Day 3 – Sunday 18th November 2018.

We gathered for breakfast at 10.30am and went down to the Gathering Cafe for breakfast again. Sometimes it’s just too much hassle to make choices and it’s good to stick with what you know! We had all slept a lot better and our batteries were recharged ready for the day. After our omelettes, cups of tea, coffee and the fish and chips we departed and some of us did some shopping. I bought some of the Portuguese influenced hot egg custard tarts for us all, and I also found a quite nice Dizi in a small music shop that was just £8.

Edric met us at 1pm and we waited at Point A for the Uber taxi to take us to the show. It was in the Northern Territories very close to the border with mainland China in Tin Shiu Joy Square, outside the LINK shopping centre. The taxi ride took about 40 minutes which gave us a good chance to take in the landscape.

Tin Shui Joy is a new town. 30 years ago this was all just farmland but now there are dozens of 30 or 40 storey high rise blocks surrounding the central shopping area. It is all government built housing to accommodate the huge influx of migrants that have been coming to Hong Kong. Whilst the buildings look very sleek and modern they are inhabited by quite poor families – so it is nice for us to be able to offer them a performance for free.

Today’s show is in the square outside the LINK shopping centre, surrounded by the huge shiny tower blocks and with hills in the distance. We are on a large stage, with a decent sound system and there are about 80 staff and volunteers here to make the event happen! It is a big event, and essentially a variety show. There’s a dragon, a magician, a monkey puppet, as well as the musical acts: WAO singers, the Only One jazz band, Pete Moser and the Long Walk.

As we arrive it is very hot and humid with some glorious Hong Kong sunshine. We are ushered to our gazebo that will be our green room for the day where our instruments are waiting for us – it is fantastic to have a road crew to transport all the gear for you! We have several hours between our soundcheck and our spot at the finale of the show, so we are able to explore the area, the shopping centre and watch the other acts.

We actually have our shortest set today with just 3 tunes: “Cloud Follow Moon” and “Molihua” on our own and “Beneath Lion Rock” with Only Ones jazz band including their 10 piece horn section, and a group of about 8 young WAO singers.

The highlight of the show was Beneath Lion Rock. It was a truly magical experience! Monique announced the song saying “not only can the Long Walk Ensemble sing in Mandarin, they have also learned a song in Cantonese”.

Jacky and the pianist played the 4 bar introduction and there was a ripple of excited applause through the audience…. it is a well loved song! Then when Kim and I started singing people applauded again even louder and then joined in singing – and started waving their arms and mobile phone torches in the air! It was a real stadium rockstar experience. We sang through the song once on our own, just the Long Walk Ensemble, and then the Jazz band joined in, and the WAO singers came running out onto the floor in front of the stage with their wireless microphones and sang with us. It really was very moving and it did bring a tear to the eye. The words are about bringing people together and unity. The song was originally written in 1979, but became almost an unofficial National Anthem in 2003 when it was played a lot during the SARS outbreak.

Here is the English translation of the lyrics:

Beneath the Lion Rock
In life there is joy
and often tears are inevitable
If we as one can meet beneath the Lion Rock
there will be more smiles than sobs

In life it is often rough
and it is hard not to have any worries
If we are on the same boat
we can all help each other beneath the Lion Rock
and leave our differences behind

Let go of the conflicts we have with each other
and go chase after our dreams
On the same boat we commit to stay with each other
If we are not afraid there is nothing to dread

When we are together at the ends of the skies and seas
we can all challenge our difficulties together hand in hand
We as one can overcome hardships and strive to write down
the timeless story of our home

Let go of the conflicts we have with each other
and go chase after our dreams
On the same boat we commit to stay with each other
If we are not afraid there is nothing to dread

When we are together at the ends of the skies and seas
we can all challenge our difficulties together hand in hand
We as one can overcome hardships and strive to write down
the timeless story of our home
…..

After such a wonderful show we felt we deserved a treat, so once the Uber taxi had delivered us safely back to the city and our Hotel, Ryan led us to a Hot Pot restaurant several blocks away. The Chinese “Hot Pot” involves a big pot with soup base liquid in it that sits on a hot plate in the middle of the table, and you can order many kinds of tasty morsels that arrive on small dishes for you to cook in the pot in front of you.

It is a real communal experience and makes for lots of conversations and it is especially great for families and groups of friends. Ryan says that the Chinese people rarely seem to to eat on their own if they can possibly avoid it. We really enjoyed our Hot Pot supper, and Ryan also introduced us to the wonders of spam which the Chinese also seem to love, as well as Chinese donuts, Yam and some Lotus root. We wandered home with full tummies and smiles on our faces!

Rick Middleton, Chinese Ensemble Project Manager.