each layer.  This is where the emperor resided.  Pictures don’t do this place justice.  It was truly stunning.

After this, it was lunch time, and back to the hotel.  I have to say the bus rides are always entertaining.  The kids are hilarious and we’re all having a good time.  And when there’s nothing left to look at, there’s always the suicidal traffic to watch.

Another highlight of the tour would be seeing the Chinese acrobats show.  Unbelievable!  The highlight – 8 motorcycles in a spherical cage.  Absolutely crazy – but perhaps not much different than the traffic in Shanghai.

Day 6 - Terra-cotta Warriors

Today we visited the Terra-cotta Warriors of the Qin dynasty.  The area was a designated tomb for the emperor in the year 200 BC.  At 13 years old, the emperor decided that he wanted an entire city, and a legion of soldiers buried with him to protect him in the afterlife.  The tomb area is a total of 54km² and contains the largest pyramid, by area, on earth.  Within this area the emperor had buried clay statues of an entire lifesize army, including headquarters.  It took 38 years to complete, and was finally finished two years after the emperor’s death.  The warriors, however, were only found in 1974 by a farmer digging a well.  No mention of such a thing was ever written in the official record of the time, so this find was a complete surprise.  The scale and number of this army is extraordinary.  What’s more wondrous is the sheer audacity of the vision to have this built.  I wonder what we would tell our 13 year-old kids now if they had asked for anything like this?

We had our chance to visit a factory where they make replicas of these statues, with the option to buy later, of course.  I have to say, the Chinese are amazing sales people.  Some of you will be getting great gifts.

Throughout all of this, it was easy to see the pride that the Chinese people place in their ancient history.  It’s difficult for us, as Canadians, to relate to something so old and ancient, as an artifact of our own personal history.  The Great Wall, the old city of Xi’an, the tombs and the Forbidden City, (which we’ll see tomorrow) were built not only to provoke awe, but stand the test of time for the descendants of an entire people.

After this we went to an art museum back in the city of Xi’an, where we got to try our hand at calligraphy using paint and brushes.  The curator gave us some lessons on basic calligraphy and had all of us actually try and paint some.  Some of them weren’t bad.  It allowed everyone to see the complexity and inner meaning of several Chinese characters.

Finally, after a long day of sight-seeing, it was time to make our way to the train station for our overnight trip to Beijing.  The sheer number of people in the station was nothing like we had ever seen.  There were people from corner to corner.  Our guides (who by the way, are nothing short of amazing and knew the best way to navigate our group through this maze) had already loaded our luggage earlier in the day so that we wouldn’t have to deal with it.  A very wise move.  I can’t imagine the chaos there would have been if we had had our luggage with us as well.  They had purchased subway sandwiches for all of us (yes Subway), and expertly navigated us through the station and onto the train.

We were given sleeper cabins, with 4 beds to a room in 2 cars.  Apparently, these were the absolute top of the line cars on the trains.  Other cars only had seats, and even several were standing room only.  Imagine, standing all night long in a crowded train car.  We were told that train tickets are so scarce, that people can camp out for up to a week at the ticket windows to get a ticket, or if they’re lucky, purchase a scalped ticket from someone else.  Our guides had actually purchased an extra ticket for some lucky person to share their cabin with.  Generous indeed.

Our train left Xi’an at 7:30pm, travelled all night, and arrived in Beijing at 6:30am.  Most everyone fell asleep instantly.  What a day it was.