Globetrotters meeting on March 1st by Padmassana
Two old friends of Globetrotters gave this month’s talks. First
off was Geoffrey Roy, who talked about The Great Wall of China.
Geoff started off by dispelling a few myths that surround this ancient
construction – that it cannot be seen from outer space, it is not a continuous
structure and that there are no bodies entombed in the wall (they would
have decomposed and would have weakened the structure). Many sections
of the wall have been repaired for the benefit of the 89 million tourists
who visit China each year. Of the parts tourists do not generally visit,
many are falling down through weathering and the occasional earthquake,
or have been bulldozed to make way for roads or to use the stones for
new building. Where the stones have been taken Geoff showed us that the
mortar still remains, this is because it was made with a kind of rice
that sets as hard as concrete. Geoff’s super photos of the wall
and surrounding countryside gave us a more accurate view of what the wall
looks like today, not just the tourist sections that we see on TV travel
shows. Geoff also showed us the China we expect to see such as Mao’s
picture outside the Forbidden city in Beijing and people doing Tai chi
in the parks. (Find out more about Geoffrey http://www.kaaphotos.co.uk)
Our second speaker was Lesley Downer, who spoke to us about Sadayyako
and her journey around the world. Sadayyako was born in central
Tokyo and was sent by her family to train as a Geisha (“arts person”).
She was in the top echelon of Geisha’s and was soon noticed by Ito,
Japan’s first Prime Minister and subsequently became his mistress.
Lesley compared them to today’s Posh and Beck’s (for any non
UK readers they are a footballer and ex pop singer). As Sadayyako got
older she realised that her Geisha work would slow down. Sadayyako then
married the equivalent of a pop star, Together they formed a theatre
troupe and went to tour America, performing abridged versions of Japanese
Kabuki. Lesley explained that Kabuki is traditionally performed by men,
with men taking women’s parts, however this would not go down well
in 19th Century America, so Sadayyako stepped
in and with her Geisha training soon became the star of the show. After
America they took a boat to Liverpool and played to audiences at the Coronet
theatre in London. Europe beckoned and they travelled to Paris for the
1900 Expo, then other European capitals including Berlin and Bucharest
and onto Moscow. They eventually returned to Japan where they performed
abridged versions of Shakespeare. Lesley’s last pictures were of
Sadayyako’s house in Nagoya, where she died aged 75. If you want
to read more about Sadayyako Lesley Downer’s new book is called,
Madame Sadayakko: The Geisha Who Seduced the West.(see http://www.madamesadayakko.com
for more information.)
Next month, on April 5th:
SIMON MYERS talks about China. Simon spent five years in China
before riding a Chinese motorbike and sidecar back from Beijing to London.
His first book “Adrift in China” has recently been published.
ANNE MUSTOE talks of “Two Wheels in the Dust” – a cycle
journey from Kathmandu to Kandy. Anne’s journey followed the paths of
the Ramayana’s characters Rama, Sita, and Hanuman, in a lone cycle journey
crossing the Indian sub-continent from Nepal to Sri-Lanka. Her two previous
epic journeys have circled the world following historical routes – the
first made travelling westwards “A Cycle Ride” following the
Romans then the Greeks to India and finally across the States following
the “settlement” in reverse. “Lone Traveller” follows
the Conquistadors from Lisbon across South America, pursues Captain Cook
over the Pacific to Australia, Indonesia, before following a caravan Silk
Road from Xian to Rome.
London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court,
behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday
of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back
in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters
Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk
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