The Xiao-Lu express Group travels to China to see BSO conductor in concert

Tension cut off conversation as our bus inched through gridlock traffic in Beijing. It was 7:10 p.m., and a performance of the China National Symphony Orchestra was due to begin at 7:30. Fifteen of us from the Bangor and Hancock County area had traveled across a continent and the Pacific Ocean to attend this concert, and now it looked as if we would be late.

But, thanks to allowing an extra buffer of time, we sprinted to our seats moments before the lights dimmed. And there, striding across the stage, was Xiao-Lu Li, musical director of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and a familiar figure to concertgoers in Eastern Maine. Li, a native of Shanghai, also directs the China National Symphony Orchestra, and it was he who inspired the March 18-30 trip, as part of the BSO’s “China connection” theme.

The program we had come so far to hear consisted of Fantaisies Symphoniques by Zhu Jian’er, a Chinese composer; Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, op. 64, E minor, with Philippe Quint as soloist; and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. Quint thrilled the BSO audience when he played the same Mendelssohn piece at a Feb. 1 concert in Orono, and he was every bit as brilliant in Beijing on March 27. Our group was impressed by the quality of the China National Symphony Orchestra, and Susan Jonason, executive director of the BSO, said she hoped the orchestra could play the piece by Zhu Jian’er in the future.

After the concert, Maestro Li took us to a restaurant for a multicourse banquet, along with Quint and his wife, Maria, and Shan Guo, deputy director of the China Orchestra. It was one of those spectacular Chinese meals, when dish after delectable dish is placed on a glass disk that we could twirl, helping ourselves with chopsticks to whatever appealed, whether whole fish, sweet and sour pork, baby bok choy, chicken in all forms, jellyfish noodles, shrimp and mushrooms, always ending with soup and fresh fruit.

We had had a full day, to say the least, starting at 8 a.m. with a trip to a jade factory, a visit to the Ming Tombs, a tour of a cloisonne factory, and, at last, a walk on the Great Wall at Badaling, surrounded by mountains stretching into the foggy distance. Determined to make a respectable showing, we had taken our “symphony clothes” with us, changing in the restrooms of the Hotel Badaling.

For many of us, this day and evening were the high point of the trip, the grand climax – but there were a lot of high points: seeing the vast array of the Terracotta Army at Xian, watching kites float over Tiananmen Square, walking through the Forbidden City, and taking in the bright lights of Shanghai.

We ranged in age from 22 to 77. We included a doctor, a dentist, a restaurateur, a potter, biologists, volunteers and retirees. Some of us had wanted to see China for many years. Dorothy Miller, a retired teacher from Michigan, now living in Old Town, was one. “The whole trip was extraordinary,” she pronounced. She was most impressed by Shanghai, “a modern, forward-looking city.”

Laurie Stevens of Trenton studied Chinese art, culture and language at Mount Holyoke College. When she started making pots in the 1970s, she became fascinated by Tang and Song glazing methods. “I’ve been waiting 25 years to do this trip,” she said. She and her husband, Buzz, operate Evergreen Pottery in Bar Harbor.

Christine Chou of Hampden was a major asset to our group as she speaks Mandarin and could interpret for us, as well as explain puzzling food items such as dragon eyes (a kind of fruit). Chou came to the United States from Taiwan when she was 26, and had never before been to mainland China, where her ancestors lived. She made the trip with her son, Charlie Liu, age 25 and a behavioral specialist at Bangor Counseling Center. Chou, who is co-owner of the House of Hunan restaurant in Brewer, the China Wall in Bangor and the China Garden in Orono, said, “I wanted to find out my roots, what is the real China.”

Ron Davis, a retired biology professor at the University of Maine who has been instrumental in establishing the boardwalk in the Orono Bog, said he and his wife, Lee, usually do natural history trips, but had longed to visit China. They were particularly pleased to be able to spend a day in the Shanghai area with a Chinese friend they hosted 16 years ago when he was a student at UMaine.

Mary Mitchell of Mount Desert said, “I came to hear the symphony – I really wanted to hear it.” Delighted by past glories and present-day friendliness, she now wants to read more about China.

Lee and Ruth Souweine welcomed the opportunity to share a cultural experience with people they know. Lee Souweine, a Bangor orthodontist, wanted to see how China is dealing with a population of 1.3 billion people, compared with 250 million in the United States. At one restaurant, he gamely tackled chicken feet with chopsticks. (“Tasty,” he said. “But hard work.”)

Our trip was planned by China Travel Services, working with Xiao-Lu Li. The Maine end was organized by Chris Szal of Bangor, who is on the BSO board of directors and an active volunteer. When she heard symphony staff needed someone to head up the trip, she decided to join the “Xiao-Lu Express” and promote the China connection. She was accompanied by her husband, Paul, a physician, and their daughter, Carolyn, 22, a recent Harvard graduate who is now working there. Chris Szal and Susan Jonason shopped at the factory stores we visited every day, loading up suitcases with gifts for the BSO auction on April 18.

Chris Szal particularly appreciated the patience, perceptiveness and sense of humor of our guide, Wen Chen Guang, fondly known by us as Stanley. We listened intently as he told stories about the absolute power of emperors, the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, the plight of dispossessed farmers, the influence of Confucianism on the Chinese psyche, and preparations for the 2008 Olympics.

We learned to cope with squat toilets, bargain in markets, fend off aggressive sidewalk vendors, and cross congested streets. We learned that smiles can go a long way when words are lacking, that millions of people can live close to each other in relative harmony, and that Chinese culture is very different, very ancient, and very wonderful. Not bad for a 10-day trip.

If you go…

. You must have a 30-day Chinese travel visa, which can be obtained from the Chinese Embassy in New York City. A 2-inch square photo is necessary for the application. A U.S. passport good for six months beyond the visa application and with at least one entire page blank is also necessary.

. The Centers for Disease Control recommend a shot to prevent hepatitis A, an oral typhoid immunization, and an up-to-date tetanus booster for people traveling to China. The Bangor Immunization Clinic at 103 Texas Ave. will provide these, and Donna Guppy, the registered nurse who works there, is extremely knowledgeable about travel health issues.

. Travelers should carry anti-diarrheal medicine, as well as other medications they need. They should be careful to drink bottled water rather than tap water, and to avoid raw vegetables and fruit (unless peeled).

. It is helpful to have a good travel book, and to learn a few Chinese phrases as a way of showing politeness if nothing else. As many people do not speak much English, non-Chinese speaking travelers probably should join a tour.

. Shopping is easy. Guides arrange daily tours of state-run “factories” that produce and sell jade, embroidered silk, rugs, furniture, cloisonne and pearls, all of high quality. Credit cards are accepted, and large items will be shipped. There are many other less official markets where bargaining is expected.

. The better hotels exchange currency, cash traveler’s checks and have ATMs.