US – China Peoples Friendship Association of Minnesota hosted a special anniversary event

Chicago Consul General

Huang Ping

spoke on 

CHINA CELEBRATES

60 YEARS OF CHANGE

30 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

Pictured above from left: 

Walter Graff, Margaret Wong, Zhang Aiping, Mary Warpeha,

Consul General Huang Ping, Linda Mealey-Lohmann, Li King Fang

 

This celebration was co-sponsored by China Center at the University of Minnesota

MY HALF OF THE SKY

My Half of the Sky, a novel by Jana McBurney-Lin. Komenar Publishing, 2006. $17.95, 482 pages.

Reviewed Mary Warpeha

“My birth was a handicap for our family.  Sure, our late leader Mao Ze Dong had said:  “Women hold up half the sky.”  But that just wasn’t so.  A girl leaves her house to marry into another family.  She doesn’t pass her family name to her children.  She doesn’t care for her parents forever – giving them money when they can no longer work, leading their casket to the other side of the River of Sleep, visiting their gravesites twice a year with spirit money, good foods and love.  A man does all these things.”

In the beginning paragraphs of Jana McBurney-Lin’s coming of age novel, the recent normal school graduate, Li Hui introduces her plight as a modern day female child in a Chinese society that has traditionally undervalued half of their people.  Much to her father’s dismay, Li Hui has been offered a teaching position in a village in Sichuan Province – a position which destines her to poverty and the likelihood of a low marriage.  As the story progresses, Father has intentions of financial gain through dealings with Madame Matchmaker who has found a wealthy Singaporean family interested in a country bred daughter.  Meanwhile naïve little Li Hui begins to experience the world around her and meets Chen Chan Hai, a young quarry worker in the village.  Chan Hai is that special man who loves flower shops and special tastes – a sensitive young man with urgency for experiencing everything around him.  “I want a shop like this when I grow up.”  He laughed at himself.  “I’m good with flowers.  I especially like mixing them and making new hybrids.  They’re beautiful and much more resilient.”  He wiped imaginary dust off his arm.  “What about you?  What do you want?”    No one talked like this, about dreams.  Father would never think to ask.  Mother would laugh at such foolishness.  But coming from Chan Hai, I wasn’t surprised.”  Love – young, pure and ultimately unrequited love.  Father arranges the marriage for a profitable exchange; Guo Qiang, proves to be a disinterested, hard-drinking husband who reminds her with every encounter that she is his and will stay that way.

McBurney-Lin tells a wonderfully entertaining story with the traditional coming of age theme (which is experienced universally) and weaving in the cultural challenges of growing up in China’s rapidly changing social system.  Throughout the novel, family is treasured and approval is desperately needed, and yet the very ties that bind mimic those on the bound feet of women – they break, they strangle, they restrict and cripple those who desire them the most. 

Throughout the novel, Li Hui diverges from the happenings in her day’s encounters to give charming details of people she meets and things she sees.  She gives names to all those of importance near to her but gives role titles to others thus saving the reader the burden of sorting out who is who.  Recognizable examples include Little Emperor and his father, Mr. Overindulgent, New Neighbor, College Boy, Colleague, Mother-In-Law, Creased Shirt, Man In Blue, Mr. Palm Reader, and Mr. Dumpling.  Of special importance is Madame Paper Cutter whose insightful mentoring is woven throughout the novel through her legacy of gifting a phoenix paper cut which Li Hui turns to whenever she needs to rise from a frustrating situation.  Madame Paper Cutter is a wise old sage who anticipates the hardships this young woman will experience in her transformation from a compliant tradition-controlled daughter to a woman who is productive and fulfilled in a modern and changing society.  Included in the vignettes are simply told classic folk tales many of which parallel Li Hui’s plight of being married to a stranger and craving the charms of a passionate lover.

Jana McBurney­-Lin is working on the sequel to My Half of the Sky and so leaves the reader ready for the continued saga by closing with this passage:

“I hurried down the hall, begging Madame Paper Cutter’s phoenix to give me energy.  To let me fly.  Voices surrounded me.  “Come home.”  “Your father will meet you at the airport.” “I’ll be waiting,”  “Come home.”  But I couldn’t return to the clutches of Father.  I couldn’t return to the village.  I saw that clearly now.  No life existed for me back there.  No job.  No baby.  No lover.  Nothing.  Chairman Mao Ze Dong had said women hold up half the sky.  But with all respect, he was wrong.  I couldn’t hold up any of the sky in my village.  With my family.

NEWS

USCPFA - MN MOURNS THE LOSS OF FRIENDS

In recent months, four steadfast friends of China have died. 

 

We extend our condolences to the families of Mei-Ling Hsu, first Director of the China Center at the University of Minnesota , Ken Puffer, former President of USCPFA-MN, CC Hsiao, Senior Vice President of USCPFA-MN and Dr. Yang Wang.  All four were active, long time Board Members and supporters of USCPFA. 

 

CC Hsiao will leave his mark on our local chapter through his scribing of our logo – the you.  

USCPFA NATIONAL CONVENTION

Photo:  Wen Li, Mary Warpeha, San Francisco Consul General Gao Zhangsheng,

Barbara Harrison, James Grantman

60 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE AND 30 YEARS OF NORMALIZATION was the theme of the National Convention held in San Francisco.  The San Francisco Chapter arrnaged a wonderfully informative program which included a DVD entitled Autumn Gen chronicling the llife of Qiiu Jin - the first feminist in China, a presentation by author Jana McBurney-Lin entitled MY HALF OF THE SKY, Gary Hicks detailing African American poets on China, Al Sargis on Carlson's Raiders, a report on the past and changes in China by Barbara Harrison, John Marienthal, and Bart Trescott.  The keynote speaker was Dr. Ling-Chi Wang addressing the 60/30 of Socialist Reform in China.   

Minnesota Chapter Board Member Barbara Harrison convened the Annual Meeting Plenary Session.  Minnesota Chapter Co-President Mary Warpeha was honored with a volunteer award for service. 

FRED AND JENNIE HSIAO HONORED

Fred and Jennie Hsiao (photo right) were honored by the U of Minnesota Office of International Programs for their continued generosity to students and programs.  The couple are longtime members of USCPFA-Minnesota and Jennie is an active Board Member.

CONGRATULATIONS, CHINA CENTER ON YOUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY

A festive evening of Dinner and Celebration was held on Wednesday, November 18 in the Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union on the University of Minnesota, East Bank Campus.  The Keynote Speaker was Former US Congressman Mark Kennedy.  Other speakers include  Dr. Paul Quie, Professor Mahmood Zaidi and Weiming Lu.

SHAANXI DANCE TROUPE WINS ACCLAIM

Twenty-one deaf dancers performed their trade mark dance,  “Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva” to audiences in China taking their audiences back in time to the Tang Dynasty.  To enthusiastic applause, the deaf dancers synchronized their moves perfectly with the music, assisted by two sign language conductors.  At the end of the dance, lead dancer Tai Lihua spoke to the audience in sign language, “Through helping others, you will be helped by a thousand hands when you are in need.  Love is the universal language of humanity.”  Shaanxi Province is the Sister Province of Minnesota.  View the dance at http://tinyurl.com/shaanxidance

 

 

THREE BOARD MEMBERS

Margaret Wong, a long time USCPFA-MN Board Member, was a participant in the 25th Anniversary celebration of Sen Lin Hu Chinese Language Village at the Concordia Language Villages near Bemidji www.concordialanguagevillages.org.  Margaret was on the original Advisory Board in 1984 offering her time and talent to create a program for all levels of Chinese language learners.  Margaret assisted in hiring staff and getting the program up and running.  She remains a staunch supporter of experiential learning in the northwoods of Minnesota. 

 

Carole Hyder, a relatively new Board Member, presented on the stage of the 2009 Dragon Boat Festival at Lake Phalen in St. Paul.  Carole is a Feng Shui consultant and has her own business http://www.carolehyder.com/.  She is also President of the Feng Shui Institute of the Midwest.  http://www.fsim.org/

 

Mary Warpeha, Co-President, spent 5 weeks in China in Spring, 2009.  She taught English to Senior Middle School students at Beijing Royal School.  You can read her blog and view her photos at these sites:

 

http://chinaexperiences2009.blogspot.com/

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/marywarpeha/HEBEI409#

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/marywarpeha/CHINA2009#

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/marywarpeha/ANSHANGVILLAGEApril2009#

Since viewers in China have had blogs blocked recently, the original texts in Microsoft Word documents can be requested from Mary by contacting her at marywarpeha@hotmail.com

Congratulations Board Members on great service to our communities!

MINNEAPOLIS SISTER CITY DAY

JULY 19, 2009

we participated in Sister City Day and the Minneapolis relationship with Harbin, Heilongjiang with others from the Chinese-Minnesota community from 1:00-5:00 at Nicollet Island on the Mississippi River outside of Downtown Minneapolis for a celebration of the many sister relations of this diverse community. 

 

Minnesotans formerly from Harbin volunteered their time and talents to entertain a large crowd of people interested in international community events.