Friendship all around Jiangxi

The Jiangxi Provincial People's Government requested the pleasure of my and my fellow teacher's presence at the reception in honour of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China[dress code: formal]. At the reception we were treated to a sumptuous Chinese dinner and -to counter the pleasures of the palate- to speeches among others by the vice president of Jiangxi province.

Afterwards we were bussed to a National Day Concert in the Concert Hall of Nanchang University (housed in the arts and design building on the main campus).

The program offered Chopin, classical Chinese music (outstanding bamboo flute performance in "The Luscious Flowers and the Full Moon"), Mozart's kleine Nachtmusik, Broadway tunes, Magic, and the Acrobatic Troupe of Jiangxi Province (which you see in the photo).

It is a small world: The Art Director of the chamber orchestra performing Mozart (Conductor Xie Lujun ["an expert of German citizenship"]) had studied in Stuttgart and had met and made music with my good friend Cornelis who by now is a professor at the Stuttgart conservatory. Xie speaks German with a slight swabish accent and lives on the floor below mine.