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NZCFS Wellington Branch July 2012 Newsletter

NEXT BRANCH MEETING  “Two Reports from the April Photographers’ Tour”

Margaret Hobbs, NZMargaret Hobbs and Alison Viskovic joined the April 2012 NZCFS Photographers’ Tour. The places visited were Guilin, Li River, Longji, Huangluo Yao village, Jiangtou village, Water Street in Xing’an, Ling Canal, Yangshuo, Xingping village, Fuli, Fenghuang (Phoenix Town), Miao village, Zhangjiajie, Baofeng Lake Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), Tunxi, West Lake, Hangzhou and Shanghai.

Margaret will present a video slideshow entitled “Glimpses of China”, highlighting her favourite photos and videos from this tour. This was Margaret’s second trip to China, the first being in August 1979, also led by the NZ China Friendship Society. Her interest in China developed when leading an intermediate school class in a study of Beijing as part of the Social Studies curriculum.

Alison has been an active photographer since the 1970s, with a wide range of Alison Viskovic, NZsubject interests. Since going into semi-retirement in 2006 she has had more time for travel photography in the UK, Europe, Cambodia, and now this recent trip to China. Visiting parts of China that few foreigners get to was very rewarding photographically, and this trip has whetted her appetite to return to see more of China and meet more of its people. Her presentation is titled “China 2012: A photographic journey of discovery”, in which she will show a set of still images of landscapes, people, street scenes, and shapes/colours that caught her eye.

The presentations will be preceded by a short Special General Meeting (see details below).

Sunday, 15 July 2012, at 2:30 pm in Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace, off Hill Street, Thorndon, Wellington (see map below) (Car park up Guildford Tce beside Hall) Followed by afternoon tea. Gold coin donation appreciated

ALSO COMING UP THIS MONTH (see below for details)

21 July, 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 24 Kelburn Parade

26 July, 7:00pm Chinese Film, 101 Wakefield St

28 July, 3:15pm Mandarin Corner, 24 Kelburn Parade

MEETING DATES FOR THE REST OF 2012

Wed 15 Aug Counsellor Cheng Lei, Chinese Embassy

Wed 19 Sep Dr Les Molloy, “Travels in the Mountains and Deserts of China’s ‘Western Region’”

Wed 17 Oct Dr Andrew Butcher, “In Pleasant Places: The Story of the Duncan Family in China in the 1940s”

Wed 21 Nov Her Worship Celia Wade-Brown, Mayor of Wellington, “Mayoral Delegations to China”

REPORT FROM LAST MEETING (by Ray Brownrigg)Liu Guozhong

We were honoured to host Liu Guozhong, Assistant Principal of Shandan Bailie School (SBS), at our June Meeting. His presentation, entitled “Cooperative Development in Shandan”, provided an insight into the current structure of what started out as the Gong He movement in China, highlighted how SBS supported and encouraged cooperatives in the Shandan area and illustrated how this was supported by the NZ China Friendship Society.

The first part of his presentation introduced the International Co-Operative Alliance (ICA) and the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (ICCIC, but also known as the Gung Ho or Gong He movement).  Mr Liu then provided a brief history of the Shandan Cooperative of which SBS became a significant feature.

Returning to the more general issue of disposable income, he pointed out that although farmer’s incomes had increased by a factor of almost 18 from 1985 to 2011, urban incomes had increased by more than 30 times over the same period. While the 2011 data showed farmers’ incomes were increasing more rapidly than that of their urban counterparts, a historical graph showed significant fluctuations in the ratio of urban to rural incomes since 1978.

Mr Liu pointed out some of the challenges facing cooperatives, including changing markets and the issues of rapid development. He then presented some examples of cooperatives from the Shandan area, highlighting the value to cooperative development of training centres, of which SBS is a prominent example.  He finished by emphasising the support for SBS by NZCFS since 1985, and the recent development of the SBS farm.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

The Branch Meeting on 15 July will include a Special General Meeting to consider two related changes to the Branch Rules recommended by the Committee.  The first proposal is to amend Rule 6.3 by replacing “twelve months” with “four months”. The amended rule would read: “Any member who is four months in arrears with dues shall not be entitled to enjoy the privileges of the Branch.”  The second proposal is to amend Rule 7.1 by replacing “the close” with “the end of April”. The amended rule would read: “Any member who is in arrears of their annual subscription due at the end of April of any financial year shall be liable to be struck off the register of members”.  These changes are needed for consistency with the National Rules.  These were amended in May 2011 to provide that members of the Society are liable to be struck off the register if their subscriptions are overdue at the end of April.

IDIOM OF THE MONTH (from George Mills)

空穴来风,未必无因 (kōng xué lái fēng, wèi bì wú yīn)

Literally: If the wind comes from an empty cave, it’s not without a reason.

Meaning: Things don’t happen for no reason; everything has a cause.

CZCS HOSTS 2012 DRAGON BOAT (DUANWU) FESTIVAL (by Luke Qin 秦瞳)

Despite the nerve-racking aftershocks and trying circumstances in securing funding and sponsorship in the Garden City, Christchurch Zhonghua Chinese Society has upheld its proud tradition of hosting the annual Dragon Boat Festival on the 23rd June at Ilam School Hall.

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker, Chinese Consul-General Madam Tan Xiutian, MPs Nicky Wager, Dr Jian Yang, Lianne Dalziel and Raymond Huo were among the 500 highly spirited guests who were entertained by a variety of traditional Chinese performances including the waist-drum dance, Chinese flute, paper fan dance and sword dance.

Among dozens of traditional Chinese foods on offer were over 600 dumplings and 500 homemade Zongzi (glutinous rice with stuffing wrapped in bamboo leaves) which is a “must-eat” during the Dragon Boat Festival for the last 2000 years in commemoration of the great poet Qu Yuan, a famous reformer who committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River while in exile. The common people, upon learning of his suicide, rushed out on the water in their fishing boats to the middle of the river and tried desperately to save him. They beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles and later dropped sticky rice triangles wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to feed the fish in the hope that they would leave his body alone.

In light of the devastating earthquakes that reduced parts of Christchurch to ruins and robbed the lives of 185 people including 24 Chinese students, the theme of this year’s festival is for members of the Chinese community to demonstrate and pass on the eternal Chinese virtues of resilience & solidarity in the face of adversity and contribute collectively to the rebuild of the Garden City.

MANDARIN CORNER 汉语角 3.15pm Saturdays during school terms

Room 103, 24 Kelburn Parade, Victoria University of Wellington. There is a topic for each session to stimulate interest (may change subject to unforeseen circumstances). All welcome. Gold coin donation.

Two sessions in July 2012:

21 July – Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Demonstration by Jane Huang and Henry Su (added to the List of the Intangible Culture Heritage of Humanity in 2010)

中医针灸疗法演示(中医针灸已于2010年列入“人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录”)

28 July – London 2012 Olympics (27 July – 12 August 2012) 2012年伦敦奥运会 (2012年7月27日- 8月12日)

Contact: Ellen Yang 杨川, 473-7558, 027-4756888, [email protected]

CHINESE FILM 中国电影 Date: Thursday 26 July Time: 7.00pm

Venue: Committee Room One, Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street. Gold coin donation.

7pm – Special edition of Mandarin Corner, 7.30pm – Feature Film, The Road Home 我的父亲母亲

The story of a country girl and a young teacher falling in love, and the teacher’s death many years later that brings their son back from the big city for the funeral. Director: Zhang Yimou 张艺谋 Stars:Zhang Ziyi , Sun Honglei, Zheng Hao 章子怡,孙红雷,郑昊 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Home_(1999_film)

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR ASIA NZ FOUNDATION

John McKinnon, a former Ambassador to China and currently Secretary of Defence, is to be the new Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He replaces Dr Richard Grant, who is retiring. In announcing the appointment, Philip Burdon, Chairman of the Foundation, said that he was delighted to have found such a suitable person to take over the direction of the Foundation. “John McKinnon comes to this position, not only with a strong record of management at the most senior levels of the public service, but also with a deep knowledge of Asia, particularly China, where he served as New Zealand Ambassador from 2001 to 2004.”

Mr McKinnon speaks and reads Chinese, having studied the language whilst in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and having twice been posted to Beijing. He has also had wide professional experience of dealing with other countries in Asia during his career, having been at one stage Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade responsible for Asia.

“There has never been a time when deepening New Zealand’s relations with Asia has been so important to New Zealand’s future”, Mr Burdon said.  “The Foundation is the leading institution outside Government to promote New Zealanders’ engagement with the countries, cultures, and peoples of the Asian region. The future of this country is intimately connected to developments in this region.  The Foundation is committed to supporting the Government’s initiatives in this area. John McKinnon will provide the right sort of leadership to continue the successful work of the Foundation.”

Mr McKinnon will take up his position on the completion of his term as Secretary of Defence later this year.

CHINESE FILMS IN THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The NZ International Film Festival starts in Wellington on July 27th. There is an exciting line-up of brand new films from or about China this year.  A flier with information about these films is attached (email copies only).

Tickets go on sale on July 3rd, but anyone who would like to make a group booking (20 or more people) can contact [email protected] to receive a discount.  The programme will hit the streets in the last week of June.

NEW FINDS FROM BURIED TERRACOTTA ARMY IN BITS (from Joy Bickley Asher)

Terracotta Warrior

The ongoing exploration out of Xi’an in northwest China has revealed fresh evidence of Emperor Qinshihuang’s buried troops. Tania Branigan reports in the Guardian Weekly (22/6/12) that yet more soldiers have been unearthed.  That brings the total to 310 since 2009 when the latest phase of exploration began. Like those excavated previously, the newly unearthed terracotta figures are not in great shape. As well as broken objects, the excavators have found large amounts of charcoal and red clay and holes made to get access to the burial pit.  Shen Maosheng, leader of one of the teams of archeologists, believes that this is further evidence that the First Emperor’s grave was raided by rebel leader Xiang Yu.  It is alleged that his troops stole weapons and smashed and burned the terracotta figures. Archeologists have also recently unearthed warhorses, two sets of chariots, weapons, drums and a shield – the first of its kind to be discovered so far.

Even though more than 8000 soldiers have now been found, the archeologists believe that much of Emperor Qinshihuang’s burial site is yet to be explored. Xu Weihong, executive director of the excavation team, said that eight of the figures were officials, with more delicately detailed armour than that of the rank-and-file.

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE NEWS (from the CIVUW team)

The launch of the Discover China! workshops – a mini cultural festival designed to promote Chinese culture and language in NZ schools and communities, proved to be a great success. Interested schools are welcome to apply for workshops featuring a Chinese cultural theme, such as music, dance, painting, calligraphy, martial arts, or a combination of the above. For more information, visit www.victoria.ac.nz/ci/courses-and-programmes/china-workshop.aspx.

Discover China LogoIn June, the Confucius Institute at VUW (CI) and Capital Performing arts jointly presented ‘China Dreams 2’. Highlights included performances by two Gu-zheng (Chinese zither) players, an Erhu (two-string violin) instrumental and a reunion of OrientXpress and City Jazz playing arrangements of popular tunes from 1930s and 40s Shanghai.

Five Songs CIVUWOn 18-19 July, the CI will organise and sponsor ‘Five Songs’, a video projection of ethnic music from Southwest China by New Zealand filmmaker David Harris. The two-day screening event also features a roundtable discussion with David Harris, Prof Zhang Boyu (Central Conservatory of Music of China) and Dr Jennifer Post (NZ School of Music, NZSM).

The CI is proud to co-sponsor a piano concert featuring Jian Liu, Head of Piano Studies at the NZ School of Music. This concert will take place at the Ilott Theatre (Wellington Town Hall) on Sunday 29th July. The programme includes a dazzling array of piano fantasies by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. This concert is a joint venture with NZSM and is part of the 2012 Sunday Concerts Series of Wellington Chamber Music. For further details on the CI events, visit www.victoria.ac.nz/ci/news-events/index.aspx.

CHINA-JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA SIGN TRILATERAL AGREEMENT AND LAUNCH FTA TALKS

Leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea concluded the Fifth Trilateral Summit Meeting and signed the Trilateral China-Japan-KoreaAgreement for the Promotion, Facilitation and Protection of Investment at a summit in Beijing in mid-May 2012. The Trilateral Agreement represents a stepping stone towards a three-way free trade pact. According to a joint declaration, the three nations will further enhance their partnership to unleash vitality into the economic growth of the three countries, accelerate economic integration in East Asia, and facilitate economic recovery and growth in the world. The three nations’ prioritizations of future cooperation included enhancing mutual political trust, deepening economic and trade cooperation, promoting sustainable development, expanding social, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and strengthening communication and coordination in regional and international affairs. According to a feasibility study that the three governments issued in 2011 on the proposed trade pact, China, Japan and South Korea accounted for 19.6 percent of the world’s gross domestic product and 18.5 percent of exports in 2010. A free trade treaty between the three countries could lift the GDP of China, Japan and South Korea by 2.9 percent, 0.5 percent and 3.1 percent respectively. However, as the three countries are divided by political distrust, trade barriers and diverging investment policies, there remains a long road ahead before they reach any free trade agreement. If China does successfully create a free trade area with Japan and South Korea, it would be another substantial accomplishment for the country to go along with the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area which should be in full effect by 2015. (from Asia Briefing Weekly, edited.)

SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS

Thanks to those who have already renewed their 2012 subscriptions. If you are yet to do so, please use the renewal form on the website: nzchinasociety.org.nz/join-now/wellington-branch-membership-application/. Please fill in all the details on the subscription form each year to confirm that we have your correct information.