THE CHIEFTAINS first came to China in 1983. They played in Shanghai and on the Great Wall - the first western group ever to do so - and made a successful film.
Communist China then was emerging from the dark days of the Cultural Revolution and was in the process of opening up to the world. Foreign groups came only by invitation of the Chinese government and the Chieftains and their families were brought to China, where almost no one had heard of them, as an exercise in Irish Chinese relations.
It was like no ordinary tour. They were put up in government owned hotels. They were closely monitored. The group was assigned official interpreters, one of whom was so humourless, Paddy Moloney recalled, that they nicknamed her "Doris Karloff".
Audiences were stuffed with high officials and their spouses, who reacted with polite applause to the exciting rhythms of the fiddles, uileann pipes and bodhran drum. The Chieftains also were subjected to that exquisite form of Chinese torture, the endless official banquet.
But by the end of the three week tour they had won the hearts and minds of the Chinese, and of Doris, who wept copiously when they left.
The Chieftains returned to China on Saturday for a one night stand in Shanghai. The Irish traditional musicians found that the city, neglected and underdeveloped in 1983, had changed beyond recognition. They were astonished to see suburban middle class houses which would not be out of place in Clondalkin and the Manhattan style city centre skyline.
They came this time as international celebrities on a commercial contract, and stayed as the guest of their sponsors at the five star Portman Shangri La Hotel, with its western boutiques and espresso bars.
On this occasion, too, they played not in official auditoriums but in the first foreign owned and managed theatre in Communist China, the Shanghai Centre Theatre, a cosy playhouse not unlike the Abbey in Dublin, located in a complex of shopping malls and western consulates and business offices.
The mixture of traditional music and fun from the performers - Paddy Moloney, Martin Fay, Sean Keane, Derek Bell, Kevin Conneff and Matt Molloy - was a smash hit with an audience of a very different kind.
About 500 ex-pats, many of Irish origin, and a few hundred young Chinese fans turned up to cheer the group and their touring companions - Ashley MacIsaac, who dazzled everyone with his furious fiddling, and Australia's champion Irish dancers, Raymond and Anna Ayres, who lent a touch of River Dance. Some people did spontaneous reels in the aisles during the encore.
The Shanghai Theatre Centre's stated goal is to act as a cultural focal point where East meets West. The East's contribution is almost entirely classical, however featuring the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Chorus, Ballet Troupe, Beijing Opera Theatre and Theatre Academy.
"West", on the other hand, means mostly folk, pop, jazz and blues. The summer season repertoire of one night stands includes such performers as Luther Johnson, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Barenaked Ladies, Joni Mitchell, Magic Slim, Coco Montoya, Todd Rundgren and Warren Zevin.
"We've played with Chinese musicians before," Paddy Moloney said at one point during the performance. "Funny enough, we couldn't find any tonight." He was referring obliquely to the absence of the Chinese singer, Dadawa, whose name appeared on the programme.
Dadawa, the first Chinese artist to break into the international music charts with her haunting debut album, Sister Drum, was in the theatre, but only to greet old friends. The Chieftains had brought her to Dublin once for a joint recording.
The organisers told the Chieftains that there was a problem with her performing licence: In other words, the Chinese Ministry of Culture, which must clear all performances in the country had not allowed her to sing. On Saturday night East did not meet West as planned.
It wasn't as big a setback for the Shanghai Theatre Centre as when officials pulled the plug on Crash Test Dummies, one of Canada's most popular bands, just minutes before their scheduled concert on March 29th.
Beijing thereby displayed its iron determination to keep control over this foreign venture. China only gives licences to outside groups to perform in theatres after inspecting a transcript of the lyrics and a live video of the performers. The Crash Test Dummies, I was told, came to Shanghai without a video.
Chinese authorities are still uneasy about popular western influences. But the success of the Shanghai Centre Theatre when the documentation is done properly - is encouraging other cities to bring in foreign groups.
Unlike 14 years ago, the Chieftains are now quite well known in China. Their latest album, The Long Black Veil, was on sale in local record stores. And for those who missed the concert, there is Irish folk music six nights a week in Shanghai, played by the Rambling Weavers from Kerry at O'Malley's Irish Bar, who also are a big hit with the Chinese customers.