Bonus Episode: Chinatown, the Sound of the Guzheng

When you're traveling, the best moments are always the ones that take you by surprise. And while we were making the Exploring San Francisco by Cable Car episode one fell into our lap. We didn't have space in the episode to include the full scene, but if you love music it's something you're going to want to hear. 

 

But let's set the scene first ... we're in Chinatown walking through those beautiful lantern strung streets, pagodas adorned in yellow and gold, temples, and tea shops everywhere, when we stumble upon Shangri-La Gifts. 

 

One of the owners, a young woman named Fang-Yi, is a master player of the Guzheng, a more than 2,000-year-old traditional Chinese instrument. She takes us upstairs to a secret studio above her shop where she teaches Chinese American kids this ancient art form in order to help keep the tradition alive. She introduces us to two of her students and they start to play ...This is the performance we heard. It took us by surprise, it blew our mind and that's what San Francisco's all about.

 

For more information: sftravel.com

 

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Field recording by Jason Paton.