Day 35: Outing with Li

This morning I received a phone call from Li, who I had met with the week before, asking whether I could met with him that morning. I met with him at the main gates of the campus and was immediately whisked away in a taxi. He explained that he had tickets for a performance that morning. We went into the theatre and managed to find seats near the front.

The performance was by school children, seven to sixteen years of age, and they sang, danced, performed musical instruments and presented the shows. The talent shown by these youngsters was amazing – such control of tune, rhythm and movement. They performed in large groups and individually, and each performance was just as stunning. Astonishing was a R’n’B performance with Hip-hop dance moves – it was comical watching these young Chinese children dance, but they did it with such precision and timing it was brilliant to watch!



My favourite performances would be firstly a young couple of boys who played a stirring performance on the èrhú,



And then a heart-rending remembrance of the Sichuan earthquakes, played out by a group:



Donations can be made to the Chinese Red Cross here

All the performances were fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. There is clearly a great number of stunning young performers making their ways up the ranks in China!



Following the performances. Li and I headed to a nearby Beef Noodle House for the Lanzhou specialty! Next, we had planned on joining some of his friends who had gone for a tramp, but they were out of contact and so instead we travelled across town to meet with one of his best friends. Li, before receiving the support of his sponsor, worked in a foot massage shop, and his friend was one of the other masseurs there. We stopped at a bar for a few drinks and had a great afternoon!
By the end of the day I was exhausted, though delighted, and keen to see what the next day would bring (though, a rest would also be welcome)!