Made in China

I visited China back in January supposedly before anyone knew anything about COVID-19 – before it even had a name. Here I was in one of the most crowded places on earth, swept along through those livestock markets we’ve now read so much about, passing cages of live bullfrogs and, in their thousands, fresh eggs of subtle blues, whites and browns. Live chickens, tanks of fish and mounds of fresh Chinese greens shared spaces with cheap souvenirs in streets packed with so many people, the throng seemed to melt into the distant haze.

Minutes later, I was rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s most inspirational artists inside staggering musical facilities, watching them work with a new generation of players, coming together to build China’s classical music future, brick by brick. At the start of 2020, China was operating at full tilt. After a week in Shanghai and Guangzhou, the picture I assembled was of hope and ambition, a strong desire by the Chinese for its country to be at the forefront of classical