December Holiday Get-Together

We will meet at Duane and Jill's for a holiday get-together.  Chinese food will be furnished by the chapter. 

Archie McKee, Dr. Alfonz Lengyl, Dr. Carolyn Bloomer and Lolly Baerveldt have been invited to tell us about their recent trips to China. 

Archie was recently elected to the USCPFA National Board at the conference he and Grace attended in Kansas City, Missouri.  He will bring greetings from the National Board.

Sunday, December 11

Sarasota Artists Share China Experience!
Art Center Sarasota – 4-7 pm
4-5pm: Chinese Appetizers
Enjoy tea, wine, and dim sum

Chat with artists
Robert Farber and Javier  Rodriguez
View their new works inspired by
visiting Sarasota's Chinese sister cityl

5-7 pm:  Artist s’ Presentations
Robert Farber,
Professor Ringling College of Art and Design
Javier Rodriguez,
Independent Artist

November Meeting

Since Archie was in Shanghai and VP Lolly was in Ohio, Duane and Jill hosted the meeting.  Everyone enjoyed hearing about Robert Farber's adventures in Xiamen as he and Javier Rodriguez sponsored by Sarasota Sister Cities and co-sponsored by GCAA and our USCPFA chapter.

October Meeting

Several of our chapter members had lunch together at Gold Dynasty Restaurant in Sarasota. 
Chapter members were encouraged to attend Dr. Bloomer's movie series at Ringling College.  Those who attended were made more aware of the happenings in Nanjing during World War II.

First Meeting, September 11, 2011, at Archie and Grace's Home

Our first meeting was a fun afternoon.  We missed several members who were either out of town or busy elsewhere.  However, the eight of us who attended enjoyed our time together.

Since everyone arrived at various times, we started off with refreshments and sharing our summer's happenings.  Pat O. and Ed and Susanna brought items from their gardens to share.

  

The meeting was called to order by Archie, our new president, at 3:15 pm.  He gave us an overview of the day's agenda.  He then turned the meeting over to Pat Amsel, who told us all about her recent trip to HongKong for the wedding of a Chinese exchange student who lived with her while attending high school in Sarasota.  Pat was honored as the bride's "other mother" at this elaborate wedding.

As Pat described this sumptious event, she passed photos for us to share.  Grace photographed a few of Pat's photos for inclusion here just to give you some idea of how grandiose this event was.  The bridal party was quite large.  The bride changed gowns three times!  The groom presented a "signed contract" to the bride.  The groomsmen dressed up to entice the groom away from his bride.  All this much to the amusement of the attendees.  Can't remember how many tables of 12, but A LOT!

Everyone truly enjoyed Pat's presentation.  Her excitement at attending this affair a decade after the bride had lived with her was contagious.

Archie asked Grace to share the tentative list of programs for the upcoming year. These will be listed in the minutes of the meeting for your input regarding your preferences.  There was discussion regarding the articles in our recent China Review about the ancient maps and other evidence that the Chinese came to what is North America long before Columbus.  A panel presentation about this is being considered; we will invite other interested groups to attend.

Archie aske Glad to check into using the theatre where she lives for the October 16 meeting since Jill and Duane won't be back to Sarasota at that time.  You will be notified of what, when and where once these plans are firmed.  We met the second Sunday in September because Grace and Archie will be representing our chapter at the National Conference in Kansas City.  So pencil in the third Sunday of each month to reserve them for our chapter meetings.

The meeting was adjourned about 4:30 pm.  We had brownies and ice cream with several toppings and visited with one another some more.  Archie again shared his porcelain collection.  Grace invited all to her studio just across from MiraBay to see her gyotaku and acrylic paintings.



USCPFA Chinese Ethnic Minority Costumes

Over the years USCPFA members have collected Chinese ethnic minority costumes.  These are offered to local chapters by the National Board's Center for Teaching about China headed by Kitty Trescott. 

Our Sarasota Chapter requested 20 of these costumes; they were used in a cultural event hosted by the SouthShore Arts Council in Apollo Beach, Florida. 

Photos by Cory Wright:

Emcee - Archie McKee

Meeting Sunday, February 20, 3 pm

1930s China Film Festival beginning on Sunday, Feb. 20, beginning at 3 pm at 800 N. Tamiami, Jill and Duane's condo.  We will have a pot luck dinner followed by the screening in the Alinari Theatre of "Shanghai Express," the classic Josef von Sternberg's film, starring Marlene Dietrich.  This film, which shows how many westerners viewed China in the turbulent 1930s, was nominated for Best Picture and Director in 1932 and won for its fabulous cinematography. 

Please RSVP today to see this great film with us. 

See below website for more details on the film. 

Duane

Shanghai Express (1932) - IMDb

Saturday Chinese Feature Film Series at Ringling

Saturday Chinese Feature Film Series

Ringling College of Art and Design

Adademic Center Room 207

Admission is free; open to the public.
All films have Mandarin sound-tracks and English subtitles.

Chapter members should be receiving the schedule from Dr. Bloomer forwarded by our President Duane Finger.  If you are not on the email list, please notify Duane of your desire to be included.

2011 Gulfcoast Chinese American Association New Year Celebration

We have been invited to the 2011 Gulfcoast Chinese American Association New Year Celebration. 

2011 年 海 湾 美 华 协 会 春 节 联 欢 会

树 德 中 文 学 校 合 力 赞 助

2011 GCAA Chinese New Year Celebration
Co-sponsored by Sarasota Chinese Academy

January 29, 2011

T. J. Johnson Youth Center at Faith Baptist Church

8751 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34240

Doors open at 1:30 pm; our chapter President Duane Finger is extending greetings from our chapter at  the beginning of the program at 2:30 pm:

"美 中 人 民 友 好 协 会 主 席 致 词"

"New Year’s greeting from Mr. Duane Finger,

President of U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association, Sarasota Chapter (USCPFA)"

Some of our members are volunteering to work at their event and/or donate silent auction items.  If you wish to be involved, please contact Jill.

For additional information, go to http://www.gulfcoastchineseamerican.org/newyear.html.

Sarasota Chapter Meeting February 20

From President Duane Finger:

Our next Chapter meeting will be on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 3 pm, in our Condo meeting room and theatre.  We will have a pot luck beginning at 3 pm followed at 4:30 pm by the first of our 1930's Chinese Movie Series, with the Frank Capra Classis of 1933," The Bitter Tea of General Yen",starring Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther.

For more info, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bitter_Tea_of_General_Yen

Bookworms To Meet February 27

From Suzanne Kreis:

!Welcome Back China Bookworms! 

It is Wonderful to Learn through Experience,

yet, the Joy of Armchair Travel has much to Teach us.

Share your Thoughts and Recommendations with other Bookworms

Tell  which books, articles, and other sources

inform and enlighten us about China's past and present-

witness:"  Chinese Factory Girls"," China Road", "Mao's Great Famine"  

Recent magazine articles inform us about dissident writers, etc.

  NewYorker's Letter from China :"Meet Dr.Freud", is brand new!

 

We will meet on the last Sunday afternoon of February

to discuss varied readings by group members

in the home of Suzanne Kreis,

details to follow

Please RSVP to Skayak7@yahoo.com



Sarasota Chapter Meeting January 16

The Sarasota Chapter had a wonderful meeting today.  The program was presented by Jill Dye and Duane Finger. 

Duane began by telling us all about Josef Rock and his adventures in early China.  He shared the National Geographic articles written from 1924 - 1935 covering the exploits of this adventurer.  What an exotic, interesting character he was!  Duane read us part of Dr. Rock's obituary.  Here is a link where you can read the entire write-up:  http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/hibd/departments/Archives/Archives-HR/Rock.shtml.

This was followed by video shot of Dr. Rock's home in Yunnan Province when Jill and Duane led a group to China.  Laz taped a portion of Martin Yan's PBS Special Hidden China program and we again visited where Dr. Rock lived. 

Jill told us all about the Naxi minority in Li Jiang.  How impressive this matriarchal society is! 

Thanks to Dr. Rock the history and culture of this fascinating people has been preserved.

We then had a delicious dinner together sharing Chinese and American food.  As always there was much conversation and laughter.

A brief business meeting followed.


--Report written by Grace McKee