This summer, I’m fortunate enough to be going on a study tour to China with my school, Queens University of Charlotte. I’ll be accompanying a group of students and teachers on a tour that runs through Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Xi’an and the country’s capital, Beijing. We’ll be busy doing the standard touristy things (seeing The Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Forbidden City, etc.) and I thought that it would be cool to check out some live music venues along the way. What exactly are the musicians and clubs up to across the Pacific? Are there music scenes? What kind of live music genres are popular?

In order to answer these questions next few weeks I’ll be going to an array of venues, will listen to many bands and will post blogs that will reflect on similarities and differences between live music scenes, east and west. I hope you’ll follow along and will post your thoughts as well.