Madame Mao Asks the Impossible

In 1973, newly-hired Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Davyd Booth was called to sub for an ill colleague on a tour to China. This was not just any tour. It was the first ever American symphony tour in Communist China.

China, which had been closed off to the world since 1949, was not a very known entity—“like going to Mars,” Davyd said.(See post one.) 

Life in China was vastly different than anything they’d ever known. (See post two.)
The Philadelphia Orchestra landed in the midst of China’s Cultural Revolution. (See post three.)

While the orchestra carefully navigated through potential cultural pitfalls--someone lost a passport, several succumbed to this strange liquor “maotai”—there was a big issue over the music. Madame Mao, who had previously limited acceptable music to the eight operas she had created, had an impossible request.

"Madame Mao" --Jiang Qing

“In ’73 Mao was still alive but he was not making public appearances. It was his wife Mrs. Mao (who was is in charge.) And she was a real tiny lady, but I gather she had incredible power. And everybody so kowtowed  to her, and everybody looked at her for her reactions to everything.

“We had one famous moment when we were scheduled to play Beethoven’s fifth symphony. Well it came down that she didn’t like that. She wanted the orchestra to play Beethoven’s sixth (Pastoral.)

“We didn’t have the music with us.”

(To be continued. Next: Searching China for Beethoven's Sixth.)

Landing on the Cultural Revolution

In 1973, newly-hired Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Davyd Booth was called to sub for an ill colleague on a tour to China. This was not just any tour. It was the first ever American symphony tour in Communist China.

China, which had been closed off to the world since 1949, was not a very known entity—“like going to Mars,” Davyd said.(See post one.) 

Life in China was vastly different than anything they’d ever known. (See post two.)

Little did Davyd and his colleagues realize it, but they were landing on the height of China’s Cultural Revolution. From1966-76 Chairman Mao led the Cultural Revolution to purge the country of old thinking. He demonized the rich, the intellectuals, and those exposed to the West, and he sent them into the countryside for “re-education.” Countless people died from torture, poor conditions, and suicide. 

As for music, Classical was banned. There were only eight model operas that Chinese were permitted to perform.

Davyd and the orchestra were instructed not to talk or mingle with the locals, and to always travel in groups of four or five.  This proved impossible.

“Anytime that we would go out, of course we would be surrounded by the Chinese people. Of course they were as interested in us as we were them.

 “One thing that I remember is that we had a couple of women in the orchestra who had blond hair. I don’t think the Chinese had ever seen blond hair. I’ll never forget –they would just come around to see the color of their hair. We were both witnessing such vastly different things from our culture and our lives at that point.”

(To be continued. Next: Madame Mao Asks Impossible.)

China '73--A World Different From Anything You Could Imagine

In 1973, newly-hired Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Davyd Booth was called to sub for an ill colleague on a tour to China. This was not just any tour. It was the first ever American symphony tour in Communist China.

China, which had been closed off to the world since 1949, was not a very known entity—“like going to Mars,” Davyd said. (See post one.)

Davyd remembered this landing “on Mars,” as if it were yesterday. “Especially when compared to today, China was absolutely primitive.  In Beijing, which we now see as an enormous, enormous city—there was still a lot of farm country. And there were very few buildings, especially no tall skyscrapers.

“I mean now it’s almost incredibly overwhelmingly massive and huge.  The city (of Beijing back then) was full of farmers. And there were no automobiles except what was given to the government people…

“I never saw so many bicycles in my life. It wasn’t like hundreds of thousands. It was like a million bicycles. At certain times of the day there would be nothing but this unbelievable sea of bicycles.

"Everybody dressed alike." Photo WSJ

“The other thing is everybody—they all dressed alike. The same color. The Mao coats. There was this cap that they wore. Everything was the same color. Everyone’s hair style-whether they were male or female—was pretty much the same, the same length. It was so different at that time from anything you could possibly imagine, especially coming from this side of the world.”

Maestro Ormandy on tour of Great Wall.

Davyd was impressed by the vastly different way of life, but also by the sheer size of the country. During down-times, they were given a tour of the Great Wall and the surrounding areas of Beijing and Shanghai. “I think everybody was struck by just the size and scope of the country, even at that time when it was still not anywhere remotely as developed as it is today.”

(To be continued. Next: Landing on the Cultural Revolution.)

China in '73...Like Going to Mars

Last summer, the US-China Institute at USC asked if I’d be interested in writing an article about the flourishing symphony in China. One interview led to another, and a story began to unravel about a fascinating piece of U.S.-China history involving the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

In 1973, China--which had been closed off to the world for almost a quarter of a century—allowed President Nixon to initiate some cultural exchange:  visits from ping-pong teams, the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, two women’s college basketball teams, and, yes, the Philadelphia Orchestra. This was a big deal, not only because China was allowing foreigners into the country…but also because most Chinese had not heard the likes of Beethoven for many years. The classics, too, had been banned. This particular  ‘73 concert is remembered as a spark which ignited some long-dorment embers, and which inspired the Chinese to become some of the greatest consumers and producers of classical music.

I spoke with one of the few remaining musicians who took part in that eventful trip, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra violinist Davyd Booth. At the time, the 23 year-old native of Clarksburg, West Virginia and recent graduate of the New school of Music in Philadelphia, had just been hired.

Davyd Booth, Philadelphia Orchestra

“I actually was not supposed to start with the orchestra until after they came back from China. And then, not any more than two weeks before (the musicians were to leave), I got a call from our personnel manager that somebody has gotten ill….and they would like me to go… I didn’t even have a visa. Or a passport. “

Davyd, who had never been overseas, was told not to worry about documentation.

“Ormandy, our conductor at that point, was really a very powerful person…He was very close friends with President Nixon.”

A passport soon materialized.

“I remember at the time it was such a very big deal for me--not only starting my new job but then going to this country. At that time China was almost like—it was like a totally different world. It was like going to Mars or something.”

(To Be Continued. Next: A World Different From Anything You Could Imagine)

Half the Accomplishment, Less Than Zero Appreciation

Last month, the Director of the American Studies Program at Stanford, Dr. Shelley Fishkin, spoke at the U.S.-China Peoples' Friendship Association regarding her research : The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project (See part one.) The idea for a railroad put forth by President Lincoln was necessitated by the agonizing time it took to get from west to east, the inefficiency of travel and communication. To construct the most difficult part (the stretch through the Sierra Nevada) one of the owner's, Leland Stanford, suggested using Chinese labor. (See Part Two.) This was an odd suggestion at the time, as Stanford had promised to get rid of the Chinese. (See Part Three.) Approximately 12-15,000 Chinese worked on the western portion of the transcontinental railroad--an estimated 80-90% of the work force.  Yet, there is little documentation of their participation. (See Part Four.) To correct this wrong, Stanford formed the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, and working with 150 scholars globally, is leaving no stone unturned. 1. They have looked at payroll records. (See part Five.) 2. They are exploring letters, books, and newspaper articles (see part six.)The Project is following the findings of archeologists, and asking descendants to come forth and share their stories. (See part seven.)

The Chinese railroad workers basically built half the railroad that shaped our country, and after the Central Pacific, many went on to build other railroad lines, performing other marvels, other engineering feats. Despite this, waves of anti-Chinese hostility continued to grow. 

“From 1870-1890 the Chinese were attacked all across the west and driven out of 34 towns in California, three in Oregon, and four in Nevada. There were 153 anti-Chinese riots between 1870-1880,” said Dr. Fishkin.

Anti-Chinese hysteria prompted lawmakers to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.  That act would stay in place until 1943.

July 23, 1892 Handbill

The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project is doing its utmost to remember and honor the people who worked hard—despite extreme hardship—to make America what it is today. 

“We are trying to tell a story that has indelibly shaped us all,” said Dr. Fishkin.

...And continues to shape us.

Descendants of railroad workers include Flying Tigers defending the shores of the America,  famous actresses, like Arabella Hong (Flower Drum Song) and Medal of Arts recipients, like novelist Maxine Hong Kingston, etc. etc.

Two years ago, Stanford co-hosted a conference in Guangdong, the region from which nearly all the railroad workers came from, and the University officially recognized the achievements of these Chinese workers for the very first time.  

Iron Road Pioneers Sculpture-San Luis Obispo 2003

The secret about who is responsible for thrusting America into the modern world is being revealed, thanks to the Chinese Railroad Workers Project in North America, one story at a time. Keep your eyes out in the near future for a description of the project in book form. Also, look forward to the celebration of the 150^th Anniversary of the railroad, a celebration we all can be proud of.

 **If you have neighbors, friends, or relatives who have a connection with this chapter in American history, please contact the Project.  They want to hear your stories. Additionally, if you would like to support them, the Project welcomes your tax-deductible donations.

 With gratitude to Dr. Fishkin for sharing her research and findings, this concludes this essay.

Archeologists Dig Up Pieces to Railroad Puzzle

Last month, the Director of the American Studies Program at Stanford, Dr. Shelley Fishkin, spoke at the U.S.-China Peoples' Friendship Association regarding her research : The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project (See part one.) The idea for a railroad put forth by President Lincoln was necessitated by the agonizing time it took to get from west to east, the inefficiency of travel and communication. To construct the most difficult part (the stretch through the Sierra Nevada) one of the owner's, Leland Stanford, suggested using Chinese labor. See Part Two. This was an odd suggestion at the time, as Stanford had promised to get rid of the Chinese. (See Part Three.) Approximately 12-15,000 Chinese worked on the western portion of the transcontinental railroad--an estimated 80-90% of the work force.  Yet, there is little documentation of their participation. (See Part Four.) To correct this wrong, Stanford formed the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, and working with 150 scholars globally, is leaving no stone unturned. 1. They have looked at payroll records. (See part Five.) 2. They are exploring letters, books, and newspaper articles (see part six.)
3. The Railroad Project is also following the findings of archeologists who have worked along the railroad route. "...they have unearthed thousands of pieces of rice bowls, gaming pieces, cooking vessels and opium pipes," said Dr. Fishkin.
4. They are asking the descendants of the railroad workers to come forward and share what they know.  As a result, slowly, what once was this blurry idea of “Chinese laborers” is becoming clearer.

“For example,” said Dr. Fishkin. “Wilson Chow said his great grandfather Jun Yuk Chow left his home in Kaiping County, attracted by the idea of the Gold Rush, and took a ferry to Hong Kong where he booked 3^rd class passage on a 3-mast sailboat across the Pacific. The journey took 48 days. He worked as a miner in Gold Hill, Nevada, when he was recruited to work on the Central Pacific.

“Another worker—Lim Lip Hong—similarly came looking for gold. He left Guangdong on a junk with his uncle and twelve relatives in 1865. Their journey took six months, as they got stuck in a dead zone in the middle of the ocean. Several of the group tried to commit suicide. They finally made it across. Some years later, they too were recruited to work on the railroad.”

The supply of Chinese workers already in the country was not enough to meet the demand of the railroad, so Central Pacific began recruiting directly from China. Hung Lai Wow left his village in Toisan as a teenager, along with one of his brothers, to join the work crew. Chin Lin Sou was also recruited directly from Guangdong.

(To be continued. Next: Half the Accomplishment, Zero Appreciation.)

Harshest Winter on Record Doesn't Stop Railroad Progress

Last month, the Director of the American Studies Program at Stanford, Dr. Shelley Fishkin, spoke at the U.S.-China Peoples' Friendship Association regarding her research : The Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project (See part one.) The idea for a railroad put forth by President Lincoln was necessitated by the agonizing time it took to get from west to east, the inefficiency of travel and communication. To construct the most difficult part (the stretch through the Sierra Nevada) one of the owner's, Leland Stanford, suggested using Chinese labor. See Part Two. This was an odd suggestion at the time, as Stanford had promised to get rid of the Chinese. (See Part Three.) Approximately 12-15,000 Chinese worked on the western portion of the transcontinental railroad--an estimated 80-90% of the work force.  Yet, there is little documentation of their participation. (See Part Four.) To correct this wrong, Stanford formed the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, and working with 150 scholars globally, is leaving no stone unturned. 1. They have looked at payroll records. (See part Five.)

2. The Railroad Project is looking at company reports, government census files, and immigration records. They are exploring letters, books and newspaper articles. 

From these they discovered that the winter of 1866-1867, when the Chinese were working on blasting through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, was one of the harshest on record. There were 44 storms and an average of 18 feet of snow on the summit. One article they found detailed how a snow slide killed 19 Chinese workers. Snow wasn’t the only danger. “Landslides, explosions, blasting accidents, falls, Indian raids, and disease all took their toll,” Dr. Fishkin said.

Chinese railroad workers labor in the snow of the Sierras

Another article noted that during construction of the summit tunnel (1659 feet long through solid Sierra Nevada granite) many people had predicted it would take three years to do what the Chinese workers did in one.  Another feat was documented on April 28, 1869: 4,000 Chinese laborers working with eight Irish rail handlers laid ten miles and fifty-six feet of track in a bit less than twelve hours.  (This was the engineering feat Secretary Volpe mistakenly attributed to American labor in the ceremony in 1969.) That record has never been duplicated in railroad construction.

(To Be Continued. Next: Archeologists Dig Up Pieces to Railroad Puzzle.)