Concerts galore

I've been enjoying a whole series of musical concerts lately at the grand theatre in KaiFaQu (a development area between here and Dalian). Last month, we were serenaded by a Crotian pianist playing a lot of Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven classics, as well as two Chinese singing trios. Last night was by far the best performance to date. We took in an orchestra of traditional Chinese instruments: there were many harps (guzheng), some flutes, trumpets, drums, and chimes. The conductor was outstanding and the whole orchestra even danced as they played, bobbing their heads with synchronized hand movements. I finally felt like I was soaking in some true Chinese culture.
The funny thing was the conductor and soloists were presented with flowers at the end of every piece! They probably have enough flowers to fill a dressing room. There are guards in uniform at all the doors of the concert hall, kind of like the Sound of Music, and they spend their time chasing down anyone who is trying to take pictures or videos. Tonight, however, they were more concerned with constantly replenishing the flower stash.