Elizabeth is in China with the State of Oregon's Trade Delegation and the Third Angle Contemporary Music Ensemble. The first stop was Fuzhou in Fujian province, Oregon's Chinese sister state. These are here photos and captions of her adventures so far.
We were blown away by the warm and generous reception we've received from our local hosts and have fallen in love with the beautiful gardens and landscape of this subtropical area in Southeast China. Our hosts have treated us to banquets, receptions and tours of the area - making us feel very welcome indeed.
Every morning, afternoon and evening, locals gather in the public parks for movement, dance song and music played on traditional Chinese instruments. Their faces radiate with joy and happiness as they sign and play the traditional songs of China. Caught in a monsoon shower, we shared a park shelter with about a hundred locals and these musical citizens, as rain obscured the city. Foreigners are still a rarity here and we noticed others snapping photos of us while we tried to photograph the musicians.
The public parks of Fuzhou began as Imperial gardens in the 3rd century. Lit at night, they are filled with people and magic.
View from the hotel window, on the morning after monsoon rains had fallen. The sky has cleared a little and distant hills are exposed.
Three banquets in three days - each with more dishes than the last. The last course is always watermelon; local and sweet. In the above photo, it shares the table with all the food we couldn't finish.
Complimentary colorful umbrellas were thoughtfully provided by the hosts.
