Young Ambassador China Tour 1979
Contents |
Overview
Early Beginnings
The inception for a BYU performing group to tour China began in September 1978 after President Spencer W. Kimball's striking Regional Representatives Seminar talk, in which he addressed the lack of missionary work in China and other third world countries.
This triggered a desire in a Regional Representative at the conference, current BYU President Dallin H. Oaks to move forward in Chinese through the fine arts. Immediately after the seminar, President Oaks asked Bruce L. Olsen to start planning for a performing arts group to tour China, even though the its possibility seemed virtually impossible with no official relations between America and China. Nobody from America was welcome to China at the time. Unexpectedly, President Jimmy Carter announced formal diplomatic recognition between the United States and China on January 1, 1979, which opened the first door of possibility.
BYU had a strong relationship with the Friendship Ambassadors who in turn had close ties with China. The Friendship Ambassadors assembled a group and asked BYU to
Our friends in Friendship Ambassadors, a group that fostered improved international relations through the performing arts, had close ties with officials in Romania. That nation had close relations with China. China offered to receive a tourist group sent by Romania in February 1979. Romania authorized Friendship Ambassadors to assemble the group, and they invited BYU to send representatives. By these means, Val Lindsay and Ed Blaser went to China on a trip that established our contacts with the China Travel Service, answered most of our technical questions, and gave us valuable insights into what kind of music and dance would be acceptable to Chinese audiences.
The Tour
Leaders
- Randall Boothe
- Kay Durrant
- Stephen Durrant
- Elder James E. Faust
- Ruth Faust
- Bruce L. Olsen
Participants
- Joseph Ahuna Jr.
- Christy Bates
- Lauri Crebs
- Michael Farnes
- Tamra Jeppson
- Richard McEwan
- Robert Murri
- Darla O'Dell
- Steven Kapp Perry
- Kenneth Sekaquapetwa
- Laura Smith
- John Stucki
- Timothy Taylor
- Linda Teng
- Pamela Terry
- Kenneth B. Tingey
- Christopher Utley
- Cindi Whittaker
