Music of the Ages

Music is an art form that has touched and moved humanity for thousands of years. It is a way of expressing our thoughts, feelings, and sensations in a way that bridges the gaps of both space and time. Seeking to strengthen that bridge is a young musician, songwriter, and teacher of the Native American flute and the culture surrounding it named Benjamin Grimes.

A native of the northwest United States, Benjamin was not born into the Native tribes. His family was neither wealthy nor powerful, yet that still did not stop them from seeing life for what it was and cherishing it. Being only a third generation American himself his grandparents were not even native to the land that he called home, but they still cared for the people that came from there. For decades his family was involved in helping various tribes of the United States, in particular those in Pipestone, Minnesota and the Navajo peoples of Arizona.

This love for the poeple carried over into Benjamin and after years of dedication and study, helping to promote the ways of the Native American tribes of the Northwest, Benjamin was adopted into the tribes and learned even more of their culture and ways.

As he became more and more immersed in the culture and ways of the Native American tribes, Benjamin took up study of the flute as a way for him to express himself, touch the hearts of those around him, and help spread the culture of those he has come to care deeply about. To that end he studied under award winning Native American flutist Jan Michael Looking Wolf, developed his own distinct technique, and over the past years has even been invited to play for the governor of the state of Oregon himself.

Benjamin’s music finds a special place here at GetShanghaied.com as the style of music and the melodies it holds are not just native to the United States but actually quite similar to a number of traditional styles found throughout China. There are, in fact, a number of similarities that can be found connecting both Chinese culture and customs to the Native American tribes of the US, particularly those customs found in northeast China and northwest US.

Recognizing those similarities, Benjamin has begun seeking ways to bridge the gap between the East and the West and intends to come to China if possible in the near future to share his music, discuss the cultures of the Northwestern Tribes, and even teach the flute that he plays to any students interested. All music found within this article are songs from his CD and illustrate the melodies he can produce, even while simply playing solo.

If you are interested in Benjamin’s music and would like to help support his trip to China you may purchase one of his CDs or inquire about other ways to help support his travel, purchase flutes, or discuss personal hiring requests by contacting support@getshanghaied.com

Winter Getaways

Let’s face it, it’s getting cold out there in the city. Sure, it may not seem so bad on the pure temperature scale, but couple even mild temperatures with a constant 80% humidity on most days and you’re going to get a bit of a chill in your bones.

Still, being locked away with work or whatever else in Shanghai doesn’t leave many options, right?

Perhaps, if it wasn’t for the upcoming lengthy holidays.

Each year there is a massive exodus across all of China where millions upon millions of people leave their work areas to trek back home and spend time with their families for the Chinese New Year (a.k.a. Spring Festival or “Chun Jie”). While this can vary each year on when exactly it takes place, this year’s “golden week” is begins January 25th.

This “golden week” is a time period where most people all across the country take around one week off from work to spend time with their families and celebrate one of the most traditional holidays of all. People travel all across the country to go back home and spend time with their families. It is a time for good food, good cheer, and of course good drinks.

So what does that mean for you if you aren’t going home to spend time with your fam?

It means places like Hainan Island, located far to the south and a bit more out of winter’s reach, remain open for people like you to get out and escape the environment you’re trapped in the other 51 weeks of the year. Sanya (as pictured here) is but one of the great tourist cities that populate Hainan island and comes personally recommended.

Now of course this doesn’t mean it’s the ONLY place to take off to if you so choose. Thailand and Vietnam are also good alternatives that many people favor, though with occasional instability in Thailand that can make some planning in the future a bit problematic as plans may need to be canceled or changed on short notice. And if you’re in for a more chilly escape there’s always the Ice Festival up in Harbin. Regardless it’s a good opportunity to get out and do something for a while.

Other things to consider while out and about is the actual volume of people moving from place to place. Even though people are heading home there’s still a LOT of homes to get to, so be careful when you’re out trudging from one city to another.

Some advice?

1) Leave before the holiday week and come back after. Using some of those vacation days can grant you a head-start on the rush out, let you come back after everyone’s swarmed back to work, and the naturally long break can extend your annual leave to a nice long vacation.

2) Watch your pockets/bags. Holiday time is also one of the favorite times for thieves as unwary travelers are easy targets. The tradition of bringing lots of money home to their family for the Spring Festival holiday only adds to many thieves tenacity for taking what is yours.

3) Travel light. There’s no need to take more than you have to with you while you’re away, so don’t. Leave that computer at home unless you ABSOLUTELY need it, and keep the extra money in the bank. You’ll only add to your worries and risks if you take more than you need (not to mention possibly strain your back with all the effort).

4) Steer clear of normal tourist traps. Despite the fact that MOST people will be home with their families during the holiday there of course will be many that won’t be as well, and with a population of over 1.4 billion people even the minority of people going to tourist spots can still be a lot of people in China. Besides, some of the best places out there are the ones that most people tend to not go to.

So good luck, enjoy the holidays, and have a great time for all those who can’t get out and enjoy the same.

Just don’t forget to bring back souveniers.