A group of Island musicians is bound for Beijing, Shanghai and Fuzhou next month in a pioneering China journey to expose Hawaiian culture — the traditional songs and dances — to a fertile new audience.

Keola and Moanalani Beamer, Raiatea Helm, Jeff Peterson,  Steve Jones, Chino Montero and Capella Williams will perform in a "Hawai'i Night" gala, sponsored by the Shangri-La Hotel, which tapped an Island music theme this year to prep for expected visitors to the Islands. With Hainan Airlines scheduling nonstop flights from Shanghai to Honolulu this fall, the timing couldn't be better.

"It will be an incredible opportunity to share Hawaiian music to a new audience," said guitarist Peterson, an organizer of the event. "It's been a learning experience for me, putting together a show. I'll be introducing slack key."

Peterson also has a personal stake. "I've never been (to China) and Edward Boone, my grandfather on my mother's side, was born and raised in Shanghai," said the ki ho'alu wizard. "He passed away in 2007 and his great-grandfather was from the U.S. and lived in China, where he founded the first school of Western medicine and a hospital in the 1800s." Peterson has leads on places frequented by his European 'ohana, so he's doubly thrilled about investigating his roots.

The traveling cast (excluding the Beamers, who had a conflicting commitment) will preview the show at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Willows Restaurant, with cocktails and dinner from 6 p.m. Tickets: $75. Reservations: e-mail jeffkahea@mac.com or call 941-8039. ...

MUTUAL ADMIRATION: Singer Nohelani Cypriano, whose "Pulelehua" CD and related TV special are just out, trekked to San Francisco last week to surprise pal Kristi Yamaguchi, the Olympic skater, with a performance of "Over the Rainbow" at A Rainbow of Hope, the Chi-Am Circle of Santa Clara County benefit to support Asian-American keiki with special needs. Yamaguchi received an award; Cypriano was an unannounced guest singer as kind of a payback to surprise the skater, who surprised Cypriano's mom, the late Leina'ala Simerson, with a skating performance here 13 years ago to "Imagine," after the veteran entertainer had cancer surgery. ...

EMMY MOMENTS: Good for Michael Emerson — Benjamin Linus on ABC's "Lost," who won his second Emmy last Sunday — for using local lingo in his acceptance speech, saying "As they say in Honolulu, mahalo nui loa." Only thing missing: a shaka sign. ...

Emerson will narrate Poulenc's "The Story of Babar" in a Honolulu Symphony MasterWorks concert at 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Call 792-2000 or Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. ...

Mark Kanemura, Hawai'i's "So You Think You Can Dance" finalist last season, danced several numbers of the Emmycast (as well as the MTV Awards) and heads for Scotland for more dance options. That's why he couldn't be home for Friday's launch of Paliku Theatre's "West Side Story," which his mentor, Marcelo Pacleb, choreographed and Ron Bright directed, but Kanemura offered the theatrical "break a leg" to the company. ...

ITEMIZATIONS: While strolling Rue Buci in Paris' Latin Quarter during a family vacation, Chef Mavro heard someone shout "Mavro!" So happens that chef Jean-Pierre Germain and restaurateur John Landgraf were also visiting, proving it's a petit monde, n'est-ce pas? ...

The Alternative Taste Street Festival, set this Friday on Nu'uanu Avenue and Hotel Street, embraces alternative lifestyles with entertainment by the Chinatown Follies, Rolando Sanchez's salsa music, Doolin Rakes, 86List, Haberdashery and Samadhi Hawaii. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...