{"id":1063,"date":"2003-03-27T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2003-03-27T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/2003\/03\/27\/meeting-news-from-london-5\/"},"modified":"2023-12-10T11:34:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-10T11:34:46","slug":"meeting-news-from-london-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/meeting-news-from-london-5.html","title":{"rendered":"Meeting News from London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Globetrotters meeting on March 1st by Padmassana<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Two old friends of Globetrotters gave this month’s talks. First
\noff was Geoffrey Roy<\/strong>, who talked about The Great Wall of China<\/strong>.
\nGeoff started off by dispelling a few myths that surround this ancient
\nconstruction – that it cannot be seen from outer space, it is not a continuous
\nstructure and that there are no bodies entombed in the wall (they would
\nhave decomposed and would have weakened the structure). Many sections
\nof the wall have been repaired for the benefit of the 89 million tourists
\nwho visit China each year. Of the parts tourists do not generally visit,
\nmany are falling down through weathering and the occasional earthquake,
\nor have been bulldozed to make way for roads or to use the stones for
\nnew building. Where the stones have been taken Geoff showed us that the
\nmortar still remains, this is because it was made with a kind of rice
\nthat sets as hard as concrete. Geoff’s super photos of the wall
\nand surrounding countryside gave us a more accurate view of what the wall
\nlooks like today, not just the tourist sections that we see on TV travel
\nshows. Geoff also showed us the China we expect to see such as Mao’s
\npicture outside the Forbidden city in Beijing and people doing Tai chi
\nin the parks. (Find out more about Geoffrey http:\/\/www.kaaphotos.co.uk)<\/p>\n

Our second speaker was Lesley Downer<\/strong>, who spoke to us about Sadayyako
\nand her<\/strong> journey around the world<\/strong>. Sadayyako was born in central
\nTokyo and was sent by her family to train as a Geisha (“arts person”).
\nShe was in the top echelon of Geisha’s and was soon noticed by Ito,
\nJapan’s first Prime Minister and subsequently became his mistress.
\nLesley compared them to today’s Posh and Beck’s (for any non
\nUK readers they are a footballer and ex pop singer). As Sadayyako got
\nolder she realised that her Geisha work would slow down. Sadayyako then
\nmarried the equivalent of a pop star, Together they formed a theatre
\ntroupe and went to tour America, performing abridged versions of Japanese
\nKabuki. Lesley explained that Kabuki is traditionally performed by men,
\nwith men taking women’s parts, however this would not go down well
\nin 19th<\/sup> Century America, so Sadayyako stepped
\nin and with her Geisha training soon became the star of the show. After
\nAmerica they took a boat to Liverpool and played to audiences at the Coronet
\ntheatre in London. Europe beckoned and they travelled to Paris for the
\n1900 Expo, then other European capitals including Berlin and Bucharest
\nand onto Moscow. They eventually returned to Japan where they performed
\nabridged versions of Shakespeare. Lesley’s last pictures were of
\nSadayyako’s house in Nagoya, where she died aged 75. If you want
\nto read more about Sadayyako Lesley Downer’s new book is called,
\nMadame Sadayakko: The Geisha Who Seduced the West.(see http:\/\/www.madamesadayakko.com<\/a>
\nfor more information.)<\/p>\n

Next month, on April 5th<\/sup>:<\/p>\n

SIMON MYERS <\/strong>talks about China. Simon spent five years in China
\nbefore riding a Chinese motorbike and sidecar back from Beijing to London.
\nHis first book “Adrift in China” has recently been published.
\nANNE MUSTOE <\/strong>talks of “Two Wheels in the Dust” – a cycle
\njourney from Kathmandu to Kandy. Anne’s journey followed the paths of
\nthe Ramayana’s characters Rama, Sita, and Hanuman, in a lone cycle journey
\ncrossing the Indian sub-continent from Nepal to Sri-Lanka. Her two previous
\nepic journeys have circled the world following historical routes – the
\nfirst made travelling westwards “A Cycle Ride” following the
\nRomans then the Greeks to India and finally across the States following
\nthe “settlement” in reverse. “Lone Traveller” follows
\nthe Conquistadors from Lisbon across South America, pursues Captain Cook
\nover the Pacific to Australia, Indonesia, before following a caravan Silk
\nRoad from Xian to Rome.<\/p>\n

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court,
\nbehind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday
\nof each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back
\nin September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters
\nInfo line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website:<\/em><\/strong> www.globetrotters.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Discusss this article in our new forum<\/p>\n

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Globetrotters meeting on March 1st by Padmassana Two old friends of Globetrotters gave this month’s talks. First off was Geoffrey Roy, who talked about The Great Wall of China. 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