WEBVTT 00:28:02.146 --> 00:28:02.558 - No. 00:28:46.562 --> 00:28:54.553 - the historic 1973 core. So I went and I was very familiar with China. I mean, I had lived there, I had 00:28:54.553 --> 00:29:02.543 - written about it since, you know, for decades, really. And I was really surprised when I traveled with 00:29:02.543 --> 00:29:10.301 - the orchestra to see kind of the response of Chinese audiences to the Philadelphia Orchestra. There 00:29:10.301 --> 00:29:14.878 - was a real sense of nostalgia for this orchestra and I was 00:29:16.002 --> 00:29:24.964 - by the way that the audience for classical music had grown so much. You know, I have a cousin who was 00:29:24.964 --> 00:29:34.278 - a classical musician, a pianist, and she went to the Shanghai Conservatory during the Cultural Revolution 00:29:34.278 --> 00:29:43.415 - year, so I was kind of familiar with how things had been kind of closed for so long. But in 2008, there 00:29:43.415 --> 00:29:44.382 - was a real 00:29:44.642 --> 00:29:52.874 - interest in classical music that had been kind of revived. And so I really felt like this was a chapter 00:29:52.874 --> 00:30:01.106 - of US history that not many people knew, but that was very important. And I also thought there was kind 00:30:01.106 --> 00:30:09.575 - of a broader story to tell. As I kind of dug more into the classical music scene, the thing that surprised 00:30:09.575 --> 00:30:13.374 - me the most is just how it was growing so much. 00:30:13.890 --> 00:30:21.780 - Here in the United States, a lot of orchestras are struggling financially and for audience. If you go, 00:30:21.780 --> 00:30:29.900 - the Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the best in the country. And we have a phenomenal conductor, Yannick 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:38.096 - Mises again. But even with his dynamism and the excellence of the orchestra, it's hard to fill the concert 00:30:38.096 --> 00:30:42.462 - hall. The audience is very old. When I was filming this, 00:30:42.626 --> 00:30:51.503 - I went on tour with the orchestra three times. And what really surprised me is going into Comfort Halls 00:30:51.503 --> 00:31:00.123 - in Shanghai in Beijing and seeing how it was a very young audience compared to American audiences. I 00:31:00.123 --> 00:31:08.659 - saw a lot of families. I saw a lot of couples. So the big surprise, I think, in doing this film was 00:31:08.659 --> 00:31:10.622 - there is a bright spot 00:31:11.522 --> 00:31:20.753 - in the world of classical music, and it's in China. So. That is awesome. And yeah, I really, I guess 00:31:20.753 --> 00:31:30.076 - I just want to have to thank Philadelphia Orchestra and musicians like them for the kind of education 00:31:30.076 --> 00:31:37.022 - exposure that I have been given when I was a kid growing up in China. Yeah. 00:31:37.474 --> 00:31:44.926 - And I have a question for Karina, our event organizer as well. Karina reached out to both Jennifer and 00:31:44.926 --> 00:31:52.161 - me about this event, and she really just wanted to share this film with all of you here today. So I 00:31:52.161 --> 00:31:59.468 - wanted to know, what was your first reaction watching the film? What were some of the most memorable 00:31:59.468 --> 00:32:06.558 - parts? And tell us a little bit about your journey and how this film had inspired you to actually 00:32:06.722 --> 00:32:16.085 - go to China this year. My initial reaction to the film is I was so amazed. I was fortunate to have had 00:32:16.085 --> 00:32:25.812 - music lessons in school. Unfortunately, they still had elementary music. And I got to take lessons through 00:32:25.812 --> 00:32:35.902 - high school and college. So we are, as you said in the film, seeing less and less of that. It's hard to watch. 00:32:36.098 --> 00:32:44.496 - from this in knowing I was able to take this class, but the students now might not be able to. So I 00:32:44.496 --> 00:32:53.061 - loved seeing that in the film that there's still so many great music opportunities for performers and 00:32:53.061 --> 00:33:01.711 - people who are in watch events and seeing how you mentioned how music does connect us and we can enjoy 00:33:01.711 --> 00:33:04.734 - it anywhere we're in the world now. 00:33:05.890 --> 00:33:13.735 - When I became aware of this film, I was remembering and thinking about what I'd say to me. I remember 00:33:13.735 --> 00:33:22.426 - I had just left my third shift job. This was the time in my life I was working three jobs. I worked 16 to 6 a.m. 00:33:22.426 --> 00:33:30.271 - at a factory. I was leaving there, heading to my house to shower, change, doing my day job at 35. And 00:33:30.271 --> 00:33:33.886 - I was trying to unlock out China at this time. 00:33:34.242 --> 00:33:41.658 - wanted to do everything I could to get a better understanding and impression of the country and culture 00:33:41.658 --> 00:33:49.217 - on the side of the ocean as I could before I made it. So I had your interview with University of Southern 00:33:49.217 --> 00:33:56.490 - California queued up. And then we were driving home listening to that. And I instantly, I just needed 00:33:56.490 --> 00:34:03.550 - to see this documentary. As a musician and the name of a tradition, the title caught my attention. 00:34:04.130 --> 00:34:12.899 - and then as an international refugee from China, seeing that game and understanding of the music scene 00:34:12.899 --> 00:34:22.179 - in China just made me so much, made me feel so much better connected to my home country and answer questions 00:34:22.179 --> 00:34:31.118 - I didn't know I had. It made me feel like I had things back from my past that I didn't know was missing. 00:34:31.118 --> 00:34:33.502 - So I think I just wanted to 00:34:33.794 --> 00:34:56.382 - Well, congratulations, happy birthday. When you're there, you're going to have to go to a concert. 00:34:56.706 --> 00:35:03.855 - The Beijing Concert Hall is just spectacular. They call it the big egg, and you saw it in the film, 00:35:03.855 --> 00:35:11.505 - but you definitely have to go. Yes. In the film, I remember Yannick said Beethoven would be very surprised 00:35:11.505 --> 00:35:18.654 - if he got that. The Canadian conductor and the Chinese singers were performing his work. I think he 00:35:18.654 --> 00:35:25.374 - would be really glad to know that this music is inspiring. So he got it from China to go back 00:35:25.602 --> 00:35:32.726 - her birthplace, and a sense of connection with classical music. That's really neat. Okay, so I want 00:35:32.726 --> 00:35:40.135 - to give most of the rest of the time to you all, and see if you have any questions after watching Bezel 00:35:40.135 --> 00:35:47.473 - Thank You, Beijing. And we don't have a mic here, so I would just like to ask you to speak loudly, and 00:35:47.473 --> 00:35:50.750 - we will also repeat the question to Jennifer. 00:36:01.986 --> 00:36:11.292 - What was your biggest challenge filming in China? Well, filming in China is difficult. You don't have 00:36:11.292 --> 00:36:20.507 - the same freedom of movement that you do here in the US. So for instance, we were staying in Beijing 00:36:20.507 --> 00:36:27.806 - at the Hyatt Hotel, which is just off Tiananmen Square near the Forbidden City. 00:36:27.938 --> 00:36:36.024 - And we wanted to go out on the sidewalk just to interview people about classical music and whether they 00:36:36.024 --> 00:36:44.499 - knew the Philadelphia Orchestra. But of course, you're not allowed to do that in China. You need permission. 00:36:44.499 --> 00:36:52.430 - And we were filming in a park, and we were told to leave and not film. So it's just quite a different 00:36:52.430 --> 00:36:56.318 - atmosphere for a journalist or filmmaker in China 00:36:56.674 --> 00:37:04.940 - versus the US. The other thing that was challenging is distilling the story. We knew that we wanted 00:37:04.940 --> 00:37:13.372 - to tell the history. So the first third of the movie is about what happened in 1973. But we wanted to 00:37:13.372 --> 00:37:21.969 - use that as a starting point and really convey kind of this revival of interest in classical music over 00:37:21.969 --> 00:37:23.870 - the last 40, 50 years. 00:37:24.450 --> 00:37:34.346 - had a classical music tradition. There were two very good conservatories in the 30s, the 40s. When 1949 00:37:34.346 --> 00:37:44.146 - with the creation of the People's Republic of China, the conservatories were still operating. But what 00:37:44.146 --> 00:37:53.566 - happened to China, what disrupted the appreciation of classical music was the Cultural Revolution. 00:37:53.698 --> 00:38:03.235 - So there was this 10-year period where, as the movie explains, that classical Western music was not 00:38:03.235 --> 00:38:12.868 - permitted. So it was something I wanted to convey, the evolution, the revival of the classical music 00:38:12.868 --> 00:38:18.686 - scene. And so as a storyteller, that was really challenging. 00:38:18.882 --> 00:38:25.845 - You want to tell a big story, but you also don't want to overwhelm your audience. So I hope I didn't 00:38:25.845 --> 00:38:32.945 - overwhelm you, and I hope I was able to convey it. And the other thing that we wanted to convey is the 00:38:32.945 --> 00:38:40.322 - contrast to the United States. For instance, China has invested a lot in music education over the decades. 00:38:40.322 --> 00:38:46.526 - And unfortunately, in a lot of school districts in America, music programs are being cut. 00:38:46.818 --> 00:38:55.423 - So there was this kind of tension that is somewhat ironic, you know, that someone like Long Long had 00:38:55.423 --> 00:39:04.028 - to help a school in Philadelphia to, you know, maintain their music program. So it's kind of ironic. 00:39:04.028 --> 00:39:12.548 - And so we had a lot that we wanted to do with this film. So it was ambitious that way. And so that, 00:39:12.548 --> 00:39:16.126 - as a director, that was a huge challenge. 00:39:25.154 --> 00:39:35.395 - So I just want to say thank you so much, Jennifer, for this beautiful film. I really appreciated the 00:39:35.395 --> 00:39:46.042 - historical context, especially moving from the 1973 connection and interaction then. And then over time, 00:39:46.042 --> 00:39:51.518 - the beauty of it is that it evolved that relationship 00:39:51.938 --> 00:40:01.883 - turning to up to now, it's still continuous with this sort of like soft diplomacy. I'm actually curious, 00:40:01.883 --> 00:40:11.828 - I guess my question is, where is that relationship at the moment given the political climate and foreign 00:40:11.828 --> 00:40:20.542 - policy status that we have with China? Yeah, well, thank you for your question and for your 00:40:20.802 --> 00:40:28.280 - You're interested in the felt. But again, one of the reasons I wanted to tell this degree is I feel 00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:35.907 - like it's an example of cultural diplomacy and why it really matters to have exchanges like this. And 00:40:35.907 --> 00:40:43.834 - unfortunately, I don't know what will kind of happen moving forward. I can tell you with the Philadelphia 00:40:43.834 --> 00:40:46.526 - Orchestra that they have maintained 00:40:50.498 --> 00:41:00.560 - Chinese organizations, orchestras, and audiences. They went to China last year. I don't know if there 00:41:00.560 --> 00:41:10.621 - are plans to go next year or this year. And I just do think, unfortunately, the political environment 00:41:10.621 --> 00:41:19.006 - is such that it might be difficult for orchestras to continue the way they had been. 00:41:20.162 --> 00:41:28.554 - The Shaggy Philharmonic has been to Philadelphia to perform. And there were a lot of exchanges prior 00:41:28.554 --> 00:41:37.362 - to the whole pandemic. So I'm not sure what's going to happen with, again, at least with the Philadelphia 00:41:37.362 --> 00:41:46.087 - Orchestra, that they remain committed. But other orchestras that have been traveling to China, American, 00:41:46.087 --> 00:41:47.998 - Chinese, it's a little 00:41:49.698 --> 00:42:00.085 - are heading. And unfortunately, you can't ignore the political environment and how it's deteriorating 00:42:00.085 --> 00:42:10.473 - so much. So hopefully, we can continue exchanges like this, because I think it really helps to temper 00:42:10.473 --> 00:42:16.990 - the political voice. So I think it's very important. Thank you. 00:42:21.762 --> 00:42:28.064 - So again, I've got to echo everyone else's sentiments. Thank you so much for making this film. This 00:42:28.064 --> 00:42:34.493 - was a really interesting piece to watch. So in the film, it was mentioned that, obviously, during the 00:42:34.493 --> 00:42:40.921 - Cultural Revolution, access to Western music and the attitude towards Western music was very much not 00:42:40.921 --> 00:42:47.350 - allowed. And then afterwards, it kind of saw this resurgence in interest from all these musicians who 00:42:47.350 --> 00:42:50.942 - hadn't been able to access that during that time period. 00:42:51.522 --> 00:42:58.674 - I'm kind of wondering on from like a music education standpoint, because again, something else was mentioned 00:42:58.674 --> 00:43:05.236 - was that you, in China, it's very normal for kids from a very young age to start in classical music 00:43:05.236 --> 00:43:11.994 - lessons, just like we would in sports over here. In your experience in making this film, did you find, 00:43:11.994 --> 00:43:18.622 - and from your own research as a journalist, do you find that the sort of popular attitude or opinion 00:43:18.622 --> 00:43:19.934 - in China with like, 00:43:20.162 --> 00:43:27.981 - Western music versus traditional Chinese music, is there one preferred over the other when it comes 00:43:27.981 --> 00:43:36.113 - to exposing kids to classical music from an early age? Yeah, I can't answer that question for the rest, 00:43:36.113 --> 00:43:44.088 - whether there's more or less interest in traditional Chinese music. But it is so interesting what has 00:43:44.088 --> 00:43:47.998 - happened in China over the last 50 years, because 00:43:48.322 --> 00:43:57.931 - And I attribute it to three factors. With the Cultural Revolution, this interest in classical music 00:43:57.931 --> 00:44:07.924 - was repressed. And people were not allowed to study it, play it, listen to it. And so when the Cultural 00:44:07.924 --> 00:44:18.110 - Revolution ended, it was like there was a lot of pent-up demand and interest in this particular art form. 00:44:18.338 --> 00:44:26.577 - The other thing that happened in China is, again, as you pointed out, there was an investment in music 00:44:26.577 --> 00:44:34.656 - education. I think it was Jiang Zemin, when he was president, that he implemented music education as 00:44:34.656 --> 00:44:42.735 - a priority. And then for whether or not it's the traditional versus Western-style music, whether one 00:44:42.735 --> 00:44:47.774 - is more popular than the other, there's no denying the log log 00:44:49.826 --> 00:44:59.954 - you know, Lang Lang achieves superstardom. And I think as a result of that, you know, the other trend 00:44:59.954 --> 00:45:10.777 - that we've had in China over the last 40 years is the economic, you know, revival of China and the emergence 00:45:10.777 --> 00:45:19.614 - of a middle class. And so every parent wants their child to succeed. And in China, many, 00:45:19.746 --> 00:45:28.666 - parents equate that with one way of succeeding with music and mastering the violin and the piano and 00:45:28.666 --> 00:45:37.497 - wanting your child to be the next Long Long. Just a side note, I mentioned this in the film, but in 00:45:37.497 --> 00:45:47.742 - Philadelphia, we have the Curtis Institute. And the man who was the professor for Long Long, Gary Grafton, was also 00:45:48.162 --> 00:45:57.665 - the professor for Yujiawong and John Halchen. And I mean, between the three of them, they're like superstars 00:45:57.665 --> 00:46:06.471 - around the world as pianists. So I think the success of people like Yujiawong and Longhong has maybe 00:46:06.471 --> 00:46:15.189 - inspired Chinese parents. I don't know. I'm assuming. So maybe there's some of the audience who can 00:46:15.189 --> 00:46:17.630 - add some insight into that. 00:46:21.506 --> 00:46:30.515 - I'll actually just add a little bit to that. Growing up. I can't hear. I'll add just a little bit to 00:46:30.515 --> 00:46:39.703 - that. It was a really good question. And from my own experience, I actually also came from a nonprofit 00:46:39.703 --> 00:46:47.820 - where Tendon grew up. And growing up, there was a sense that traditional Chinese music was 00:46:47.820 --> 00:46:50.942 - always ever-present in the family. 00:46:51.138 --> 00:47:01.007 - Grandparents were opera singers, and they did art, and I got to just do that as a part of family tradition, 00:47:01.007 --> 00:47:10.146 - but Western music was something very valued, and I had to spend extra time to learn and comprehend, 00:47:10.146 --> 00:47:17.822 - because it wasn't from, naturally from my homeland. So there was this sentiment of, 00:47:18.402 --> 00:47:26.504 - You know that it's something foreign, but there's so much access to it. Any other questions? Hi. 00:47:26.504 --> 00:47:35.024 - First of all, I'd like to say thank you very much for this film. I really enjoyed it. I learned about 00:47:35.024 --> 00:47:43.627 - the cultural revolution from time during classes last semester. So I really see how it resonates here. 00:47:43.627 --> 00:47:45.214 - So my question is. 00:47:46.690 --> 00:47:56.747 - In your opinion, what do you think is the trajectory of music education in China? Do you think that 00:47:56.747 --> 00:48:07.207 - classical music or Western music in general would be to the detriment of local music themselves? That's 00:48:07.207 --> 00:48:16.158 - a hard question for me to answer. First of all, I finished recording this movie in 2019. 00:48:16.354 --> 00:48:26.094 - A lot has happened. And I'm just being honest with you, I don't know kind of what's happening in China 00:48:26.094 --> 00:48:35.928 - with music education. Daixuan, maybe you can add to that? Yeah, and just a little clarification. I came 00:48:35.928 --> 00:48:46.046 - to the States as a chief student in 2014. So I grew up in the 2000s, not really clear of what is happening 00:48:46.242 --> 00:48:55.318 - but when I was growing up, it was very much part of daily life. But again, I have not been back on court 00:48:55.318 --> 00:49:04.653 - for more than the past 10 years, so we can't speak to the present time. I don't have a question or comment, 00:49:04.653 --> 00:49:13.815 - but I'll just comment. I saw my former bosses there. You interviewed Jennifer, Ambassador Nicholas Platt. 00:49:13.815 --> 00:49:16.062 - Oh, yeah. So they served. 00:49:16.642 --> 00:49:26.807 - as ambassador to the Philippines in 1987, 88, 1989, yeah. So I'm like, whoa, what's he doing there? 00:49:26.807 --> 00:49:36.666 - So I didn't realize that he was, he played a role when he was a young diplomat during the Reagan 00:49:36.666 --> 00:49:43.070 - administration. Yeah, it's amazing. Nick and his wife, Sheila. 00:49:43.266 --> 00:49:53.867 - Sheila passed away. But they were just wonderful. Actually, Nick has a book. I'm looking at my bookshelf 00:49:53.867 --> 00:50:04.468 - to see where it is. Nick wrote a book about his China years. So in it, there's a chapter about the visit 00:50:04.468 --> 00:50:11.838 - of the Philadelphia Orchestra because he was on the ground an officer in 00:50:11.938 --> 00:50:21.213 - what was then just the US office in China. We didn't have an embassy at the time. And so his job was 00:50:21.213 --> 00:50:30.763 - basically to hold the hand of Eugene Ormandy and to take him around China and to make sure nothing went 00:50:30.763 --> 00:50:38.110 - awry. Sheila, his wife, is a pistol. I mean, she's so funny. And she, you know, 00:50:38.274 --> 00:50:49.178 - And her job was to also entertain the Armedies. But Sheila wrote a diary of when she was in China. And 00:50:49.178 --> 00:51:00.081 - so I ended up writing a book about the whole 1973 tour. It's also called Beethoven and Beijing. It was 00:51:00.081 --> 00:51:03.998 - my COVID project because we finished 00:51:04.354 --> 00:51:11.275 - the film in 2020. And our premiere was, we were going to have it at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. 00:51:11.275 --> 00:51:17.804 - It was going to be this big to do. And of course, no one was getting together in theater, so it had 00:51:17.804 --> 00:51:24.529 - to be virtual. But anyway, during this time of seclusion, I decided to take all my research that I had 00:51:24.529 --> 00:51:26.814 - done and to write an oral history. 00:51:26.946 --> 00:51:35.170 - of the tour, really including a lot of the memories and the voices of the people who were on the tour. 00:51:35.170 --> 00:51:43.474 - But I go back to Sheila because she had written this diary of her time with the Philadelphia Orchestra. 00:51:43.474 --> 00:51:52.177 - And I was able, and Nick Platt shared that with me, so I was able to use some of her wry, funny observations 00:51:52.177 --> 00:51:53.854 - in the oral history. 00:51:54.146 --> 00:52:02.377 - But Nick Platt is just wonderful. He has gone back many times with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and it's 00:52:02.377 --> 00:52:10.371 - really helped them to maintain and cultivate this relationship with Chinese audiences. So Nick Platt 00:52:10.371 --> 00:52:18.523 - played a very important role. Were you working as a diplomat in the Philippines? No, I was an FSA, the 00:52:18.523 --> 00:52:21.214 - Filipino Staff National at the US 00:52:21.506 --> 00:52:31.070 - We used to be, there was a U.S. Information Agency, U.S. Information Service that actually handles the 00:52:31.070 --> 00:52:40.635 - cultural affairs of the U.S. State Department. So the USIA reports to the U.S. Embassy, and Nick Platt 00:52:40.635 --> 00:52:50.942 - was the ambassador at that time. And he visited our little town in Mindanao, and I had to help gather everyone 00:52:51.458 --> 00:53:02.339 - for the ambassador. Cultural diplomacy is very important. And in 2023, I was able to travel to China 00:53:02.339 --> 00:53:12.574 - to show the film at the US Embassy in Beijing and at the consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou. 00:53:12.738 --> 00:53:19.755 - And so the embassy and the consulates would invite Chinese people to come watch the film. And so it 00:53:19.755 --> 00:53:27.403 - was very nice and it was very good to kind of share it with the Chinese audience because it's very different 00:53:27.403 --> 00:53:34.561 - than when you share it with an American audience. I also did a screening in Hong Kong, two screenings 00:53:34.561 --> 00:53:39.262 - actually in Hong Kong. But unfortunately, the film cannot be shown 00:53:39.490 --> 00:53:47.834 - on Chinese TV because I talk about the Cultural Revolution and because the film includes images of Mao's 00:53:47.834 --> 00:53:55.781 - wife, Jiang Qing. And I was told that if I took out those scenes, they would be able to get it past 00:53:55.781 --> 00:54:03.728 - censors. But I wasn't willing to do that. I mean, that to me is an important part of the story. And 00:54:03.728 --> 00:54:06.430 - the other ironic thing is my film 00:54:06.562 --> 00:54:14.523 - is actually a positive film about the US and China. So it's unfortunate that it can't be shown for that 00:54:14.523 --> 00:54:22.407 - reason. So, Mei Banfa. Yeah. Well, thank you. I actually have a question based off what you just said. 00:54:22.407 --> 00:54:30.291 - But also, thank you so much. This film was very interesting and very educational, because I don't know 00:54:30.291 --> 00:54:36.414 - much about the history of the film, Philadelphia Harmonic, with going to China. 00:54:36.514 --> 00:54:43.210 - So you just mentioned that this film was screened in China when you were back in 2023 and several times 00:54:43.210 --> 00:54:49.906 - in Hong Kong and that the reaction was different. So I was curious kind of what is the typical reaction 00:54:49.906 --> 00:54:56.602 - or how it's perceived by audiences in Hong Kong and of course mainland China versus Western or American 00:54:56.602 --> 00:54:57.310 - audiences. 00:54:57.698 --> 00:55:07.603 - Yeah, I mean, the reaction was great in Hong Kong and in the Chinese cities that I appeared. The reason 00:55:07.603 --> 00:55:17.508 - I say it was different is Americans don't have a very deep understanding of world history. And you have 00:55:17.508 --> 00:55:26.270 - to take them by the hand, American audiences, and explain what was the Cultural Revolution. 00:55:26.754 --> 00:55:36.992 - even my editor, who's a young woman, she thought it was a positive thing, because it was about culture, 00:55:36.992 --> 00:55:47.524 - and it's like, no. So in terms of the different responses in Chinese audiences, they made the explanation. 00:55:47.524 --> 00:55:53.726 - And I think people were kind of, I think they appreciated that 00:55:54.210 --> 00:56:03.921 - We weren't just focusing on China, but the kind of the two-way street where the Shanghai Philharmonic 00:56:03.921 --> 00:56:14.013 - came to Philadelphia to perform the work of a Chinese composer. So I think people were perhaps surprised, 00:56:14.013 --> 00:56:21.630 - but pleasantly surprised by things like that. You probably have a question for, 00:56:21.954 --> 00:56:29.550 - I have time for one more question. Would you like to take it? Am I able to be heard back here now? Can 00:56:29.550 --> 00:56:37.293 - you hear me? Yes. Yes? OK. Thank you for a splendiferous and inspirational film. Absolutely spectacular. 00:56:37.293 --> 00:56:44.593 - It has been, I think, discovered recently that listening to Beethoven's music actually strengthens 00:56:44.593 --> 00:56:49.534 - connections in the auditory cortex and stimulates neuroplasticity. 00:56:49.858 --> 00:56:55.609 - But I want to get right to my question. From the lens of a person with experience of a reporter, were 00:56:55.609 --> 00:57:01.303 - there comments, video clips, or interviews that you were unable to include? You mentioned censorship 00:57:01.303 --> 00:57:06.997 - of the Cultural Revolution footage due to film, confiscation, time constraints, editing concerns, or 00:57:06.997 --> 00:57:11.902 - even budgeting issues. Again, thank you very much. Yeah, the budgeting issues are very 00:57:13.762 --> 00:57:23.251 - It's a very severe issue. It's very expensive to make a film like this. And it costs, our budget was 00:57:23.251 --> 00:57:32.739 - a million dollars. We were very fortunate to get a grant from the government, the National Endowment 00:57:32.739 --> 00:57:41.758 - for Humanities, a wonderful program that has been totally guided by the current administration. 00:57:44.450 --> 00:57:53.867 - didn't include in the film and took out were just editorial decisions, mostly, because we were trying 00:57:53.867 --> 00:58:03.377 - to streamline the story and not go off into too many tangents. But in terms of the impact of Beethoven 00:58:03.377 --> 00:58:12.702 - on listeners, I'll tell you, one of the highlights of this whole project was being in Beijing inside 00:58:13.122 --> 00:58:20.982 - the Big A concert hall, hearing the Philadelphia Orchestra with the Chinese choir singing Beethoven's 00:58:20.982 --> 00:58:28.995 - 9th. I mean, I get chills just thinking about it. And in the editing process, you sit with your editor, 00:58:28.995 --> 00:58:36.932 - you have to go over and over and over scenes to get it right. But to be able to listen to that so much 00:58:36.932 --> 00:58:42.942 - was just joyful. And there was one moment at the end of Beethoven's 9th where 00:58:43.298 --> 00:58:52.049 - The old couple who we had been following, they were in the audience. And I could see them standing ovation 00:58:52.049 --> 00:59:00.637 - and applauding. And afterwards, the husband told me, he said, he had tears in his eyes. He's never heard 00:59:00.637 --> 00:59:09.143 - anything so beautiful. So it was just a real kind of existential moment to be hearing Beethoven in that 00:59:09.143 --> 00:59:10.206 - environment. 00:59:10.434 --> 00:59:17.960 - that the film could convey a little bit of that. But for me, actually being in that concert hall and 00:59:17.960 --> 00:59:25.486 - hearing the music and feeling it, boy, that was special. Thank you. Thank you, Jennifer, so much for 00:59:25.486 --> 00:59:32.938 - being here. And it is a real special treat to be able to talk to you immediately after watching the 00:59:32.938 --> 00:59:38.750 - film. If you could stay on just for one more minute where it goes, don't pick 00:59:39.074 --> 00:59:47.230 - One lucky winner today to take home a signed version of Jennifer's book, based on what she wrote in 00:59:47.230 --> 00:59:49.758 - Beijing. So I have the winner.