CENTRAL China’s province of Shaanxi stretches across bleak loess plateaus,river-rifted plains and rolling hills. Locals have for centuries en-tertained themselves with the coarse Shaanxi Opera (Qinqiang) and Xintianyou folk music. These cultural activities evidence their ancient desire to com-municate with far-away friends. These days,such interaction is much easier,thanks to the transport and communications infrastructures that densely mesh the province.