GREETINGS TO ALL 
OUR JULY MEETING WILL BE:
DATE: Sunday 28 August 2011
TIME: 12:30 PM – Start time for a shared lunch
VENUE: ARTS VILLAGE (RAVE) in the Eric Bridgman Lounge
This month our Guest Speaker is Heinrich Boeckhorst.
Heinrich and his partner, Judy Tan has just recently joined our organisation. Heinrich spent 30 years in China working for Daimier Benz (Mercedes). He will tell us about his travels to China the image he has of China, the quality of life and the people in China. He will also talk about the infrastructure China has and the development of business opportunities within China over the years. Obviously it is going to be a very interesting afternoon and I am sure we will have many questions about his experiences. If time runs out we may have to have another session with Heinrich. Everyone is welcome so feel free to bring a friend and don’t forget to bring something to contribute to our very enjoyable social luncheon before our speaker.
BEREAVEMENT
It was with sadness that Phyl Simmers was farewelled at St. Mary’s Church early this month. Phyl was a long standing member and attended our meetings up until the end of last year. We were represented well at her service.
COMING MEETINGS
On 25 September 2011 Wendy Chen, Chinese teacher at Rotorua Boys High will be our guest speaker. Our October meeting will be a week earlier on 16 October. We have not scheduled a guest speaker and thought maybe we could use this space to discuss the organisations future, this years conference, date and place for our November Christmas luncheon as well as next years programme or anything else of interest. I have already tenatively invited Sue Ellis for a return visit for our February 2112 meeting if she is able to come then. This time she will show some of her photos and expand on her family’s experience in China.
TAURANGA BRANCH INVITATION
On Monday 15 August Tauranga will be holding a function to celebrate the opening of Taurangs’s China Week. It starts at 6:30 p.m, at the Civic Arcade, Willow Street opening an exhibition with drinks and nibbles and then an 8:00 p.m screening of “Mao’s Last Dance.” Tickets are $ 20. each from Creative Tauranga. For further information phone (07)5770583
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE NEWS
Study Tour: “Learning Mandarin, Experiencing China and Enjoying Chinese New Year”
NZCFS and Beijing Bailie University (BBU) offer a Chinese language and culture month of study at BBU. The course combines:Mandarin language learning, a range of cultural activity, and regular local sight-seeing trips in the Beijing area Includes Spring Festival Celebrations.It targets New Zealand learners of Chinese language at an elementary level, of all ages. Location: Beijing Period (dates to be confirmed): 4 weeks in the period December 27, 2011, to January 26 Estimated cost (including living NZCFS and Beijing Bailie University (BBU) offer a Chinese language and culture month of study at BBU.
The course combines: Mandarin language learning, a range of cultural activity, and regular local sight-seeing trips in the Beijing area. Includes Spring Festival Celebrations.
It targets New Zealand learners of Chinese language at an elementary level, of all ages.
Location: Beijing
Period (dates to be confirmed): 4 weeks in the period December 27, 2011, to January 26
Estimated cost (including living expenses in Beijing): $1700 to $1800 plus International airfare － up to $2400, depending on availability of specials.
This programme is being promoted as the first activity in a relationship that NZCFS is establishing with BBU, a non-governmental university. BBU is recognized by the Chinese government and has independent funding.
For details: View the attachment provided – click here: BBU student study plan
All enquiries to:
Now to Aug 31: Jenevere Foreman [email protected] 07-850-1312 or 021-255-0074
Now to early Sept: Dave Bromwich [email protected] 06-877-9930
Early Sept to early Nov Duncan France [email protected] 09-428-5623
Website Report
More Branches are now posting newsletters more regularly now that training sessions are taking place mainly by phone. The website is getting approximately 1000 hits a month mainly New Zealanders with a few from China. 18 new members have been gained through the website. Wellington and Hawkes Bay have made the most postings followed by Rotorua. It is now being monitored by Christine Strickland who is encouraging each Branch and also making sure that the website is kept relevant and updated which is important. So if you have any news or information you think should be put on the website please let me know or send it to me with photos if possible to add interest. [email protected] or post it to me 49 Maraeroa Rd. Mamaku. Brenda Lee
NATIONAL NOTEBOOK – JULY
Year of the Rabbit
In 2010 NZCFS started a rabbit raising project for hamlets in poor rural areas in the interior of karst Guangxi. This year, your Projects’ Team is promoting the extension of this project to reach more families. For $80, a new household can receive a team of rabbits to get started. Read more on www.nzchinasociety.org.nz under Projects, Guangxi.
On 6 July 2011 we received a report from Mr. Yuan, the Animal Husbandry Technician, training and advising the farmers. In the 17 households in two villages, 172 rabbits were sold between January and May this year for a return of 24 Yuan ($4.50) per kg. This is 700-800 Yuan (NZ$130- 150) per household for the 5 winter months when their previous average income was around 700 Yuan for the year.
Thank you to Timaru, Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay Branches who have contributed towards the next families receiving rabbits. To make a donation Direct Credit to: 03 0658 0213133 25 and put ‘rabbits’ as a reference.
Tours
As we finish the final planning for the NZCFS Projects’ and Tibet Tour, October 2011, we wish to indicate a future tours’ plan. Details will be released as the plan develops, watch this space! At this stage, the Tibet tour is almost full, but 2 further people could still be accommodated.
NZCFS 60th Birthday Tour 23 or 24 days, September/ October 2012 Planning is underway for this important tour, and some people have already indicated interest.
Visit NZCFS sites with historical and current connections, eg Kathleen Hall’s village in Songjiazhuang and Rewi Alley’s connection to Shuangshipu and Shandan, to look at NZCFS’s legacy and how our Society relates to this today. Combine this with a classic ‘silk road’ tour in the west.
Future Planning
Explore China Series
A series of tours with a regional theme focus looking at specialties of each region. This will not demand extensive travel, with a close look at several sites within each region. We feel an indication of these plans will help you to choose NZCFS as your tour operator in China. Following tours to the North Central (April 2011), Tibet (October 2011), and the 60th birthday 2012 tour to the North West, our draft future plan is as follows: Draft Five Year Plan
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
The South East The North East The South West Central China
The Northwest
Themed Focus Tours
These tours will be one-off and based on a specific theme combined with general sightseeing, for example, projects’ tours, garden tours etc.
Currently, a Photographers’ Tour is being planned for April 2012.
The Tours Committee is happy to hear from Branches and people with knowledge and ideas about other theme topics in China, or who are members of interest groups who would like to assist with developing such a tour. The range of themes that could be developed is extensive, and the Tours’ Committee can work with you to develop an itinerary.
National Secretary – Heiko Lade
Heiko Lade was appointed the national secretary of the NZCFS at the May 2011 AGM and is currently also on the executive of the Hawkes Bay Branch. He first visited and lived in China in 1984 when he studied acupuncture in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. This first visit was quite pivotal as his group of students that he travelled with was one of the first foreign student groups ever allowed into China to study in a Chinese institution after founding the People’s Republic, as it was then just opening up to foreigners. His travels to China have included Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
In the past he has been the president of the New Zealand Register of Acupuncturists and was actively involved as a New Zealand Qualifications Authority assessor and moderator in assessing acupuncturists to become accredited ACC treatment providers. He has a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the University of Technology, Sydney where he researched the use of Chinese herbal medicine on irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and auto immune diseases. Heiko is married to Irene from Guangzhou and they have a 10 year old daughter Nesta.
Volunteer’s will teach English.
NZCFS hosted Madame Li Xiaolin, Vice President, of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (Youxie), to a luncheon in Wellington in November 2010. Arising from the discussions, Madame Li invited three NZCFS members to teach English in her home province, Hubei, from 9-30 October 2011. They will work in schools in Hong’an County, to the north of Wuhan, the home of her father, Li Xiannian (see his details below).
The following people have been selected and are looking forward to their trip:
Jenevere Foreman, President of Hamilton Branch and a National Executive member, will lead the group. She is a qualified teacher in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) and taught at Changsha University for two semesters.
Murray Hoare, Secretary of Auckland Branch, has lived in Hong Kong and does business in China. Murray has a basic knowledge of Mandarin and speaks Cantonese and French.
A third person is yet to be confirmed.
In 1926 Li Xiannian was engaged in the work of the peasant association and in November 1927 took part in the Hong’an—Macheng armed uprising and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC). In 1931 he joined the Red Army, taking part in the Long March in 1935 and was involved in numerous military initiatives.
He served as Party Secretary of the Hubei Provincial CPC Committee from 1949 to 1954 and during this time held other positions including Chairman of the Hubei Provincial People’s Government, Mayor of Wuhan City, Vice-Chairman of the Central-South Military and Administrative Commission and was a member of the Central People’s Revolutionary Military Commission.
From 1954 to 1967, he was China’s Minister of Finance and later was one of the architects of China’s economic recovery after the Cultural Revolution. In 1983, after the passing of a new Constitution, Li
was appointed President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In July 1985 he visited the United States , the first visit from the Head of State of the PRC. In 1988, he resigned as President and became Chairman of the Communist People’s Party Consultative Committee until his death in 1992.
Hong’an County is known as the ‘County of Generals’ in that more than 400 Chinese army generals have been born there, a total far greater than for any other county in all of China.
