Belgian guitarist Emmanuel Baily felt he already knew a little about Chinese culture before arriving in the country for the first time earlier this month.

He had read six books of Chinese poetry in French, he said, and even named his band the "Wang Wei Trio," after the famous Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet.

"Wang Wei's poetry has a lot of wonderful imagery. I think music can be very touching if it has imagery like that," Baily said.

However, he said he was still pleasantly surprised when he got the chance, along with 18 other European choreographers and musicians taking part in the Pointe to Point 5th Asia-Europe Dance Forum, to spend five days in the remote villages of the Miao minority in Guizhou Province.

While he was there, Baily watched and listened to the traditional dance and music of the Miao people. He said he discovered music is treated as something sacred, because it is an integral part of the rituals and celebrations for life and death.

It made him think more about the relationship between man and music, he said.

"Does music mean the same thing to me? Why do I make music? I have to think about these questions when I go back," Baily said.

Before heading home last weekend, Baily and his colleagues also attended a workshop in Beijing.

"Now I have seen something of China, and am beginning to understand the culture," he said. "That is a gift for me."

Another participant in the Pointe to Point forum, German choreographer/dancer Arco Renz, said he already knew a little about China prior to his latest visit.

He had performed in Beijing and Shanghai in the past, he said, and also visited the Wudang Mountain and Shaolin Temple, which are famous for their martial arts.

He also speaks a little Chinese, he said. But this was the first time he really got to know about the traditional society of China and see the problems it faces, he said.

Renz said that by talking with Chinese artists and exchanging thoughts and ideas, he got a real taste of contemporary arts here.

(China Daily November 28, 2007)