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On October 20, 2008, nine musicians from Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) visited Hangzhou Yanglingzi School, the largest education institute for mentally challenged children in Zhejiang, a coastal province in eastern China.

Established in 1919, the VSO is now the third largest Canadian symphony orchestras. Every year it stages hundreds of concerts across the world, attended by nearly 300,000 people at home and abroad. The VSO visited China shortly after the central kingdom opened its door to the world in early 1978, making itself the first ever musical presence of Canada in China. Over the past 30 years since then, the musicians from the VSO have performed in concert halls and schools across China.

Founded in 1984, Hangzhou Yanglingzi School has given education opportunities to mentally challenged people aged 4 to 20. The curricula include education, job training and rehabilitation. Students there are encouraged to engage themselves in art. The artworks by the students have been exhibited in various countries and won various honors.

The orchestra connected with the school in October 2007 thanks to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Shanghai, 180 km from Hangzhou. At a special event held at the school, Chinese and Canadian guests had a dialogue about the rights and interests of physically challenged people. The participants talked about the wonderful rule music plays in the hearts of mentally challenged children. VSO musicians visit to the school was a salute to the schools effort to bring music into the life of retarded children in Zhejiang.

Before the concert, the school was a little bit worried if children would respond positively to the foreign music which might seem at odds with the sounds they normally understand and if the children might be annoyed. Children were making noise and squirting in their seats uneasily but they became quiet instantly when melodies caught their attention. They were totally absorbed, some smiling, some nodding and some marking the music with their hands.

The musicians and the audience enjoyed the music very much. The loud applause at the end of the performance testified to the touching communication between the audience and the music and to the warm bond between the children and the VSO musicians. All grinned happily. □