Christmas Recital

A tradition in Hubei Province during the Christmas season is to present as a gift to the foreign experts (teachers who are living here from other countries) a wonderful evening of music as a way to express their thanks for teaching in Hubei Province's many universities located in Wuhan.

Included in this group, I joined Tyler, Katy and Marilyn on the small bus from WUT that transported us to a large, modern auditorium that looked like it could have been plucked from anywhere in the Western world. With program in hand--printed in Chinese and English--we joined with other non-Chinese folks (it looked like a gathering of the United Nations) to enjoy a well organized, varied and incredibly impressing evening of music, dance and singing.

A variety of groups performed starting with what I believe was a Hubei provincial orchestra that had many instruments I recognized and many I did not. A woman, dressed in a red and yellow flowing evening gown that was some sort of Chinese traditional looking design entered and exited to introduce each group, first in Chinese and then in English. Like the student talent nite, the floor manager kept the on stage/off stage perfectly timed. Among the entertainment we heard Opera singers, special solos on two traditional Chinese stringed instruments, a men's choral (red pants and white embroidered shirts looked very sharp!) and they were joined with a women's choral in long flowing light blue traditionally-looking dresses that touched the floor.

The last to perform were 16 incredibly fit and agile young men who performed to music overhead with ballet-like precision as they did flips and rolls and in perfect choreography joined together and parted in wonderful designs.

Riding back on the bus with my colleagues to our apartment I couldn't help but reflect what an incredible experience to see this collection of Chinese talent, culture and entertainment. My thanks to the Hubei Province for this tradition and for allowing me to experience this.