Dragon-themed Rolls-Royce for the Year of the Dragon

From: http://www.epmchannel.com/2012/03/01/rolls-royce-year-of-the-dragon/

European luxury manufacturers have discovered a fresh new audience: China. The booming economy in the far-east has awoken a desire for European upper-class splendour. Huge names like Ferrari, Bentley, and Rolls Royce are now successfully positioning themselves in the Chinese market with great success.

Exclusive for China

The importance of the Chinese market is perfectly illustrated by Rolls Royce’s new “Year of the Dragon” special-edition model. It’s a new version of the Rolls Royce Phantom (in production since 2003) aimed specifically at far-eastern buyers. The British manufacturer's venture into the far east is further testimony to the widespread appeal of their 400 000 to 470000 Euro luxury limousines.

Rolls Royce in red

Perhaps the most obvious characteristic of the “Year of the Dragon” edition is its specially developed metallic red paint. A golden stipe with a striking dragon logo stretches over the length of the limousine. The interior is finished in matching red leather, and the dragon logo is also found on the seating headrests - quite a change from the normally subtle Rolls Royce colors. A “Year of the Dragon – 2012” script that runs along the door panels provides the finishing touch.

Specifications remain unchanged

The technical aspects of the “Year of the Dragon” edition Phantom remain unchanged: a 12-cylinder motor (6740 cm2) provides 338 kw/ 460 hp at 5350 rpm, with the maximum torque of 720 Newton meters reached at 3500 rpm. Details about when the special edition will go on sale and what it will cost remain a mystery. We can however assume that it will be released sometime during this, the year of the dragon.

Long Way Home by Flora Wong

Flora Wong's new book, Long Way Home,is an interesting read about a young girl in 1930s and1940s China who moves to Montana after an arranged marriage. Info is here: www.LongWayHomeBook.com

China Pace University Business School Trip

Great blog with highlights from current students' and professors' trip.

http://dysoncollege.blogs.pace.edu/

NY Times: China Top Home of Foreign Students

China Surges Past India as Top Home of Foreign Students
By TAMAR LEWIN

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/us/15international.html

The number of Chinese students studying in the United States surged 30 percent in the 2009-10 academic year, making China, for the first time, the top country of origin for international students, according to “Open Doors,” the Institute of International Education’s annual report.

The report found that a record high of 690,923 international students came to the United States last year — nearly 128,000 of them, or more than 18 percent, from China. Over all, the number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States increased 3 percent for the 2009-10 academic year.

India, which in recent years had been in the top spot, increased its numbers only slightly, to 104,897 last academic year.

“The number of students from China is booming, because of that booming Chinese economy,” said Peggy Blumenthal, executive vice president of the institute. “But India, which also has a booming economy, is only up 1.6 percent. I think one factor is the great number of Chinese families with disposable income, two working parents and only one child, and a determination to invest their money to make sure that child receives the best education possible.”

David B. Austell, director of the Office for International Students and Scholars at New York University, said the Chinese undergraduates came primarily from the large urban areas on China’s coast. Because they are not eligible for the same financial aid as Americans and usually pay full tuition, he said, their growing presence is an indicator of just how many Chinese families are financially strong.

At the University of Southern California, Tony Tambascia, executive director of the Office of International Services, said the number of Chinese students grew substantially last year, but surpassed the number of Indian students for the first time just this fall.

“We’re getting more Chinese master’s students, and dramatically more freshmen,” he said.

According to the report, which is supported by the State Department, the number of students coming to the United States from Saudi Arabia increased almost 25 percent last year, to 15,810, reflecting the Saudi government’s generous aid for studies abroad.

But not all countries sent more students to the United States last year. The number coming from Japan declined 15 percent, and Mexico, Indonesia and Kenya each sent 7 percent to 9 percent fewer students than in the previous year.

Still, Allan Goodman, president of the institute, said the United States continued to host more international students than any other country. And according to the Commerce Department, such students contribute nearly $20 billion to the economy.

While the majority of Chinese students in the United States are still graduate students, the recent growth has been strongest among undergraduates.

Last year, there were 39,921 Chinese undergraduates studying in the United States, a 50 percent increase from the previous year, and more than four times as many as five years earlier.

The Indian experience has been quite different; that country sent 15,192 undergraduates last year, fewer than five years earlier. And the number of Indians coming to the United States for graduate study dropped by almost 4 percent last year

“The educational-advising people say that the job market is so hot in places like Mumbai and Bangalore that students thinking about grad school decide it’s not worth it,” Ms. Blumenthal said, “since they can just go out and get a good engineering job.”

As in past years, the report found that California, with 94,279 international students, hosts far more students from abroad than any other state. The University of Southern California is the institution with the most international students, 7,987 last year.

The report also tracks Americans studying abroad, although those numbers come from a year earlier. In the 2008-9 academic year, 260,327 American students studied abroad, down slightly from 262,416 the previous year.

While Britain, Italy, Spain and France remain the leading destinations, the study found, all four hosted fewer students, with the declines ranging from 2.5 percent to 10.8 percent.

But nontraditional destinations outside Europe gained popularity. Chile, Peru and South Korea all had increases of more than 26 percent, and China, Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, Argentina, South Africa, Ecuador, Brazil and New Zealand all hosted more American students than in the previous year.

China's Identity Crisis?

From wsj.com

Caroline Swartz was hired as a project manager at a Chinese public-relations firm in Beijing in 2006. For the majority of the year she worked there, she was never asked to do anything except sit in meetings, quietly. She would be called in with no knowledge of what the meetings were about or even who the clients were. Afterwards, she would be told to go back to her desk.

"I was presented, always visible and on display. But I didn't have any responsibility," says Ms. Swartz, now a student in New York City. She got paid to do basically nothing because she's white, she says. The firm had both Chinese and Western clients so they wanted to look international. This business approach may not seem politically correct but it reflects a new dynamic between China and the West: Westerners, especially Caucasians are getting employment opportunities because some Chinese firms want to use them to portray an image of high status and sophistication.

The relationship between China and the West has been fraught with ambiguity since the two Opium Wars in the mid-1800s, which triggered both a nationalistic reaction against imperialism and feelings of national self-loathing and idolatry for anything Western. In the early 1900s, following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, some Chinese literati argued that China's military, economic and spiritual weakness made it an easy prey for aggressive foreigners. In order to save the nation, they said, China needed "total Westernization," rejecting traditional ideals embodied in the Confucian system and adopting European systems and values—so-called Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science.

The Chinese superiority/inferiority complex is rooted in what is known as the "one-hundred years of national humiliation," and has never resolved itself, even after Chairman Mao announced in 1949, "The Chinese people have stood up." It exists even though China has transformed itself into an economic power in the past three decades. On the one hand, China demands more respect from the West in the international arena, but it treats Westerners as superior on a personal level.

Having said that, I think these attitudes are changing among the younger generation, especially in bigger cities.

Two to three decades ago, Westerners could go to hotels, restaurants and department stores that catered to them exclusively and paid in a special currency called "foreign exchange certificates." Now at restaurants and department stores Chinese are often the ones who splurge on champagne, designer clothes and luxury cars. But even in Beijing and Shanghai it's not uncommon for anybody who works or socializes with Westerners to suffer from less favorable treatment from the service people. Some restaurants give Westerners better tables and serve them first. A friend, married to a European, has had trouble getting into her Beijing apartment complex when she forgets her security pass while the guards have never bothered to ask her husband for his pass. The truth is my friend owns the place.

Some Chinese have gone to the extremes to take advantage of the notion of Western superiority. A top Chinese executive at a multinational manufacturer in China (one with a U.S. permanent resident card) has a "white guy" business strategy: when he travels to smaller cities: He always makes sure he brings along a Caucasian employee. "The locals always treat us better when there's a white guy around," he says. The guy is often an engineer who doesn't need to open his mouth at the meetings. But his presence somehow makes things go more smoothly or, at least, makes the atmosphere friendlier.

But there's a drawback in the "white guy" strategy: when locals meet the executive and his team for the first time, their initial reaction is always that the white guy is the boss and the executive his interpreter. The executive says he doesn't mind at all as long as they get the business done.

For some white people hired for this purpose, it's not an easy situation to deal with. Ms. Swartz felt she was treated like a child and even a "zoo animal" at the firm. But she needed the job to take care of her newborn baby. She didn't start taking on any real responsibility, such as overseeing clients, until a manager overheard her speaking Mandarin. "They didn't even read my résumé," says Ms. Swartz, who studied eight years of Mandarin before moving to China. But she also believes that it's good for white people to experience racism because most people on earth have to deal with it, and "it doesn't feel good."

The European husband of my friend provided a different perspective. When I asked him what he thinks of the way the guards treat him better than his wife, he says there's nothing wrong with that. He says the guards should treat everybody like him, but that won't change until Chinese learn to treat migrant workers and poor people with more respect. I think he has a good point.

Write to Li Yuan at li.yuan@wsj.com

Dr. Henry Lee, Internationally-Acclaimed Forensics Detective, Celebrity Speaker and Author to speak at CLSC Chinese New Year Festival!

Just confirmed!

Internationally-acclaimed forensics detective, TV host, celebrity speaker and author Dr. Henry Lee to appear at CLSC's 8th Annual Chinese New Year Festival!

For info and tickets to the event please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

For info on Dr. Lee please visit http://www.drhenrylee.com/

Banking and Finance in China in the 1970s and 80s

JP Morgan Chase Chairman (China) Peter Rupert Lighte has published a book, with proceeds going to benefit children in orphanages in China via Half the Sky Foundation.

Buy the book here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/pieces-of-china/6068378

From: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2009/12/07/memoirs-of-a-banker/


December 7, 2009, 7:41 AM ET

Memoirs of a Banker
For years, longtime China banker Peter Rupert Lighte has been diligently taking notes in the endless meetings that bankers have to sit through. Little did his colleagues realize that he wasn’t tallying profits and losses but jotting down ideas for his sideline profession of memoir writer.

Now the chairman of JP Morgan Chase Bank (China) Co. has published them in a book aimed at helping Chinese orphans. “Pieces of China” evokes an era of late 1970s, early 1980s Taiwan and China, when Lighte–a trained scholar of classical Chinese–was getting started in banking and both regions were in the midst of huge economic changes.

The book is available free online but Lighte hopes readers will buy the book for $18 with profits going to Half the Sky Foundation , one of the few foreign-run charities that has been licensed by the Chinese government.

Now 60 years old, Lighte has kept diaries for years but says the stories are drawn entirely from memory. Most striking is that they are replete with telling details, such as the time he was at a dinner table for U.S. Thanksgiving with President Ronald Reagan and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang. Zhao wondered why the holiday was celebrated with mere poultry and kept quizzing the president on the price of turkey in the U.S., while the president kept trying to talk about the pilgrims.

“In a funny way, only details are worth remembering,” Lighte said in an interview. “The beauty is in the detail of recollection–it’s the only thing that brings you into the present of the memory.”

Most evocative are the stories about the strange world of banking and business in the early 1980s. Lighte was living, like many foreign businessmen, in the Jianguo Hotel–they were not allowed to rent apartments. He write about his relations with Chinese people, including a funny story on how his assistant tried to get hair to grow on his bald head.

Beside helping orphans, Lighte hopes the stories will mean something to his two adopted Chinese daughters. A student of the “Book of Changes” (the “Yi Jing”), Lighte wants them to see that while the pace of change in China is rapid, it’s connected to a past that they shouldn’t forget. “In a funny way when you live in China it’s a unique period of time but it’s all a piece of the cloth.”

– Ian Johnson

Click and Help CLSC Win a Chase Manhattan Grant to Promote Chinese

We are eligible to win $25K from a Chase grant, to local charities (where Chase has offices) throughout the U.S. Please click on the link below and type in our name to vote for Chinese Language School of Connecticut.

Donations, grants and fundraising (which are down considerably these last 2 years) are our primary way of keeping tuition as low as we can, while providing interactive activities and the finest educational materials and faculty training of any U.S. supplementary Chinese language program.

More and more companies are using social networking tools to target clients and promote giving (such as Chase).

Even if you don't have a Facebook account, it's worth it to take 3 minutes, log into to www.facebook.com, and just set yourself up.

Then, click on the following:
To vote: click on the following link:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/

Then you can vote. Total time: 5 minutes. They won't email you, you won't get spam from anyone; it's secure.

Please help us continue promoting Chinese language and culture and vote now!

Thank you!

From Barrons: What if the World is Easternized, not Westernized?

From Barrons, November 23, 2009, also available at: http://online.barrons.com/article/SB125875982246358189.html


IT COULD BE MONTHS OR YEARS UNTIL we understand the impression that President Barack Obama made on the Chinese leadership last week. It took about two months to discover that Nikita Khrushchev had nothing but contempt for President John F. Kennedy after their 1961 meeting in Vienna. The almost immediate result of the Soviet leader's exercise in character assessment was the erection of the Berlin Wall. The Cuban missile crisis followed the next year.

Khrushchev concluded -- we know now from memoirs and archives -- that Kennedy was "too intelligent and too weak." When Khrushchev instructed his East German puppets to start building the wall, Kennedy made only token protest. Intelligently, he told associates that "a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war." But the next year he faced a bigger challenge -- Soviet ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, based in Cuba -- and he met that threat without weakness, by facing down the threat of war.

In the end, it was Khrushchev, not Kennedy, who was too weak. In Cuba, if not in Berlin, his reach exceeded his military grasp. Khrushchev based his policy too much on his assessment of his adversary's character.

Fortunately, after they looked over the brink of nuclear war in 1962, both sides were more determined to be sure that the Cold War stayed cold. There would be wars on the periphery, of which the biggest was in Vietnam, but no direct confrontations. Both sides were patient, waiting for the other to crumple from within.

Economic Engagement

China, thank the world's lucky stars, is not the Soviet Union. Its leaders, from Mao Zedong to Hu Jintao, seem to understand American weaknesses and strengths, both physical and moral, better than the Soviets did, and they are much more patient.

China has chosen economic engagement with the U.S., creating a symbiotic relationship that is several steps short of a partnership. In 2006, scholars Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick called it "Chimerica." They thought that the relationship, merging Chinese production and saving with American consumption and debt, accounted for as much as half of the world's economic growth in the 21st century. Between 2000 and 2008, China quintupled exports and quadrupled gross domestic product while the U.S. ran deficits of every kind. More recently, the Chimerican symbiosis has looked less inviting.

The financial crisis has pushed American politicians, economists and consumers into two camps. There are those who believe that America must not prosper too much in the next few years, choosing instead to save, invest and reinvigorate its productive economy. On the other side, which is currently in charge of most centers of power, are those who believe that America must borrow more, spend more and inflate its currency to rejustify its prices and devalue its debts.

There may be two camps on the Chinese side also, but it's hard to tell. Are there any Chinese who do not believe the U.S. intends to be the dominant partner in the Chimerican relationship? Are there any Chinese who do not laugh, at least inwardly, when they hear a U.S. official speak of America's "strong-dollar" policy? Are there any Chinese leaders who think that America and the dollar are their only options for financial partnership during the next two or three decades?

Did President Obama change any of those perceptions? Probably not.

New Investment Order

Generating a couple of trillion dollars a year in capital, China is seeking sounder investments than U.S. Treasuries -- investments that are more likely to contribute to its growth and security. China is shoveling billions of dollars into natural-resource extraction in Africa and Latin America, untroubled by scruples about the venal governments it deals with. It is negotiating regional free-trade treaties with other countries in Asia, even with Taiwan, which China considers a rebellious province that just happens to supply technology and capital for Chinese development.

The Chinese also mutter, more and more clearly, about their need -- and what they see as the world's need -- to be less dependent on the dollar. Although they continue to peg their currency to the dollar, in effect borrowing the advantages of the dollar's weakness to sell goods to the world, they also talk about new currencies and baskets of currencies to price the things they most want to buy, such as oil.

Apocalypse Soon

In a new book, columnist Martin Jacques of the British newspaper the Guardian blends all these trends and his close observation of Chinese culture. His title is his conclusion: When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order (Penguin Press).

Although we don't enjoy his obvious satisfaction with the idea that the end is at hand for the American and British Industrial Revolutions and all their consequences, Americans should take his vision seriously.

China has 25% of the world's labor force, at least half of which remain in poor rural areas. Its growth rate since 1978 has been 9.4%, compared with the 3.9% U.S. growth rate during its economic takeoff period from 1870 to 1913. China's GDP is likely to surpass the U.S. in the mid-2020s, if current trends continue.

Jacques tells us that the West, and America, may cease to be the center of the world's affairs, and that will have interesting consequences: "The dominant Western view is that globalization is a process by which the rest of the world becomes -- and should become -- increasingly Westernized, with the adoption of free markets, the import of Western capital, privatization, the rule of law, human-rights regimes and democratic norms."

Jacques constantly asks what our part of the world will be like if China does not Westernize before it becomes the most important nation in the world.

The West, he says, "will be required to think of itself in relative rather than absolute terms, obliged to learn about, and to learn from, the rest of the world without the presumption of underlying superiority, the belief that ultimately it knows best and is the fount of civilizational wisdom."

China drinks from its own fount of superiority and civilizational wisdom. How is President Obama meeting its challenge?

CLSC Teacher Claire Huang Featured

CLSC Teacher Claire Huang was recently featured in a Families with Children from China magazine article on girls adopted from China, learning Chinese.

If you'd like to form a private tutoring group in your area, please contact the Chinese Language School of Connecticut at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org or visit them at www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

Did the Chinese Discover the Americas?

from www.clta.org

Is there evidence that ancient America was discovered and colonized long before Christopher Columbus?

In 1972 the late Dr. Hendon M. Harris, Jr. made a startling discovery. While searching for Chinese collectibles he came across an ancient Asian map book containing a world map showing a land mass labeled "Fu Sang" to the east of China, land that we today call America. After years of research and his discovery of the existence of twenty-nine other supporting maps, Dr. Harris published a 796 page book titled The Asiatic Fathers of America. In that book, Dr. Harris contended that by 2200 B.C. Chinese had reached the Americas.

In 2003, with the sudden world-wide interest in this topic, the family took the maps to the Library of Congress. For three years the maps were there while being studied. On May 16, 2005 Dr. Harris' daughter, Charlotte Harris Rees, gave a speech at the Library of Congress about the early arrival of Chinese to America. In 2006, Mrs. Rees published a condensed, easy reading version of Dr. Harris' original text. This abridged version of Dr. Harris' book contains several never before released pictures of the Harris map collection. The book also contains a brief biography about Dr. Harris' unusual life. In 2008 Mrs. Rees published a book based upon her own research entitled Secret Maps of the Ancient World.

At the invitation of the Renwen Society of China Institute, Mrs. Rees will give a lecture on Saturday, September 26, 2:00-3:30 pm, on both her and her father's books. Her talk will bring together many academic studies and medical research revealing evidences of very early arrival of Chinese to America.

Dr. Harris, a third generation missionary, was born in Kaifeng, China to American parents. He learned both Chinese and English at a very early age. He was familiar with the Chinese.

Mrs. Charlotte Harris Rees is an independent researcher and a graduate of Columbia International University. As a child Mrs. Rees lived for four years in Taiwan then later for a year in Hong Kong where her parents were missionaries. In recent years she has made several trips to China. She has appeared in the United States on television, National Public Radio, in numerous news articles and has given speeches - including at the Library of Congress, the University of Maryland, the University of London, and in Beijing - about her family's map collection and the early arrival of Chinese to America.

Secret Maps of the Ancient World is Mrs. Rees's third book. It is endorsed by Dr. Hwa-Wei Lee, retired Chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, and by New York Times best selling author, Gavin Menzies (1421: The Year China Discovered the World). Secret Maps of the Ancient World was listed in fall 2008 as a new publication by WCILCOS (The World Confederation of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies.) The book also appeared in March 2009 at the National Library Show for American College and Research Libraries in Seattle (USA) and at the London (England) Book Fair in April 2009. Her web site is www.HarrisMaps.com .

Free admissions, but advance registration is requested. To register online, please visit http://chineselectures.org/upcoming.html. To register by phone, please call (646) 912-8861. For inquiries, please email renwen@chinainstitute.org .

Location: China Institute, 125 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
Date and time: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2:00-3:30 pm

The Chinese Language School of Connecticut Presents Chopstix Chinese Story Time at Old Greenwich’s Perrot Library



-- School presents activities and stories for three to five year olds --


“I am so pleased that the Perrot Library and the Chinese Language School of Connecticut are able to bring such a culturally enriching program to our community. Our children truly benefit when two wonderful institutions collaborate,” said CLSC Advisory Committee member, Robyn Wasserman.


Riverside, CT, September 19, 2009 – The Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org), the fully-accredited, non-profit Riverside, CT-based provider of Chinese language programs, is pleased to present Chopstix Chinese Story Time at Old Greenwich’s Perrot Library (www.perrotlibrary.org).



This program is for children ages 3-5 (and their siblings); a parent or caregiver must be present.



“Perrot is thrilled to partner with the Chinese Language School of Connecticut in adding Story Time in Mandarin Chinese to our preschool program offerings. Learning a second language not only has a positive effect on a child’s mental development, but also opens the door to other cultures!” said Perrot Library Technical Assistant Vicky Livoti.



Story times are Fridays, 1pm on 9/18, 10/2, 10/16, 10/30, 11/13. For more info www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org, or visit http://greenteapop.blogspot.com.







* * *

American Grads Finding Jobs in China

Thanks to Alumni Parent and Advisory Committee member Laurie Greiss for the following:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/business/economy/11expats.html?_r=1

CLSC Students Skip Levels of High School Chinese

Students who study Chinese (either through CLSC or private tutoring) may be able to skip one or more levels of their high school's Chinese program.

The normal procedure is for parents to check with their school's Chinese instructor the winter or spring before the student is to enter high school so the student may be able to take the high school's Chinese 1 exam to determine placement. For questions as to how your middle school student may be able to advance in Chinese, or on how your high school student may be able to earn college credit in Chinese (while in high school) please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

Thanks to CLSC Alumni Parent, Betty Liu, Southport for the following: "Thank you for offering such excellent programs at CLSC. Our high school, Faifield Ludlowe High School, offers Mandarin during the school day. Now that my daughter Ivy is a freshman there, she will be able to take Intermediate Mandarin (She was able to get waived from Beginner Chinese due to her previous Chinese learning). My older daughter Amber also did this last year.

Because Mandarin is so different from English, it seems to tweak the brain in such a way that it enhances learning other subjects as well, the way learning chess and music do. As a result, I believe my kids have done better in school because of studying Chinese. Best of luck on continuing the mission of CLSC."

Taiwan disaster relief

(This bulletin has been sent to CLSC; CLSC cannot verify the validity of or give details on any of the following; we invite you to please contact these organizations or individuals yourselves, thank you.)

Dear Friends:

As news of the disastrous typhoon and mudslides occur in Taiwan, our
hearts go out to the victims. See *
http://oldlady.idv.tw/old/2009/20090808/index.html* Whole villages have
been wiped out. Help is urgently needed now and into the near future for
the victims and their families .

Because time is of the essence, rather than acting as an intermediary, to
collect donations then, to disburse to the agencies, the OCAFC unanimously recommended that we pass along information on the following organizations through whom you can make donations directly if you are so inclined.

Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association (DDMBA) www.dharmadrum.org/* ;*

www.DDMBA.org for USA headquarter

They have on the ground volunteers in Taiwan, and 100% of donations go to
relief effort, with no overhead costs. Donations should be made out to

DDMBA (for Taiwan Disaster Relief)

90-56 Corona Ave

Elmhurst, NY 11373


If you donate to this organization, our board member Alice Chen and her
family will match donations up to $2,000. Please send an email to Aliceat
contekalice@aol.com* *, indicating the $ amount donated and the check
number for the matching donation. DDMBA will mail a receipt upon receive the
donation check. It is 100% tax deductible.

Comment: donors can remain anonymous.


East Villagers

*www.eastvillagers.org/articles.php?tag=chao%20foundation*

All donations will be matched by Ping and Amy Chao Family Foundation (Ping
Chao is a classmate of Jy-Hong Su, our former President)

http://www.eastvillagers.org

All donations will be applied to joint relief effort with Taiwan Root
Medical Peace Corps;

Comment: Donors’ name will be listed online.

Tzu Chi Foundation

http://www.us.tzuchi.org/usa/home.nsf/home/index



TAIWAN BUDDHIST TZU CHI
FOUNDATION,

U.S.A. NATIONAL
EADQUARTERS

1100 S. Valley Center Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773

Tel: 909-447-7799 / Fax: 909-447-7948

*Web: *http://www.us.tzuchi.org



World Journal

www.worldjournal.com

Comment: World Journal is one of the most widely read Daily News in
Chinese Language for Chinese Language Communities.


In addition, there are many other Organizations and Channels suitable for
donating to TTDRD. We strongly recommend you as a concerned and caring individualor family to evaluate them independently and to support this extremely urgent disaster Relief Campaign. The victims in Taiwan do need your
immediate action and donation now! Time is of the Essence. We want your
donation dollars go to the end victims as directly, as soon, and as much as
possible.

Thanks!

Jason Liu

President

OCAFC


------------------------------

The Chinese discovered tea nearly 5,000 years ago...

The Chinese discovered the healing properties of tea nearly 5,000 years ago.

From Wikipedia: The history of tea in China is long and complex. The Chinese have enjoyed tea for millennia. Scholars hailed the brew as a cure for a variety of ailments; the nobility considered the consumption of good tea as a mark of their status, and the common people simply enjoyed its flavor.

Tea was first discovered by the Chinese Emperor Shennong in 2737 BC. It is said that the emperor liked his drinking water boiled before he drank it so it would be clean, so that is what his servants did. One day, on a trip to a distant region, he and his army stopped to rest. A servant began boiling water for him to drink, and a dead leaf from the wild tea bush fell into the water. It turned a brownish color, but it was unnoticed and presented to the emperor anyway. The emperor drank it and found it very refreshing, and cha (tea) was born.[citation needed]

While historically the origin of tea as a medicinal herb useful for staying awake is unclear, China is considered to have the earliest records of tea drinking, with recorded tea use in its history dating back to the first millennium BC. The Han Dynasty used tea as medicine. The use of tea as a beverage drunk for pleasure on social occasions dates from the Tang Dynasty or earlier.

Marco Polo discussed Chinese teas in his journals; two Russian explores brought tea to Russia in 1579.

For more on tea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea_in_China

To purchase wonderful tea in our area visit Arogya: http://www.arogya.net/

We all know tea has healing properties, gives you energy, tastes great (if prepared the right way) and is good for you.

Following are some Tea Tips:

White Tea: May dispel effects of alcohol and nicotine; acts on colds and sore throats, strong antioxidants; steep for 30 seconds at 185 degrees F, 85 degrees C; may reuse up to 4 times


Green Tea: Acts on colds, sore throats, strong antioxidants; helps dispel fat; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may resue up to 4 times

Pu’er Tea: May regulate blood pressure, lower cholesterol, helps dispel fat, purifier, may eliminate toxins, mixing with gingeng is said to provide relief from rheumatism and arthritis; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may resue up to 4 times

Oriental Beauty / King of Oolong Tea: Good for blood circulation and skin; good for anemia, helps enrich blood; may nourish stomach if mixed with brown sugar; may soften blood vessels; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may reuse up to 4 times

Jasmine Tea: Dispels heat, improves eyesight; gives energy and may help relieve headache; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 6 times

Litchi Tea / Black Tea: May be good for digestion and promotes energy; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 3 times

Ginseng Oolong: Restores energy, protects liver and kidney; steep for 30 seconds at 203 degrees F, 95 degrees C; may be reused up to 5 times

California Apologizes to Chinese Americans

By Ling Woo Liu Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2009

From Time.com http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1911981,00.html


What's in an apology? Some expressions of remorse are commonplace — we hear them on the playground when kids smack each other on the head, or they land in your inbox after a friend forgets your birthday. It's the grand-scale apologies, it seems, that are harder to come by.

On July 17, the California legislature quietly approved a landmark bill to apologize to the state's Chinese-American community for racist laws enacted as far back as the mid–19th century Gold Rush, which attracted about 25,000 Chinese from 1849 to 1852. The laws, some of which were not repealed until the 1940s, barred Chinese from owning land or property, marrying whites, working in the public sector and testifying against whites in court. The new bill also recognizes the contributions Chinese immigrants have made to the state, particularly their work on the Transcontinental Railroad.
(Check out a story about the Asian-American experience in late–20th century California.)

The apology is the latest in a wave of official acts of remorse around the globe. In 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a similar apology, expressing regret to Chinese Canadians for unequal taxes imposed on them in the late 19th century. Last February, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to his country's Aborigines for racist laws of the past, including the forced separation of children from their parents. Five months later, the U.S. Congress formally apologized to black Americans for slavery and the later Jim Crow laws, which were not repealed until the 1960s. And most notably, in 1988 the U.S. government decided to pay $20,000 to each of the surviving 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned in camps during World War II. Says Donald Tamaki, a San Francisco–based attorney who helped overturn wrongful WWII-era convictions of Japanese Americans: "Part of what a humane society does is recognize past injustices and address them."

The California resolution moved quickly through the state legislature since it was first introduced in February. "It's symbolic to recognize that the state made mistakes," says assembly member Paul Fong, who co-sponsored the legislation with assembly member Kevin de Leon. "These laws reverberate to this date because racism still exists."
(Read about a new Asian-American stereotype in TIME'S 1987 cover story.)

Most of the direct victims of the laws in question have already passed away. Fong's grandfather was held for two months at Angel Island, an immigration station near San Francisco that targeted and detained several hundred thousand Chinese immigrants from 1910 to 1940. Dale Ching, 88, arrived at Angel Island from China's Guangdong province in 1937 at age 16. Though his father was an American citizen, immigration authorities detained Ching for 3½ months. "My intent was to try to have a better life, better than in China," says Ching. "But at that time, they didn't want you to get ahead."

How times have changed. In the throes of huge budget cuts, California is wooing cash-flush mainland Chinese tourists to its sun-kissed coastline and world-famous theme parks. So far this year, the state's Travel and Tourism Commission has opened offices in three Chinese cities. In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured China on a six-day trade mission to peddle his state's produce, technology and raw materials. China is now California's fourth largest export market, after Mexico, Canada and Japan. In 2008 California exported $10.9 billion worth of goods to China, up 40% since 2005.

With the California bill in the bag, Fong now plans to take the issue to Congress, where he will request an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act, the only federal law ever enacted to deny immigration based exclusively on race or nationality. Passed in 1882, the law was not fully repealed until 1943, after China and the U.S. became allies in WWII. Given President Obama's decision to appoint Gary Locke as Commerce Secretary and Steven Chu as Energy Secretary, Fong says he's confident of the bill's passage. "As a person of color, President Obama would understand these issues," he says.

Fong does not plan to press for financial compensation for the surviving victims of the state and federal laws in question, despite the Japanese-American precedent. More important than individual compensation, he says, is to help educate younger generations about the mistakes of the past. That said, Fong may ask for funding to help preserve the Angel Island immigration station, dilapidated after decades of neglect. To complicate matters, the station is located within a state park that, along with several others, may be shut down to help balance California's budget shortfall.

Not long after his father helped negotiate his release, Dale Ching joined the U.S. Army and fought Japanese forces during WWII. He went on to become an electronics technician, but after retiring, he began volunteering as a docent at Angel Island in hopes of drawing more attention to that moment in history. "We've been fighting, but nobody would listen," he says. "Finally someone has said sorry."

Museum of the Chinese in America

The Newly Renovated Museum of the Chinese in Americas has Free Thursdays.

MOCA Target Free Thursday! Gran Torino Forum Discussion With Actors on July 16, 2009

Come to MOCA's Target Free Thursday on July 16!
Gran Torino Forum Discussion With Actors
Thu, Jul 16 from 7pm – 9pm

Free gallery admission this and every Thursday, made possible through the generosity of Target.

11 am - 9 pm Educator-led tours of the new space, plans for core exhibit and the Core Portraits.

11:30 am; 1:00 pm; 2:30 pm; 4:30 pm; 5:30 pm Screenings of Chinatown Film Project

7 pm - 9 pm GRAN TORINO FORUM DISCUSSION WITH ACTORS
A conversation and documentary screening with Bee Vang (played lead “Thao” in Gran Torino and making his only appearance in New York), Doua Moua (played gangbanger “Spider” in Gran Torino), and Louisa Schein (Asian American media expert, Rutgers University)


Join the Museum of Chinese in America and New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute, for an exclusive and intimate conversation with actors Bee Vang (played lead "Thao" in Gran Torino), Doua Moua, (played gangbanger "Spider" in Gran Torino) and Louisa Schein (Asian American media expert, Rutgers University). Clint Eastwood's blockbuster was number 1 in the box office when it was released to critical acclaim. For Hmong Americans, Gran Torino marks a cinematic debut - the first they have participated in as characters, cast and crew in a major motion picture.

The event will include the New York City premier screening of "Gran Torino: Next Door" (directed by Mark D. Lee, produced by Cedric Lee), accompanied by a lively discussion and Q&A as the actors discuss their experiences as Asian Americans in the film industry and how they crafted their roles and their culture in Gran Torino.


"Gran Torino: Next Door", a short documentary made by two Detroit Hmong filmmakers, takes an intimate look at the Hmong actors' experiences and their stories, both on and off set, by mingling glimpses of early auditions and production shots with interviews - from Bee Vang, to Clint Eastwood, to writer Nick Schenk.

This event is free and open to the public. RSVP’s recommended. Email education@mocanyc.org with name and number of guests.

This exciting benefit has been made possible through the generosity of Target.


Upcoming Target Free Thursday performances:
July 30: Cynthia Lin (acoustic/folk/jazz), Alice Hu (alternative/folk)
August 13: Kelly Tsai (spoken word)

Musical Mandarin 2.5 hour preschool class

Thanks to our parents of preschoolers for your suggestions on forming an expanded preschool class! We're happy to offer Musical Mandarin, a drop off class for children ages 3-5, which uses activities, songs and music to introduce children to Chinese!

Chinese Language School of Connecticut Introduces Musical Mandarin

-- Non-Profit School offers 2.5 hour Weekday Preschool Class --

“So many of our parents have asked for an expanded preschool class utilizing music, and we’re pleased to help introduce even more children to Chinese through Musical Mandarin,” noted CLSC Board Co-Chair, Greenwich resident Cynthia Chang Scanlan.

Riverside, CT, June 1, 2009 – The Chinese Language School of Connecticut (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org), the fully-accredited, non-profit Riverside, CT-based provider of Chinese language programs to students, schools and corporations, is pleased to announce Musical Mandarin, an expanded, 2.5 hour preschool class developed to introduce Chinese to children through activities and music.

CLSC Principal, Daisy Chen Laone, explained, “Young children learn best through music and song. We are extremely fortunate to have some exceptionally talented teachers with wonderful musical ability. With the start this fall of our new Musical Mandarin program, we hope to engage even more preschoolers in learning Chinese.”

“Musical Mandarin is available to children ages three through five, Wednesdays, 9:30-12:00, starting October 14, 2009, at our weekday program offices at the Greenwich Family Y, 50 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Registration is open now; early registration rates apply until July 15.

“We are offering our summer preschool Chopstix programs in Greenwich, as well, for any students who can’t wait until the fall to begin learning Chinese!” she continued. “The registration deadline is June 15.”

CLSC parent Robyn Wasserman explained, "Our family’s experience at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut has been wonderful. The teachers are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and highly educated. They have challenged our daughter to learn Mandarin and have made her experience quite enjoyable. We would definitely recommend the Chinese Language School of Connecticut."

For information on any of the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s programs, including summer, weekend or weekday language programs for children or adults, Before– and After- School programs, special workshops, private tutoring or corporate language programs, please visit www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org or email them at info@ChineseLanguageSchool.org.

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Cannot believe summer is almost here.

Following is some info on Dragon Boats festivals, with resources. Have fun!

Dragon Boat Festival Resources
The 5th day of the 5th month in the Lunar calender is considered to be the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

* Dragon Boat Calender of Races and Festivals
http://www.childbook.com/Dragon-Boat-Festival-Race-Event-Calendar-s/72.\htm
in the US and Canada

* PowerPoint on the Dragon Boat Festival
http://www.thestreetsmartseo.com/coloring/powerpoint/DragonBoatFestival\
.ppt

* Free Coloring Pictures
http://www.childbook.com/Dragon-Boat-Festival-Coloring-Pages-Pictures-s\/296.htm
of the Dragon Boat Festival

* Free Worksheets
http://www.childbook.com/Dragon-Boat-Festival-Worksheets-s/344.htm
for the Dragon Boat Festival

* Lesson Plan
http://www.childbook.com/Dragon-Boat-Festival-Lesson-Plan-s/290.htm
for the Dragon Boat Festival

* Craft
http://www.thestreetsmartseo.com/coloring/pictures/ZongZiWallHanging.pd\f for the Dragon Boat Festival