Oct 06 2008
The classical music
Out of all odd places, I picked up the love for classical music in Beijing when I was little. At time, I was living with Auntie Jennie and her family in Zhongyang yuetuan 中央乐团, or the CNSO now. That was during the Cultural Revolution period. Life was miserable everywhere, except CNSO where they hobnobbed with the head of states and Mao, and his wife Jiang Qing.
Every early morning, the loud speakers on the roof tops would play the Dongfang hong, taiyang sheng 东方红太阳升, The East is Red .. waking everyone up and followed by the propaganda stuff. After 8am, the loud speakers were tired, so they took rest for few hours and the entire compound emanating cacophony of pianos, vocals, trumpets, drums, double-basses, flutes and clarinets. It was very serene, a little utopia smacked in the middle of a vocanic jungle.