Ask Rebecca

If you have a question for Rebecca,
Send it to: Info@cacbc.org

Dear Rebecca,
A band director who had toured China told me he wished he had selected different pieces to play there. Should we consider selecting a special repertoire for our China tour?
Due to cultural differences, repertoire selection for your China performance tour is very important.

When you tour Europe, you already have a pretty good idea of what music appeals to the audience. In China, it is a different story. You will be performing before high school and college students as well as the general public. Other than students of music, most Chinese people are quite unfamiliar with western music.

However, it may surprise you to learn that, due to movies and television, there is some American music that has become popular in China. It would be a great idea to include some of those pieces in your program.

The right music, well played, will exhilarate the audience and transcend the moment. It will create a magical atmosphere where the spirits of East and West come together in a true cultural exchange experience.

Dear Rebecca,
We plan to include several Chinese pieces in our performance. Is there any music that we should avoid?
If you want to delight Chinese audiences, include some popular Chinese pieces. For them it is a novel experience to hear a familiar song played in the American style on western instruments.

However, not every Chinese song is appropriate for you to perform. Here is why:

In recent years, the political environment in China has changed. Today, western guests and western culture are very welcome in China.

Recently, an American band unwittingly performed a Chinese song that was made popular in a fifty year old anti-American movie about when the Chinese fought Americans on the Korean battlefield. The band did not understand the song’s historical background, and were not aware that it brought back uncomfortable feelings among some of the older audience.

If you plan to play a Chinese song, it’s a good idea to consult with CACBC’s Chinese born musicologist to check out the song’s background and social appropriateness. We will be happy to suggest music that is sure to be enthusiastically received.

Dear Rebecca,
We are planning to play both the American & Chinese national anthems. Are there any special cultural considerations we should be aware of?
Performing the national anthems is a great idea; many of our groups have done so with wonderful success. However, there is something you need to pay attention to: the rhythm and mood of China anthem. In America it is common for musicians to creatively stylize the national anthem. In China the national anthem is considered a living part of Chinese history; it would be culturally offensive to alter the rhythm or spirit of the music in any way. Also it depends where you are performing the Chinese national anthem, so it is best to consult CACBC before you put that in your repertoire.

Dear Rebecca,
Our band went to China with a travel agent who had previously toured us all over America and Europe. He promised we would play for the China Festival, but we did not. Also, our performance on Great Wall was stopped and we were asked to leave. Is this an indication that Chinese do not like American bands?
I’m sorry you had an unpleasant experience. American bands are very welcome in China. The problems you experienced were most likely the result of a communications breakdown long before you went to China.

I’m sure your travel agent did a great job for you in the US and Europe; but, apparently he has little or no experience in China.

As China travel develops, almost every international travel agency claims to be able to take you there to tour. However, American travel companies rarely understand the rules and regulations regarding performance in China, they do not know the language or the culture and they lack hands-on experience.

Invariably, they “job out” your tour to a Chinese tour company. This often leads to trouble. The American company naively assumes the in-country tour operator has expertise and connections in the performing arts arena. Not so. Chinese tour companies are good at booking tickets and running regular tours, but they know next to nothing about the official regulations regarding performance, concert production, events planning or media promotion.
It’s possible the Chinese tour company didn’t know that they needed to apply for permission to perform on Great Wall. Since you never talked directly with the person who arranged your project, it could be that the China tour company did not clearly understand that your agent wanted to book you into the festival. Unlike in US, performance opportunities in music festivals are limited. It’s likely they had no previous experience with festivals and didn’t know how to get you in. Perhaps, rather than disappoint you completely, the tour company set you up to perform in a local gymnasium, thinking or hoping it would be an acceptable alternate solution.

Needless to say, there was a major problem with communication. Clear, direct communication with the tour arranger is vital. That is why it is so important to work with someone who speaks the language, knows both American and Chinese culture and is expert at dealing in performing arts system in China.

Dear Rebecca,
I recently received a very low bid for our upcoming tour. The venues and the itinerary look great. Is it too good to be true?
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. A bid proposal may look good on paper, but it is not a guarantee of a successful tour. There is a big difference between a promise and a promise delivered!

Price is important, but not the only consideration. A low bid very often results in a disappointing tour. You need to know who is behind the scenes working on your behalf. If that person is not a proven expert in China concert tours and performance arrangement, you can be sure that your tour is “jobbed out” to a Chinese tour vendor you may never communicate with directly!

To find out if a potential tour vendor is really qualified to take you to China, ask these questions:

1. Do they have verifiable credentials and a track record of successful performance tours in China?

2. Do they have a professional bi-lingual concert production manager on staff who will accompany the group?

3. Can they provide you with several referrals so you can speak directly with group leaders who really had touring experience with them?

4. Can they tell you what are the most common problems and dangers encountered in China when touring? How do they prepare to avoid them?
In Addition, you want to know if they are knowledgeable about the official permission procedures and most current government requirements and regulations to perform in public venues; How will they manage the advertising and publicity and where will the audience come from; If they are ready and able to solve unexpected problems or emergencies. For example: A) One box with multi-percussion instruments didn’t arrive in China with the passengers; you are scheduled to perform tomorrow evening; B) Due to the differences between Western and Eastern concepts, the rental instrument you requested arrived and was totally different than you expected, even though it was the same brand of the instrument…and your performance is to start soon.

Whether or not you choose to tour with CACBC, we wish you to have a successful tour experience in China. We hope you choose a capable organization that will do a good job of handling your project. If you have concerns that something is not going quite right with your dealings in China and your current vendor doesn’t seem to have satisfactory answers, call us. We will be happy to help you by doing some discreet investigation. Remember, we have access to virtually anyone in performing arts and the education field in China.

Note: Rebecca Ji is a wealth of cross-cultural knowledge. She knows both cultures and speaks both English and Chinese. She knows performance, both front stage and back. She knows the cultural differences; audience expectations and can advise an American performing group in the selection of their repertoire. She knows how China government agencies function and knows how to solve problems, cut through red tape and get things done.