Creating symphony in Beijing

Violin maestro L Subramaniam was in China's capital city Beijing last month.

Although it was his second visit, it was special since he was the first Indian invited to perform at the new National Center for Performing Arts in the city.
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The artist took out some time to revive old memories and visit some spots that he missed on his last trip.u00a0

Bowled by Beijing
The venue where the Beijing Symphony Orchestra was conducted by maestro Tan Lihua was simply incredible. I was deeply honoured to be asked to be the first Indian artist to perform there.



Beijing is a very interesting city. They have a nice mix of traditionalism and modernity. They have a rich musical heritage and some wonderful traditional instruments, like the Erhu.
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There are great tourist spots like Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Ming Tombs and many others.

No pictures or descriptions can prepare you for the Great Wall. It is truly a marvel and stretches on endlessly.u00a0 We climbed for what seemed like an eternity and had reached only the first post!
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There are lots of vendors selling souveniers and memorabilia... I have a plaque with my name etched that says "I successfully climbed the Great Wall".

Culinary delights
I'm big on Chinese food. But I'm a strict vegetarian and it isn't that easy to find veg food. Also, Chinese food in China is different from anywhere else in the world.

And the order in which they eat is also different. Rice and vegetables aren't eaten together and the soup comes at the end. I am fond of the sezchuan style of cooking, although I still can't use chopsticks!