Japanese conductor and musical director of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra Seiji Ozawa paid a visit to his childhood home on a small lane near Jianguomen Avenue February 23.

Ozawa, in Beijing with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for a special concert at the Great Hall of the People on February 24, arrived at the traditional courtyard residence at 10:30 AM. After bowing three times before the tiny garden where his mother's ashes are buried, he visited some of his former neighbors. Said Ozawa: "I miss my childhood home very much, so I came directly here as soon as I got off the plane."

On behalf of all the courtyard residents, 85-year-old Cheng Shuzhen presented the famed conductor with a set of postcards depicting traditional Chinese musical instruments, with wishes for good luck on the back. In return, Ozawa gave each of the neighbors a ticket to his concert.

The conductor then accepted an invitation to sip some Bilouchun tea in the home of Aunty Meng, who lives on the western side of the courtyard. Aunty Meng surprised him with another gift: a handcrafted tortoise, symbolizing longevity. In return, Ozawa handed out bottles of Wuliangye, one of China's top spirits. Finally, Ozawa bowed deeply to the neighbors as he bid them farewell.

The 69-year-old Seiji Ozawa was born in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, in 1935 and moved to Beijing with his family in 1936. Although the family returned to Japan in 1941, they always retained fond memories of their traditional courtyard home in the Chinese capital. When Ozawa's mother passed away in 2002 at the age of 96, she left instructions that she her ashes be interred in the courtyard garden.

(China.org.cn by Chen Lin February 25, 2004)