Blog Post 2 Unexpected Music
The Tibet University (TU) campus is one full of unexpected music. When we first arrived we were pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised to find that at 7:30 am every weekday morning Chinese music and exercise instruction is blared over the campus-wide loud speakers. Not to be out done by afternoon and class passing time music, the morning music is always loud, persistent and never sonorous. I prefer the afternoon and early evening music (sometimes) because they play better Chinese music, Tibetan music and sometimes U2, Coldplay, and, yes, even Lady Gaga (but only once). Unexpected music is also found throughout Lhasa and TU is not the only place where one can discover it.
As the days of summer pass into chilly fall, I have done a fair amount of walking
around the city of Lhasa. I now know my way around the Bharkor (public market that
circles the Jokhang Temple and Monastery) pretty well and can even easily find a certain bookstore for which I once spent a whole afternoon looking. To get there you can walk or take a city bus (1 yuan, # 106, 97, 89) or smaller private bus (2 yuan). There are always the Chinese Taxis (10 yuan anywhere in the city) and Tibetan bike cabs (8-10 yuan) if you are in a rush or feeling particularity lazy. After you have bought your share of veggies, grains, and even winter clothes at the market (almost anything is possible there; dentistry to DVDs) you can make your way back to campus easily via Jiangsu Lui. It is on this walk that passers by can listen to public music played over loud speakers while strolling to their destination. The music alternates between a relaxing Kenny G like alto saxophone tune and some kind of
classical guitar piece. For weeks I would walk by and notice one of the pieces playing
over the crosswalk loud speakers until one day I realized that the music had a purpose. (Note: I did think it was strange that western music would be playing over the loud speakers and not Tibetan or Chinese music; around the Potala Palace, Chinese and Tibetan music plays out of speakers in the shape of rocks and tree stumps.) The change in music from the classical guitar piece to the Kenny G piece at the crosswalks audibly signals the time to cross or not cross the street. Strangely enough, the relaxing Kenny G music is the audible signal to cross and the classical guitar music is the audible signal to wait to cross the street (I, personally, would have had it the other way around). Nevertheless, the switching of music seems to get your attention, which indicates that the system works. Also, accompanied by the music is a visual walk signal, consisting of a green walking figure. But don't be tricked by him! Even if you have both the Kenny G music and the green walking man telling you it is safe to cross a busy street in Lhasa, think again. Many cars cross the intersection on a red light, and right turning cars don't even pause for a second before they execute their turn (including while you are walking in front of their car). It only takes once for a pedestrian to realize that most drivers in Lhasa are new drivers; it is like a mix between real-life bumper cars and NASCAR when it comes to traffic in Lhasa.
My next adventures in music occurred back on TU's campus in a formal setting.
Last week there was a Tibetan song competition in the student event center (like a
basketball arena) and this week there was an English song competition held at the school of Tourism and Foreign Languages.
The Tibetan song competition was very official and sponsored by China Mobile.
They were promoting a new 3G internet service; game show like mini contests were
interspersed with the performances. My German friend and classmate, Jorg, found out
about the competition and about 12 of us foreign students decided to check it out. We
notified the office of our interest in attending and they reserved us some tickets (very
official; the fact that is was a ticketed event on campus meant our expectations were
running high). When we arrived, it was to a semi-packed house with the lower portion of the seating areas filled and all aglow with students, mini-light sabers and noisemakers in hand (see pic). I felt like I had walked into a much smaller and less expensive version of the Beijing Olympics Bird's nest. We made our way into the arena and sat down in our reserved floor seating (yes, that's right, reserved floor seating). Sadly, I only had a noisemaker on my seat and Natasha, another American student who came to see the show sitting to my left, scored a mini-light saber of her own. Anyway, the show was a mix of music and dance, with some professional singers showcased. After the judges were all introduced one-by-one the show started off with a bare chested male Tibetan singer and two women playing traditional instruments (a Tibetan guitar called a dhamgyen and a single stringed bowed instrument called a pee wong) sitting to his right and left. The lighting seemed to be completely random and would at times switch from completely red to blue accompanied by automated bubble machines blowing bubbles on the performers. Every performer appeared in traditional dress and three singers also played instruments.My favorite act was a woman from Amdo (Eastern Tibet). She sang and played a mandolin-type instrument and it was very beautiful. Most performers came out and tried to show their singing chops, doing trills and hitting high notes in the traditional Tibetan opera fashion, but some with less grace than others. This woman walked out on stage and sang a wonderfully calm song (almost a lullaby) without any forced fancy high notes; just one instrument and one voice synced together beautifully. At the end of the competition each award level was announced and the performers took the stage according to their level. The woman I liked won second place along with another young male performer. The performer who won the competition did a comedic piece out of a Tibetan Opera. The audience loved him and couldn't stop laughing. We (the foreign students) didn't really get what was going on until Kati, a foreign student studying Tibetan Opera, explained that he was performing female dance moves and reciting a comedic monologue. He was a
good singer, but I was more interested in the calm traditional song sung by the woman from Amdo. The show concluded with a group dance in Tibetan traditional style to prerecorded music. The group was comprised of excellent dancers, I just wish I could of heard them singing and stomping instead of the recording.
Today, I had the opportunity to attend an English singing contest at the School for
Tourism and Foreign Languages on campus. I was aware of an English speech
competition in which one of my Chinese friends was competing. When I arrived this
morning, I didn't know what classroom in which he was competing, so I ended up in the room for the English signing competition. The participants were both Han Chinese and Tibetan and they sang songs ranging from the Beatles to Kelly Clarkson to English pop songs I'd never heard before. As student singing competitions go, there were good and bad performances, but all the performances were sincere and very heart-felt (with a side of nerves and butterflies). A number of the performers, both male and female, began their time by introducing themselves in Chinese or English and concluding their performances by running from the front of the class full of giggles. This made for a fun morning. My favorite three performers were a Chinese male student who sang a song by Ryan Adams, a Tibetan male student who played guitar and sang "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and a Tibetan female duo who sang some song about their "skin burning" for someone (see pics). As it turned out, most of the songs were about love or something romantic and there was a very memorable performance by a young Chinese man who went on for almost 7 minutes about rain and "not giving up." The whole program went on for a little more than an hour and everyone in attendance, singers and audience members alike, enjoyed themselves. Surprisingly, the students in the audience were really not afraid to talk or leave the room while their fellow classmates were singing. After the contest, people filed out and, as I paused to ask when the finals would take place, the judges asked me who was my favorite. I informed them of the three performers; Ryan Adams, "Knockin' on Heavens Door," and "burning for you" and they appreciated my two cents. I told them to please call the Foreign Students Department to let us know where and when the finals would take place and they agreed. Hopefully I can make it to the conclusion of the TU English song competition and see if any of my picks made it to the
finals.
My weekend closed not with our usual student potluck but a special traditional
Tibetan folk song class. About ten of us foreign students had a special class where we
learned two Tibetan folk songs and their folk dances (see pics). The first song was about dancing with different body parts, like your feet, knees, waist, hands, shoulders and head, (a little like a more mature, less annoying version of the hocky pocky). The second song was about being together with someone through sickness and bad times/ misfortune. We all had a fun time dancing and signing (even if badly) and it was a nice end to the weekend.
As the rest of my time here passes, I hope to discover more unexpected art and
culture on and off campus. As always, I'll include my experiences in my weekly blog
posts. See you next time and Ja La Jayong from Lhasa.