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I read Mr. Tian's book, Along the Roaring River, at the suggestion of one of my teaching colleagues. I'm not (or wasn't) all that interested in opera, but he suggested this was a great book for the class I teach in world cultures. Was he right! It is a great story (a series of adventures) about growing up in the Cultural Revolution and becoming an artist while the culture itself disintegrates. I don't know why Mr. Tian glossed over the difficulties he and his family had during those times--they're heart-breaking, especially his brother's story. And his own experiences as a child home alone are not as benign as he seemed to indicate on the show. I'm finding that Chinese people in my acquaintance (who grew up in China and came here) seem rather conflicted now, as the Olympics approach. Everybody should read this book.

When I was last in Venice, with my lady, about 10 years ago, we were in a gondola in a side canal, when a stunning voice, singing Mozart, came floating from around a corner canal and then an Asian male, appeared in a group of 3 gondolas (including many lovely ladies) signing... heavenly.

I was not positive, and called out "Don Giovanni?" and the response was "Leporello!"

Any chance it was Hao Jiang Tian

I don't believe Mr. Tian was the first world-class Western opera singer from China. I don't know who the first was, and I don't know how many there have been, but I can tell you I studied briefly with Yi-Kwei Sze while I was a voice major at Eastman School of Music in the 70's. He was born in Shanghai. Here is a link the Eastman bio:
http://www.esm.rochester.edu/places/portraits/sze.php