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Nelson Branch Newsletter – July 2009

71

Next Meeting

Appo Hocton: the first Chinese to settle in Nelson and New Zealand

Diana Clark will bring alive the life and times of her great-grandfather Wong Ah Poo Hoc Ting: from 1842 when he arrived in Nelson on the ship, Thomas Harrison, until his death in 1920.

Appo was the first Chinese immigrant to New Zealand and the first to become a naturalised New Zealander.

With the help of some visual aids, Diana will tell us the fascinating story of this young Chinese man who worked as a housekeeper, owned his own business, built houses and integrated socially into Nelsons European society during the 1800s.

As usual, Branch business will be dealt with prior to our Chinese meal costing $12. Our speaker will begin immediately after the meal. Friends and visitors are welcome but please notify Barbara when you ring so that we have accurate numbers for the meal.

Friday 31 July .. Hearing House .. 5:30 pm

To arrange catering please ring:

Barbara Markland Ph. 544 4712 by Tuesday 28 July.

LAST MEETING:

Christine Ward, with technical assistance from Bruce, explained how a train trip through China resulted in a series of friendship links which led to their work as teachers in education training programmes in both Beijing and Christchurch, with book translations and many hosting situations. Christine and Bruces account and the photographs of their train journey and hutong visit, and the many personal stories of friendship were fascinating. This presentation was enhanced by a display of treasures collected over these years.

PROMINENT PERSONS AND LEADERS TOUR 2009:

Congratulations to the Nelson Branch nominee, Evey McAuliffe, Coordinatorfor the Nelson Multi Ethnic Council, for her selection as a member of this years ten day tour to China in August, hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (Youxie). The tour will be lead by Dave Bromwich.

NEW NOVEL – AS THE EARTH TURNS SILVER by ALISON WONG: This widely acclaimed, recently-published first novel, is a telling account of attitudes towards Chinese living in New Zealand early last century. Set mostly in Wellington from 1905 to 1922, it is the story of two.families, one Chinese and one European.

International rights and some foreign language editions have already been sold to the UK, Australia, France and parts of Asia as Alisons London agent, Toby Eady, gathers great interest in the book from around the world. Eady says, When the manuscript for As The Earth Turns Silver first came in to my office, I knew I had to go to New Zealand and meet its author. It was one of those special moments when one hears a confident new voice speaking from the very first sentence. Alison has written a truly beautiful book about the sadness of racism and why we allow ourselves to be hurt by love. I have been lucky enough to work with some great writers exploring Chinese culture around the world – Alison Wong is one of those. – with thanks to the Hamilton newsletter

CHINESE REUNITED WITH ANCESTORS ON NORTHLAND MARAE: Some of you will have seen the segment on Campbell Live which told the fascinating story of how, in 1902 and at great expense, Chinese settlers in Otago chartered a ship to take 500 bodies of their ancestors in sealed coffins back to their homelands in China. Unfortunately, the ship was overwhelmed in a storm and lost off the Northland Coast. The coffins were washed up at a then isolated settlement and the tribeshowed great respect for the dead and buried them alongside their own. With

knowledge passed down for more than a hundred years, local hapu visit the tribal cemetery to acknowledge their own ancestors and know they must also acknowledge the graves of the other unknown people. Recently, several Chinese families, have been reunited with their

ancestors resting place, and been welcomed onto the marae, and shared this amazing story.

www.3news.co.nz/Video/CampbellLive/tabid/367/articleID/111590/cat/84/Default.aspx#video

SEPTEMBER BRANCH MEETING:

Liu Guozhong, Deputy Principal of Shandan Bailie School and currently studying at Massey University, has been confirmed as our September speaker for Saturday, 19 September. Please note the change of day from our usual meetings and record this in your diary now as we hope to have a large attendance of members and friends to welcome Liu Guozhong and his wife, Wen Zhongqin, to Nelson and hear him speak. More details and confirmation of the time at our July Meeting and in the next Newsletter.

THE HISTORY OF THE GUNG HO MOVEMENT (ICCIC): Further to the National Presidents Notebook regarding the 70th Anniversary of the ICCIC, the following is some history of this very interesting organisation.

Gung Ho is the abbreviated form of “Chinese Industrial Cooperatives” in Chinese. It can also mean “work hard and work together”.

The Gung Ho movement was initiated 70 years ago in 1939 in Shanghai by Rewi Alley and other foreigners together with a group of Chinese patriots. It aimed at organising the unemployed workers and refugees for production to support the Chinese peoples war of resistance against Japanese invasion. Gung Ho cooperatives spread in the unoccupied areas of China and at its peak year in 1941, around 3,000 cooperatives with a membership of nearly 30,000 were functioning. They produced more than 500 kinds of daily necessities for the people and a large number of blankets, uniforms and other army supplies for the battlefront, thus becoming the most popular people’s movement in the annals of Chinas cooperative movement.

Gung Ho’s Principles were: Voluntary Organisation, Self-funding,Self- governing, Independent Accounting, Taking Responsibility for Its Own Gains and Losses, Democratic Management, Distribution to Each According to his/her Work and Dividends According to Shares.

To win support from abroad, collect funds for development and ensure the proper use of foreign aid, the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC) was founded in Hong Kong in January, 1939. Mme. Soong Ching Ling was elected Honorary Chair and the British Bishop of Hong Kong, R. D. Hall, its chair. The work of the Committee soon won support from overseas Chinese and people worldwide who sympathised with Chinese people in fighting against the Japanese aggression. Up to the end of 1945, contributions in cash and materials totalling almost 10 million US dollars poured in and technical workers from many countries volunteered to come and work for Gung Ho. Its unique role in the war also won international acclaim and the term Gung Ho entered the English language as a word denoting whole-hearted dedication to a meaningful cause.

More information on our Gung Ho Co-operatives page.