THE CHINESE CONNECTION

Kaea, Issue 2, 1 March 1980, Page 13

THE CHINESE CONNECTION

In March of last year, Madame Chen Muhua, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China, stood on the marae at Turangawaewae and extended an invitation to the Maori people to visit her country.

The invitation was taken up. Archdeacon Kingi Ihaka, Chairman of the Maori and South Pacific Arts Council was to lead a delegation of selected experts in haka, poi, action song, taiaha and choral presentation to visit cities, factories, communes and other centres in China. Also going would be Kara Puketapu in his role as Maori Trustee and Bill Kerekere himself a noted performer and composer, though on this occasion he was covering the tour for Radio New Zealand. The group followed some illustrious predecessors. Previous visits had been made by such cultural emissaries as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greek National Theatre, the Old Vic Theatre and the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra. The only other Maori organisation to visit China was a concert party in 1964. Who Paid? The tour was paid for by the Chinese government, who were responsible for all expenses incurred within the Republic. The cost to New Zealand was limited to travel to and from Hong Kong, and the gift presented to the Chinese at a special reception in Peking: a canoe prow, similar to that E resented to the new New Zealand Emassy in Washington last year. New Zealand’s share of the cost was paid by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maori Trustee and Air New Zealand.

Above On their arrival at Nanning from Canton, Kara Puketapu (left) Archdeacon Ihaka (right) and the other members of the group are met by Jian Bing, Vice-Director of the Cultural Bureau. Other members of the group were: Bill Kerekere, who covered the tour for Radio New Zealand; Vicki and Richard Wehi and Louise Kingi from Gisborne; Dean Kershaw and Mari Prime from Patea; Tuiri Maxwell and Donna Morrison from Rotorua; Tokanui Ihaka, Anne Tapene, Piripi Munro and Kahu Pou from Auckland; George and Ramiri Brennan from Christchurch; Muru and Lorraine Walters from Dunedin; Puti Tukukino and Hine Poa from Upper Hutt; the Rev Te Napi Waaka from Hamilton; Hinetu Dell from Invercargill; Tamati Parore from Paremata; and Judie Fishenden from Porirua. They were chosen, in the words of Maori Trustee Kara Puketapu, “from the four winds of Maoridom”. All are well known in their districts and nationally for their dedication and expertise in performance an^ f or contributions they have made to Maori culture, even though some are only young. There were only two opportunities for them to get together for rehearsal before leaving for China, once in Ngaruawahia in October and once in Wellington prior to a special reception held for them at the Chinese Embassy. Nevertheless, performances were polished and professional, even if modifications to their planned concerts had to be made to cater for the needs and attitudes of audiences once in China.

But before their departure Kara Puketapu paid tribute to others who had helped to make the trip possible: “I want also to thank publicly those employers who are supporting our tour members by continuing to pay their wages while they are overseas or, in some cases, making special grants to cover this. What Fnr*> The group visited cities, factories, universities, communes and other centres. Through their many performances, scheduled or otherwise, they were able to show many thousands of fascinated Chinese something of Maori culture. Through more personal contacts they were also able to achieve the kind of rapport and good will so important between nations but so unlikely to occur with tourist groups or formal trade missions. Despite the need for interpreters, discussion was lively and wide-ranging as Maori and Chinese talked about everything from martial arts to animal husbandry, from consumer spending to carving styles. Hospitality F y The party flew to Hong Kong from Auckland on 2 December, and reached Canton by train the following day. Three days were spent in Canton, followed by four days in Nanning and four days in Peking. They arrived home with a week to spare before Christmas. Throughout, their reception was almost overwhelmingly hospitable. They were met and hosted by the revolutionary committee of each province, comparable to the state

Muru Walters, also a member of the

group, was full ofpraise for Chinese artists. “They are perfectionists highly disciplined and highly specialised people who are dedicatedto improving standards. ”

fovernments of the U.S.A. Banquets were eld and gifts presented wherever they went. Sometimes this hospitality was not without its difficulties even embarrassments. “It took some of us time to become accustomed to all the Chinese foods which were offered in abundance”, said Kingi Ihaka, “and regrettably we did not do justice to their average eight-course meals. We were told that it was bad manners for us not to at least taste all the various dishes set before us.”

Clothes were laundered through the first-class service provided by the hotels, and one member of the party admitted that it seemed unnecessarily generous: “Hell, I’m used to washing my own undies!” Perhaps the strangest aspect of the Chinese reception was their style of applause. Says Kara Puketapu, “The Chinese custom is not to applaud each item, but to wait until a break. This meant not only that our performers were a little hesitant and unnerved to begin with, but also that the finely timed concerts were a few minutes short without pauses for applause between each item.” Extra items were added to fill out each concert, but also Kara Puketapu and Bill Kerekere would get the applause going themselves!

Performance

There is no doubt that the concerts went down well. One of the interpreters commented: “I found their performances and their culture very beautiful. They were very exciting, very easy to be with, very happy. ’ But if the Maori performers made an impact on the Chinese, the Chinese performing arts made at least as great an impact on the Maori. Muru Walters points out that, “Song and dance is not the be all and end all of cultural performance, and we should look for more variety in our presentations.” This point came home to the Maori group when they were taken to see an opera in Nanning. “For all of us it was the greatest moment of the tour”, says Kara Puketapu. “The story was based on a myth about the love between two mountains. Sound familiar?” He smiles. “But that wasn’t all that was familiar. The movements, the use of sticks there were echoes of our own style there, but they’d taken it all so much further. It was terrific. Wow, why can’t we have a Maori opera? Our performing arts are certainly capable of being sophisticated and developed beyond the style we have retained since the 19305.”

Chinese Haka

The application and polish of Chinese artists impressed everyone. Puti Tukukino remembers when a Chinese dance troupe asked if they could be taught some Maori dances. “ ‘They don’t look too difficult’, they said. ‘We should be able to pick it up in an hour or so.’ We smiled to ourselves. But

we were astonished to discover that they could, they really could. The men learned a haka in half an hour. The poi was mastered almost as fast, and one woman even had the double long poi off perfectly in an hour and a half! It wasn’t just hard practice. Somehow they understood the feel of the thing.” Performance was not the only area in which Maori and Chinese established warm and immediate rapport. Though the Maori party could never have coped in formal situations without the assistance of interpreters, it was noticed by the Chinese that of all the foreign guests ever to visit China, none had been so accurate in their pronunciation of Chinese words and phrases as the Maori.

Arohanui

There were opportunities to relax and meet the Chinese informally whether shopping, strolling through the city streets or playing basketball. It was in these situations that members of the group came to know the Chinese best and to appreciate the warmth and natural friendliness of their hosts. One member said, “I find their attitude unreal. Their absolute honesty is remarkable. We claim to have come from a Christian country, yet I have found in China more demonstration of arohanui than anywhere else.” And Puti Tukukino spoke warmly of the glimpses she had of rural life. “Apart from the fact that they were growing rice, it might have been an old-fashioned Maori rural community. People working together in the fields with their friends ana children.”

In fact, little time was spent out of the cities, an aspect most members regretted. Although they visited three great cities and were struck even there by China’s teeming population, there was obviously so mucn more to be seen.

Was it worth it?

But the Maori performers saw enough of China to learn a great deal about themselves and their own count™. They returned to New Zealand full of enthusiasm not only for what they had seen of China but also for what can be applied to their situation here. As a diplomatic exercise the tour was a success, acknowledged as such by both governments. As a tour of instruction and entertainment for the benefit of the Chinese people it was a success also. It is to be hoped that it heralded a new period of cultural exchange, and there is a possibility of a similar Chinese group visiting New Zealand next year. But if the ideas which arose are taken further, and if the challenges offered are taken up, then the greatest benefit of the Chinese visit will be a thorough re-evaluation of our music and performing arts. We can do a great deal more, and we can do it before wider

audiences than ever before.