US-China Music Institute director Jindong Cai was the featured guest in the latest episode of "Pieces of China," an online series presented by Manhattan's China Institute which aims to "tell the story of China, one object at a time." Cai relived the 1997 concert when he conducted the Shanghai Symphony in a program of American symphonic music. Cai's reflections touched on personal history and the state of US-China relations, as well as the powerful role music can play in forging and maintaining connections between cultures and people.
Cai described how concerts he attended as a young man in Beijing led him to his decision to become a conductor. Here he is with a program from a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance with Seiji Ozawa in 1979.