Playing the Gu Zheng in China
Adina Li with the Gu Zheng
Have you ever seen a Gu Zheng? It is a unique Chinese string instrument that looks like a small harp resting on its side. The Gu Zheng will be featured as part of a CD project being produced by Irene Orleansky, an Israeli musician who is traveling around the world, making recordings of Jewish music. She stopped in Kaifeng earlier this month to visit the Jewish community there.
During Irene’s visit, Adina Li, a 13-year-old Chinese Jewish girl, played the Gu Zheng. She was accompanied by eight members of the community who sang with her for the taping. Irene spent a total of four days in Kaifeng, reports our correspondent Shulamit Gershovich.
But that was just one of the activities Shulamit has arranged in Kaifeng since her last report in May. First there was Shavuot, where she prepared a delicious cheesecake and other dairy dishes for the holiday. Since there is very little cheese in China (and certainly none that is kosher), Shulamit made it herself.
A friend and fellow student of Shulamit’s from Israel, who is studying Chinese in Shanghai, visited Kaifeng for Shavuot where he led the prayers and chanted the Book of Ruth. Because his Chinese is quite good, he was able to translate the Hebrew line by line, Shulamit reports. This was particularly important, as it was the first time that Kaifeng Jews had celebrated Shavuot as a community in more than a century!
Following the holiday, more Chinese Jews have been coming for Shabbat (perhaps it’s because Shulamit has started baking challah every Friday) and there are now community members in the Jewish school every day of the week. It’s there that Shulamit continues her Hebrew lessons. After three months of grueling grammar drills, the class has progressed to conversational Hebrew.
Perhaps you should visit China too. In a few more months, the Jews of Kaifeng may very well be able to greet you in fluent Hebrew.
Here are pictures of the music recording sessions with Irene.