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Nelson Branch Newsletter – No. 1, February, 2015

127

 

XIN NIAN KUAI LE – HAPPY NEW YEAR

Best wishes for the Year of the Goat/SheepGoat2015

 

The full pdf of this newsletter is available at: NZCFSNelsonFebruary2015.pdf

 

We hope you have had a relaxed and enjoyable holiday season with family and friends and are looking forward to a wonderful year ahead. The weather has certainly been superb.

The Year of the Sheep/Goat, the eighth symbol on the Chinese calendar, officially arrives on the 19th of February, rather later than usual, and we will celebrate the Chinese New Year with our usual Banquet and Annual General Meeting a few days later.

We hope you will be able to join us for this auspicious and fun occasion:

 

Sunday 22 February  ..  Eastern Cuisine Restaurant  ..  5:45 pm

 

GoatstandingTo book please ring:SheepKoru

 

Barbara Markland   ph. 544 4712   by Tuesday 17 February
text: 021 447 180 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

The Eastern Cuisine, 275 Queen Street, Richmond, is well-known for its great banquets, and they give us exclusive use of the restaurant on a Sunday, provided we have a minimum number – this has never been a problem in the past! Your family members, friends, visitors, and guests are all most welcome to attend this celebration.

The cost for the Banquet is $32. The usual beverages (juice, soft drinks, beer and wine) will be available for purchase from the restaurant but if you wish to bring your own wine, there will be no corkage fee.

To make things easier for the restaurant, members and their guests will pay for the banquet at the door – by cheque or cash only please. If you wish, you can pay beforehand, via internet banking – see below. 

Other payments for drinks, will be made directly to the restaurant.

You are also invited to make donations towards the He Ming Qing Scholarships on the night by buying tickets in the raffles for excellent Chinese items – tickets will be just $2 each, or $5 for three, so do remember to bring some gold coins and/or $5 notes.

It would be very much appreciated if everyone could be there by 5.45 pm to enable the brief AGM to begin at 6 pm. There will be no seating plan this year so it would be advantageous if groups could arrive early and together. The banquet will commence about 7 pm.

 

- with thanks to Pam Frahm
– with thanks to Pam Frahm

If you prefer, you can pay for your banquet via internet banking to the NZ China Friendship Society – Nelson Branch bank account at Westpac 03-0703-0369680-00. 

Please make sure you enter your name as the reference and then email both Barbara Markland at [email protected] and Treasurer, Royden Smith, at [email protected] so that they can then confirm your payment has been received.   

 

LAST MEETING – Imogen McCarthy: At our last meeting for 2014, Imogen took us along on an entertaining hunt for rhododendrons in Yunnan Province. A particular highlight was her walk through Tiger Leaping Gorge, high above the Yangtse River. While a drought meant that rhododendron flowers were rather hard to find, Imogen’s wonderful anecdotes and excellent photos made it an interesting journey.

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Items on the agenda during our brief AGM at our Banquet will include: the President’s Report, the Financial Report, the Election of Officers, and any General Business.

New committee members are always welcomed. Nominations for all positions will be taken at the meeting but, if you might be interested in being nominated, you can contact President Christine to find out more.

 

2015 SUBSCRIPTIONS: As our Branch accounts are reasonably healthy, the Treasurer will recommend at the AGM that our subscriptions remain unchanged and subscriptions will become due thereafter:

That Nelson Branch subscriptions for 2015 remain the same as 2014:

Single ~ $15           Couple ~ $25           School ~ $25           Corporate ~ $30

 

2015 BRANCH MEETINGS and EVENTS: As discussed last year, it has been agreed that we should try meeting monthly from March to November – on the last Friday of the month. The major exception this year will be in May when we have the National Conference around that time.

So please mark these dates on your calendar and keep them free for our branch meetings during 2015:

27 March               24 April                      26 June                  31 July

28 August             25 September            30 October            27 November 

22 – 24 May (National Conference)

 

NELSON CHINESE ASSOCIATION CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS: With the success of last year’s family function, and sponsorship from the Nelson City Council, NZCACNYthe Nelson Branch of the Nelson Chinese Association is organising a wonderful welcome to the Chinese New Year with performances and buffet on Sunday 15 February. The 200 tickets sold out very quickly so the lucky ones who responded to our email will be there!

 

JunewalkingREMEMBERING JUNE CLARK: Our Immediate Past President and Life Member June Clark, who died on Christmas Day, is widely recognised, and fondly remembered, for her devotion to the NZCFS. With a great interest in our sister city, June was instrumental in collecting nearly $100,000 in sponsorship for the Huangshi Chinese Garden and the bridge.

We are planning some planting in the Chinese Garden as a memorial. Andrew Petheram, the garden designer, has a place for peonies along the south wall, and says they are best planted in early June. Peony1Peonies are ideal:Peony2 with their beautiful pink and plum colours (often worn by June), they were the national flower of China in the Qing dynasty and are the subject of many Chinese paintings and ceramic decorations.

A function during Queen’s Birthday – 30 May to 1 June – would suit the Clark family and be a very suitable planting time for peonies.

 

JANUARY AT SHANDAN BAILIE SCHOOL: Jane Furkert, continues her interesting articles from her time as a teacher at SBS in Gansu Province. The latest one, from a wintery January, is up on the Society’s website and Jane reports on the last month of the school year before students head home for the long Spring Holiday. At last report, Jane has been making the most of the school break, including exploring some Chinese caves.

See: https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/19152/january-2015-in-sbs/

 

NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2015 PREPARATIONS: Your Nelson Branch Executive, augmented by new appointments, is busy arranging the registration package, budgets, speakers, entertainers, caterers, transport, accommodation, and the myriad other details that need attention for the weekend of May 22-24.

Thanks go to members who have offered help. We will be calling for more as time goes on: airport transfers, donations for raffles, venue management, and homestays (just two nights B&B especially for students from afar).  To take advantage of this excellent local event, Nelson members will need to register – please see the Registration Form and Conference Programme attached to this newsletter.

We are so very grateful to the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency for their generous sponsorship offer, which has helped our finance team keep the registration cost down to just $100. Further corporate sponsorship is also being sought from local companies involved in trade with China.

 

SucyBarbaraAPPO HOCTON GRADUAND: Xue Qing Sun (Sucy) has graduated from NMIT, the first Appo Hocton Scholar to do so. Sucy has spent 18 months at NMIT and graduated Bachelor of Commerce (Management).

Sucy has been a very worthy holder of the scholarship, gaining excellent passes for her degree and being a delightful ambassador for Huangshi. She is now back home but hopes to return to Nelson at some time in the future.

Our Secretary and Sister City Coordinator, Barbara Markland, was delighted to be invited to the ceremony and watched proudly as Sucy was capped. Our thanks go to Barbara for all the support she has given Sucy during her time in Nelson.

 

SISTER CITY DELEGATIONS: Nelson welcomed a delegation from Huangshi for two days in December, 2014. This visit was arranged by Bill Findlater and the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency, in conjunction with the branch. 

HuangshiAirport
Huangshi Delegation welcomed at Nelson Airport

Several of your Executive welcomed the group at the airport and it was wonderful to again meet old friends Xu Yuanping, Deputy Director of the Huangshi Foreign Affairs Office and Elsa Guo from Hubei Polytechnic  University. 

The delegation was led by Mr Deng Xinhua, Secretary General Huangshi CPC Party Committee, and included Mr Yan Baichang, Chairman Huangshi M & E Group Co. Ltd., Ms Zhong Liping, Deputy Secretary Hubei Polytechnic University, Ms Xu Li, Mayor of Tieshan District, Mr Zheng Zaixing, General Manager Huangshi Dongbei Solar Energy Co., Mr He Zihong, General Manager Dongbei Dairy Co. Ltd., and Mr Huang Jianyi, Sales Rep/Translator Huangshi Dongbei M & E Group.

Nelson Branch hosted the group for dinner at the Nelson Oriental Restaurant where they were joined by committee members, branch members who have been to Huangshi, and Appo Hocton scholar, Sucy Sun.

The next morning there was a Mayoral welcome at the Nelson City Council and the branch was represented by President Christine and Secretary Barbara. The delegation then visited NMIT and, after lunch, the Cawthron Institute. Most of the group then met with Richard Oswald to discuss solar energy and Christine and Barbara accompanied the others to the Cawthron facility at The Glen. The final visit was to Oakland Dairy Farm. That evening’s dinner was hosted by Mayor Reese at the Rutherford Hotel and was attended by Christine and Barbara, representing the Nelson Branch, and Gail Collingwood in her role as Chair of the Sister City Coordinating Group committee. 

The branch has received thanks from Xu Zugui, Huangshi Foreign Affairs Office. He said the brief visit was a success and strengthened sister-city links. Xu Yuangping asked him to pass on her gratitude and best wishes to us all.

 

20 YEARS SINCE HUANGSHI AND NELSON BECAME SISTER CITIES: The next sister-city event will be a Mayoral visit to Huangshi in April. This delegation will include Barbara Markland and Gail Collingwood as representatives from our branch as the purpose is to confirm the sister-city relationship and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the original signing. The photo record of the original signing in Huangshi shows then Mayor of Nelson, Phillip Woollaston, as the signee. Others in the group were Chan Woollaston, Beverley and Robin Brown and Isabelle Jones.

 

ConsulGeneralNelson
Consul-General Jin Zhijian and his wife (far left) with Nelson members of NZCFS and NZCA

 

NEW CONSUL-GENERAL WELCOMED TO NELSON: In conjunction with the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency and the Nelson Branch of the NZ Chinese Association, representatives of our branch welcomed the new Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Christchurch, and his wife, to Nelson. Consul-General Jin Zhijian has worked in Iceland, London, Chicago and Denmark before his appointment to Christchurch. This southernmost PRC office covers the South Island and his visit to Nelson was part of his familiarity tour of the Top of the South. During his visit, he also met with Minister for Environment, Building and Housing and Nelson M.P. Dr. Nick Smith, Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese, and Tasman District Mayor Richard Kempthorne. We look forward to seeing them back in Nelson soon.

 

JifangMother
Jifang and her mother at the exhibition

EXHIBITION BY JIFANG BLACK: Jifang’s first exhibition of her delightful paintings of New Zealand native birds in their natural habitats was at ART@203 for three weeks in January. Viewers were impressed by the beauty and delicacy of Jifang’s work and amazed at the brushwork showing every FantailKowhaifeather detail. We look forward to seeing more of this work, which is a lovely combination of Jifang’s Chinese heritage and training and her life in Nelson.

 

RACE UNITY DAY, SUNDAY 1 MARCH: Once again, we are planning to have a Chinese tea stall at Race Unity Day and would appreciate any offers of help for the serving roster. Mark Soper (a.k.a. Mr Tea), with his own unique tea-making skills and knowledge, will be sharing our tent. TeapotLeaves

This is always a wonderful opportunity to talk to people about what we do and share experiences over a cup of excellent Chinese tea. Look out for our red banners and Gung Ho signs on 1 March in Victory Square.

 

COMMUNICATING WITH CHINA – Jeanette Jones tells of friendships and Mandarin lessons: 

There were many wonderful things that could be anticipated from the trip I was fortunate to make to China last year, as part of the Prominent Persons and Leaders Delegation to the International Friendship Forum in Guiyang, Guizhou Province. It was beyond my wildest dreams, however, that it would also lead to some marvellous online friendships with some wonderful people. To be able to practise speaking Mandarin, and observe the evidence of the history I’d studied, would have been enough in itself, but now I find myself with growing friendships and constant opportunities to speak Mandarin and offer help with English.

I’ll mostly use the European names that my friends have chosen, but I try to use their Chinese names when we speak. We all use the online social media sites “QQ” and “WeChat”. With QQ we can speak on video and type to each other at the same time to clarify words or we can type or record speech messages to each other in real time. WeChat can translate written messages and both programmes are user-friendly.

Our delegation met the first person I’ll introduce when her nephew prepared a delicious lunch for us in their family restaurant in Guiyang. Afterwards, Susan and I agreed to stay in touch but neither of us expected the friendship which has developed. Susan is an office worker so we talk on video through QQ at weekends, and it’s become a lovely beacon to chat each Saturday, early afternoon here and at breakfast time for Susan. 

We often speak to each other in the other’s language. Susan can ask me questions in English and I’ll answer in Mandarin and vice versa. Our chatting times are treasures as we help each other and learn about our lives and it’s clear that we will be lifelong friends.

During our tour of Shanghai projects, we were taken to a large social scheme which is meeting the needs and enhancing the lives of Shanghai’s growing number of older residents. Kelly was part of the presentation we were given and translated for the person who has developed the project to support people living in their own homes. After our visit Kelly and I agreed to stay in touch and we do this through QQ, with messages to mark interesting things as they happen in our lives. We send photographs to each other and it’s surprising to find just how much can be learned about a person’s life through these brief glimpses. We have a great deal in common, including both being volunteer community visitors for the elderly.

Meng also lives in Shanghai and was introduced to me before we went to China by a good friend in Nelson who had worked with Meng in Shanghai. As Creative Director for a major international advertising company, Meng was very busy with the Chinese New Year advertising plans for a well-known fast-food company at the time of my solo stay in Shanghai. Nevertheless, she took time out from her busy and long working hours to meet me on day one to ensure that I would find my way safely around Shanghai. She contacted me daily to see that I was OK and took me to some wonderful restaurants. She is a true friend and we keep in touch through email letters.

You may remember Alisha who was with us as the Confucius Institute teacher last year. It’s wonderful to nurture our friendship and keep up with her life progress, again through QQ and WeChat, as she continues with her university study. You will also remember Sucy, one of the Appo Hocton Scholars, who returned to Huangshi after her graduation just before Christmas. Sucy and I had met when we worked together on the Chinese Culture Camp. We share a love of singing and our friendship continues through QQ as she moves on with her life, learning to drive and progressing her career. I am sure Sucy will continue to be a friend of the Nelson Branch with her willingness to help with projects in Huangshi.

During our time with the Huangshi delegation in December, I met Sam He and we agreed to stay in touch, through QQ, of course. Sam has very little English and asked me to help him with this. Our communication on QQ halted recently, though, and it was only when Sam’s son Scott picked up his father’s phone and found my messages that I learned that Sam was recovering in hospital.

PorkMeal
Chinese New Year Pork Banquet

It’s great to have contact with Sam and his wife again through Scott, and what is even better is that Scott and I have now set up our own contact on QQ and WeChat. Scott is a university student, studying I.T. and Technology and, once again, we help each other with language and have very enjoyable video chats. I feel honoured to have been invited into the life of this young man and to be given the opportunity to follow his progress through university and when he ventures into a Western country for his postgraduate study.

When Susan and I had our last chat, she told me that the family of her friend in the countryside will soon be preparing one of their pigs for a banquet to celebrate Chinese New Year. She sent me photographs of the food they ate the last time this happened and it looked so wonderful that I wanted to get right back on the plane! Never mind, for now, QQ and WeChat will be fine for me.

 

TOURS FOR 2015: It is another busy year for NZCFS tours with Chinese Gardens in April/May, Mongolia and NE China in July, and a Photography Tour in September.

YurtsThere are only 2 – 3 places left on both the Mongolia/NE China and Photography Tours, so if you are thinking of joining either of them, now would be the time to make your decision. Three Nelsonians are booked to go on the Mongolia/NE China Tour. 

More information on the Mongolia and NE China Tour is available at: 

https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/18789/nzcfs-mongolia-and-north-central-china-tour-21-days-july-august-2015/

PotalaTibetAnd the Photography Tour information is at: 

https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/17800/nzcfs-photographers-china-tour-september-2015/

Both tours have wonderfully varied itineraries. If you are interested, please make contact with Ann as soon as possible to reserve your place:

Ann White, NZCFS Tours Co-ordinator, email: [email protected] or phone: 03 614 8944.

 

THE YEAR OF THE GREEN WOODEN SHEEP/GOAT:

The Chinese word yáng refers to both goats and sheep, with shānyáng being goats and miányáng sheep. 

Wise and gentle, Sheep/Goat people are elegant, passionate and well-liked but they tend to be shy and pessimistic in nature. Although often timid, they are talented in the arts and enjoy a comfortable life. 

Sheep/Goat years are:      1907      1919      1931      1943      1955      1967      1979      1991      2003      2015

Personality: quiet, calm, reserved, patient, practical, thoughtful, creative, realistic, determined, nurturing

GoatCircle2015Careers: music, theology, catering, acting, teaching, designer, florist, gardening

Compatibility: Best with: rabbit, horse, pig

                               Worst with: ox, dog, rat

Famous Sheep/Goats: Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Rudolph Valentino, Laurence Olivier, Nicole Kidman, George Harrison, Julia Roberts, Steve Jobs, Rowan Atkinson

Those born in the Year of the Sheep/Goat are thought to be a contented lot, happy with the creature comforts around them, wise and compassionate, especially gifted in the arts and reputedly tasteful. Charming, elegant and artistic, Sheep/Goats are often envied for their success. Sheep/Goats never seem to worry about having the best in life as their abilities and artistic flair bring the success they need.

On the other hand, it is also believed that Sheep/Goats can be great worriers and have a generally pessimistic outlook on life. This often leaves Sheep/Goats feeling puzzled and timid, but despite their tendency towards shyness, Sheep/Goats often find themselves the centre of attention. 

Those born under the sign of the Sheep/Goat frequently throw themselves passionately into what they do and what they believe in. Many Sheep/Goats are deeply religious and spiritual. However, this doesn’t curb their materialistic tendencies and they cling to their loved possessions tightly. 

Generally speaking, Sheep/Goats are private. Therefore it may take time and effort to get to know them. They seldom share their personal lives. This is the reason why most have few intimate friends, but once they become friends, their friendship is peaceful and fulfilling. They work hard for those they love.

Sheep/Goats look for partners who will make decisions for them. In love, a Sheep/Goat needs a lot of pampering. Commonly, Sheep/Goats are attracted to generous partners who will give everything and expect nothing in return.

Those born under the sign of the Sheep/Goat do not so much dream, as imagine, appreciating the written word, peace and beauty.

~ edited from various websites too numerous to mention, courtesy of Google…