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Manawatu Branch Newsletter August 2014

113

Next Meeting Sunday August 24th

At 1.30pm in the ETC Learning Center, Level 2, 14 Broadway Ave (above Bean Café),  Palmerston North. There will be a pot luck lunch at 12.30pm prior to the talk. 

Internationalisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Speaker :-

   Dr. Alex Chu ONZM JP   Palmerston North

ChineseMedicine-HK (1)   

The ancient practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has evolved over many thousands of years and is now widely used in many parts of the world besides China. It is rooted in the philosophy of Taoism and involves a number of practices including herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, therapeutic massage, diet, tai chi and qi gong.   However, apart from acupuncture and tai chi, TCM especially herbal medicine, is not readily accepted in the West.    Due to the complexity of TCM there have been few attempts made to investigate the scientific basis of this ancient medicine.                                 

Alex has been recently (2010) responsible for initiating  a collaboration between the University of Adelaide, Shanxi  University of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Taiyuan, and Zhen Dong Pharmaceutical Company in China.   The collaboration has resulted in the establishment of the “Zhen Dong Australia – China Research Centre for Molecular Traditional Chinese Medicine”, at the University of Adelaide in 2012 funded by Zhen Dong Pharmaceutical Company.     The aim of the Centre is to provide a better understanding of how TCM might function at the molecular level and thus support its integration into Western medicine where appropriate.Alex`Chu 2014

Alex is from Sabah Malaysia and joined Massey University in 1973 as a pastoral agronomist; and in 1989 was seconded to the Vice Chancellor’s Office as   Assistant to the Vice Chancellor (International) and later as International Advisor to the Pro-Vice Chancellor (College of Sciences).  Alex was instrumental in developing relationships between  Massey University and Asia particularly China. His work has resulted in collaborative agreements with many prestigious Asian universities for example  Peking University and The University of Tokyo;  as well as continuing New Zealand involvement in a number of internationally funded agricultural projects in Guizhou, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and Gansu.  Because of this work he was awarded in 2001 the State Friendship Award by the Chinese Government and in 2003 was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen, as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).   In 2009 Alex was awarded the” Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Service to the University” by Massey University.

At Our Last Meeting

In June, Rosy Look gave us an update on the project that she and Jan McLeod (Whanganui) have been running  in Bazhong, Sichuan training primary English teachers and boosting English literacy for primary school children. The project successfully obtained a grant from the NZCFS  Rewi Alley Friendship and Exchange (RAFE) Fund, to set up a children’s library in Bazhong and the organisers are currently collecting preloved picture books for this purpose.

 Rosy has introduced the kiwi way of learning by participation and interaction rather than the traditional Confucian method of rote learning and has succeeded in making learning English an enjoyable experience.  By using big picture books, displaying work on the walls and working in small groups, Rosy was to  increase student involvement.  She found the teachers were keen to use these new methods although they feared losing control in the classroom. However, Rosy noted that reading encourages the students to be quiet.  Reading quietly may lead to speaking softly and this is particularly helpful for the students in China where speaking loudly (or yelling) is considered a good way of overcoming shyness and showing confidence.

Obituraries

Isobel Thompson  was a young New Zealand nurse when she travelled to China to work for CORSO from 1947-50. She went to China because of an appeal from Soong Qing Ling (Madame Sun Yat-sen)  for qualified staff to work in the International Peace Hospitals.  This was during the period of China’s brutal civil war and so she spent much of her time helping orphaned children.  Soong Qing Ling and Isobel became friends and because Isobel often faced personal danger while travelling in war torn areas, Soong gave her a signed letter of identification  addressed to senior officers of the military, civil, police and para-military authorities of every district which she always carried on her person.                                                                                    

 

On Isobel’s return from China she travelled around New Zealand giving public talks about the realities of the newly liberated People’s Republic of China and recorded some of her experiences in a book “Yellow River,Mules and Mountains”. It was during one of these talks that Isobel met her future husband Eric Thompson. They married in 1952. Isobel and husband Eric Thompson were Quakers, dedicating much of their life to humanitarian causes.

Ramai Hayward ( nee Te Miha) starred as the Maori heroine Ariana (below) in one of NZ’s earliest feature films ‘Rewi’s Last Stand’ produced  in 1925 by Rudell Hayward whom she married 3 years after the film was completed.

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Ramai and Rudell became NZ film pioneers and the couple later made one of the first English language films about post-liberation China “Inside Red China”. While she was in China , Ramai presented Mao Zedong with a Maori cloak. This  has recently been returned to New Zealand and it now resides at Te papa museum in Wellington.

Dave Feickert  was President of the Whanganui Branch of the Society and recognised internationally for his huge contribution to mine safety both in China and throughout the world.  Because of his work, the death and injury rate of Chinese miners has now been reduced to only a third of what it was 10 years ago. This fantastic achievement was recognised by the Chinese Government  in 2009 when Dave was`awarded the China Friendship Prize for Foreign Experts. Dorothy and Maurice attended Dave’s funeral in Whanganui and were impressed by the large turnout of people from the local Whanganui community (for which Dave was a staunch advocate) as well as the mining communities of the Westcoast and Australia.  A full obituary for Dave can be found on the NZCFS website

Cecil Fowler has been a staunch member of the Society for more than 40 years and served as National Secretary from 1987-9 and Auckland Branch President for different periods during the 1990’s and 2000’s. She was made a life member in 2002. Cecil was a brilliant teacher and strong social advocate well ahead of her time who campaigned for peace, racial equality and community education in Auckland.  She was given a standing ovation when she attended the National Conference in Napier this year at age 93.


Coming Events.  To celebrate New Zealand’s first Chinese Language Week as well the Chinese Moon Festival the Manawatu NZCFS is organising a Chinese Cultural day in the Palmerston North City Library on September 13th next. Further details will be supplied later.                                                                           

Maurice Alley  18th August 2014