“Hunting Rhododendrons in Yunnan”

with Imogen McCarthy

Next meeting: Friday 28 November

 The full pdf of this newsletter is available at: NZCFSNelsonNovember14.pdf

Imogen is highly respected by thousands of Nelson students who have been absolutely enthralled by the many fascinating lessons she provided during her time as the Nelson Museum teacher. 

You will be equally enthralled and fascinated as she takes us along on her recent journey in Yunnan Province. 

Imogen and her husband, Stephen, have developed a wonderful garden up the Motueka Valley and her hunt for flowering plants in their native environment took her to Kunming and then on to the stunningly beautiful areas around Lijiang and Zhongdian (also now known as Shangri-la), and along the hiking trail through Tiger Leaping Gorge in the Upper Yangtze River. 

As usual, we will begin at 5.30 p.m. and then enjoy our buffet meal (cost $12), at 6 o’clock. Our speaker’s presentation will begin about 7 o’clock. Friends and visitors are most welcome but please notify Barbara when you contact her so that we have accurate numbers for the meal.

Friday 28 November  ..  Hearing House  ..  5:30 pm

To arrange catering, please ring:

Barbara Markland   ph. 544 4712   by Tuesday 25 November

text: 021 447 180 e-mail: [email protected]

LAST MEETING: A full house, once more, enjoyed hearing and watching highlights from the Prominent Persons and Leaders Delegation in early September. The Friendship Forum at Guiyang and a tour of the northern part of Guizhou province occupied the first few days and were obviously fascinating experiences. Carla Lindley and Kristina Eddy were the youngest ever to attend the forum, and Carla had the extra responsibility of making a speech to the international gathering.

The provincial tour included Moutai Town and the famous Moutai factory, the Tea House and Garden at Chenshi, and a visit to Qingyang Ancient Town. Jeanette Jones  produced an amazing collection of photographs to help us appreciate the variety and fascination of the countryside and towns.

Led by National President Dave Bromwich, the delegation also represented New Zealand at the unveiling of a statue of Rewi Alley in a cemetery for famous people on the outskirts of Shanghai, where Rewi initiated the Gung Ho cooperatives in 1938. Following the speech from Matt Stuart, a young relative of Rewi from Dunedin, Jeanette Jones led the waiata – a significant moment that brought Te Reo from Nelson into a celebration in China.

Barbara Markland called on her Shanghai friends to help the Nelson party appreciate the delights of the city and surrounds for the next few days. Their sightseeing and food and shopping experiences, especially exciting for the first-timers, were delightfully reported to our meeting, with more splendid photographs arranged by Jeanette.

Nelson Branch is very grateful for the sponsorship from the Nelson City Council that made it possible for Carla and Kristina to be the first students to participate in a PP&L Delegation. They both said how the tour gave them life-changing experiences which will influence their  attitudes and career decisions. Our gratitude also goes to Dave Bromwich, for enabling our five Nelson nominees to enjoy this unique opportunity.

CHINESE GARDENS TOUR with Diana Madgin and Bill Willmott in April/May, 2015:

Well-known to Nelson Branch members, Diana and Bill have taken many tours to China, several of them with a Chinese garden theme. Diana is a highly-respected garden writer and speaker and has a specialised knowledge of Chinese Garden design and history. Bill was born in Chengdu, China, to a Canadian missionary family and lived there until he was 17. Chinese was his first language until he was four.

Supported by a NZCFS tour manager and a Chinese guide from Youxie, the itinerary will concentrate on visiting three main areas: Shanghai and Suzhou, Chengdu and Sichuan Province, and Beijing, and will explore a range of different garden styles from the three locations, including classic gardens, a water village, public parks, and the bamboo gardens at the panda sanctuary in Chengdu.

Please advertise this excellent tour by passing on the flyer to anyone with an interest in Chinese gardens.

More information on 2015 NZCFS tours is available at: https://nzchinasociety.org.nz/news/tours-to-china/

CONFERENCE 2015: Nelson Branch is responsible for hosting the NZCFS National Conference and AGM in May, 2015. Our Nelson Branch Executive Committee is working on developing the programme and organising administrative details, in cooperation with National Executive. We are grateful to Hawkes Bay Branch for their comprehensive action plan and also to the archival records kept by Nelson Branch when the conference was last held here in 2007. President Christine will be reporting to National Executive at their meeting on 22 November with Nelson’s plans relating to:

• developing a draft budget and opening a conference bank account
• registration fees and datelines
• transport and hosting arrangements for visitors and delegates
• accommodation arrangements for visitors and delegates
• ways to develop the “Yo Banfa – There is a Way” theme, as a follow-up from the 2014 conference
• speakers to focus on personal stories of goal-setting and achievement
• local performers to present Chinese cultural elements
• catering arrangements and the conference banquet
• search for sponsorship and donations in kind, and
• advertising through Facebook and websites.

Our Nelson Branch Executive Committee will be seeking assistance from other members as our timeline develops. There are lots of little tasks and a successful conference comes from many local contributions. This is a great opportunity to promote our province and the aims of our society.

SHANDAN BAILIE SCHOOL in OCTOBER: Nelsonian, Jane Furkert, continues her reports on life as a teacher in Shandan, Gansu Province.

The month started with holidays – the seven day National Holiday followed four days of school sports.    National Holiday celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1st October, 1949.   Many students and teachers travelled to visit their families; then returned to school ready for the next few months – no more holidays until 2015!

The school hosted a number of visits from delegations, eager to see Rewi Alley’s memorabilia and photos, and view the technical teaching the students are able to receive here.

The Ninth International Exchange Member Delegation of Gansu Province came on a field trip.  Delegation titles do tend to be all-encompassing rather than brief or succinct!  This was a large international group, participants selected from the sister cities Gansu has throughout the world.  It included two New Zealand women from the Selwyn region in Canterbury.  The group were hosted by the Gansu Government, spending two months learning about Chinese culture while being based in Lanzhou.

The next day, a delegation from Fonterra and Youxie arrived.  They were treated to a tour of Lei Tai and Rewi’s photo collections, and the Training School facilities.  Meetings were held to discuss future connections between SBS and Fonterra, which would focus on shared New Zealand connections and Rewi Alley’s legacy.

Next month the Mayor of Shandan will be visiting Auckland, keeping the links between this area and New Zealand strong.

The weather is unpredictable at this time of year – on the 8th of October, I waited at the top of the Training School building, taking photos of the lunar eclipse as the sun set, a tropical night temperature of 24ºC. Two days later Gansu was hit by the heaviest snowfall in 50 years – is this a promise of the winter to come?! The trees still had their summer foliage, so there were many broken branches lining the streets – the weight of a foot of snow too much for them.

Students are preparing for winter temperatures, it’s only just daylight now when they begin their morning run and exercises. 

 – Jane Furkert, October, 2014

THE HUKOU SYSTEM REVISED: China is to scrap the distinction between its urban and rural household registration systems, promising migrant workers greater social benefits as it pushes an urbanisation drive that has seen hundreds of millions of people move to cities. The country will implement a single household registration – or “hukou” – system, said the State Council. The move would address the decades-long divide that has denied rural dwellers equal access to services such as healthcare and education if they moved to the cities. The hukou system has long caused resentment among China’s vast migrant population, currently estimated at 245 million.

But a system of “residence permits” will be introduced and the population of China’s major cities will still be “strictly controlled”, the State Council said, ruling out automatic benefits for all. The extent of the changes will depend on the size of the cities involved, the State Council said, with migrants entitled to a full hukou in cities and towns of less than 500,000 people as long as they own or lease a “legal and stable” home. 

Migrants who have not obtained a full hukou will be able to receive some public services as long as they hold a residence permit, the statement said. Children of migrant workers with permits will be gradually and conditionally allowed to take education entrance examinations for schools and universities, from which they are often barred, it said. Rural residents should not have to give up their existing land use rights in exchange for an urban hukou “at the current stage”, the statement said.

edited from: http://news.yahoo.com/china-promises-remove-urban-rural-registration-divide-055206791.html