Ventura County Chinese American Association VCCAA

February 2005

N e w s l e t t e r

VCCAA Board President Raymond Chong Vice President Barbara Chieu Treasurer Judy Schechter Secretary Andy Little, PhD City Representatives Camarillo Sean Gao Alice Ginn Vivian Goo Rob Heilman Lesley Ling Irene Sy Edna Tanita Oxnard/Port Hueneme Dolly Lee Leon Lee Ventura Steve Shih Sylvia Shih Santa Paula Leslie Jue Suzie Jue Thousand Oaks Lloyd Ho Lena Ho Membership Lesley Ling Web Sites VCCAA www.vccaa.org Historical Society www.vccahs.org Newsletter Editor Sharon Chiang Lloyd Ho VCCAA Newsletter P.O. Box 806 Camarillo, CA 93011-0806 Copyright 2005

Greetings from the President On February 9th, we celebrated the arrival of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster – 4703. The VCCAA’s Cultural Night during Chinese New Year is an opportunity for us to outreach to our neighbors in the Ventura County community. The Honorable Murray Rosenbluth, Mayor of the City of Port Hueneme, gave us a certificate of recognition. It reads “The Ventura County Chinese American Association – Congratulations as you celebrate the Chinese New Year for the Year of the Rooster 4703. Best wishes from the City of Port Hueneme at your 2005 Cultural Night.” I am very appreciative of Barbara Chieu to co-chairing this special event with me. We were very proud to honor Pang Qi for his masterpiece work of the Memorial Mural for the San Buenaventura China Alley. Our New Year celebration is the most important of all festivals. Towns and villages are decorated with red colored lanterns, floral displays, and brightly colored banners emblazoned with New Year greetings. Before the New Year, families thoroughly clean their houses to symbolically sweep away all traces of misfortune. On New Year, families gather for a feast of various dishes of seafood and dumplings that symbolizes good luck and prosperity. At midnight, we light fireworks to attract the attention of benevolent gods and to frighten away evil spirits. We share this grand tradition with friends. Christmas and its Holiday Season is a great American tradition. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Santa Claus, a rotund, jolly man with a white beard, dressed in a red suit trimmed with white, brings gifts to the kids. Our Christmas Party at Camarillo Elementary School was a joyful occasion for both young and old. Many thanks to Irene Sy with Lee-May Little in taking charge of the Christmas Party. Gung Hay Fat Choy! Best Wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year. Raymond D. Chong, p.e., ptoe President 2004-2005

Christmas Party

We had another successful Christmas Party on Dec. 11, 2004 at the Camarillo Heights Elementary School. Over 250 people joined the festivity celebration and food was plentiful. Many thanks to Caroline Tsaw, Edna Tanita, Lee-May Little and Barbara Chieu for making this a successful event.

K1 and K2 classes from the Chinese Language School gave us a cute Christmas story with Santa Claus and his reindeer. Pin Yin 4 class shines their talents with piano performances, magic show and skit. Ying-Ying and E-Ting Chen from Thousand Oaks showered us with melodic Christmas Carols and of course the highlight was the arrival of Santa Claus with his goodies.

Many people enjoyed their raffle prizes. Thanks to many generous donors who made this event possible and finally the Youth Group who helped set up and clean up after the party. Without the hard work and preparation of the teachers from the Chinese Language School, we would not have such a wonderful program. A sincere THANK YOU to you all.

Irene Sy
Chair

Cultural Night and Chinese New Year Celebration

Cultural Night was held at the Performing Arts Center, Pacifica High School, in Oxnard on Feb. 5, 2005. This year’s event celebrated the Year of the Rooster, 4703, and honored Pang Qi, artist of the new China Alley Memorial Mural along Figueroa Street near the San Buenaventura Mission in the city of Ventura.
Our program featured the Chinatown Center Stars of Los Angeles who performed a Magic Faces act and several acrobatic acts. The Ho Wang Bao Chinese Music Center Orchestra entertained us with their Chinese musical instruments. The Yu-Ling Lu Chinese Classical & Folk Dance Troupe performed three beautifully choreographed dances. The Camarillo Mi Tzung Lo Han Kung Fu Association welcomed the New Year with their colorful lion dance.
We would like to thank Lesley Ling and Juliet Sun for their superb job emceeing the program. We appreciate and also thank Leslie and Suzie Jue for preparing all the great food for the performers. Kudos to all program participants, ticket sellers, culture night committee and venue support staff. It takes many people to execute a successful program. We thank you all.

Ray Chong, co-chair

Barbara Chieu, co-chair

Easter Egg Hunt

When: Saturday, March 19, 2005

11:00 am

Where: Edna Tanita’s Residence

Contact: LaRaine Kang, (805) 383-9698

à Easter Egg Hunt to begin around 12:30 pm

à Parents: Please bring 2 doz (24) plastic eggs filled with treats for the egg hunt

à Hot Dogs à Fabulous Games

à Face Painting à Spectacular Crafts

à B.Y.O.B. (Bring your own basket!)

Scholarship

Applications for the VCCAA and the William Soo Hoo Scholarships has been sent to the public and private high schools of Ventura County. Any Ventura County high school senior interested in applying for those scholarships may get a copy of the application from their high school college advisor. All applications must be sent and postmarked by April 15, 2005.

Barbara Chieu, Chairman

Scholarship Committee

Quotes

Every man has three characters –– that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has. Alphonse Karr

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. Michael Pritchard

Chinese Language School

I want to thank the K1 and K2 classes and their teachers, Jane Tor and Hiayan Liu, for their adorable performance at the Christmas Party, singing Christmas songs and sharing their wishes and dreams with Santa Claus. We also want to thank the Pin Ying IV class for their talent show. Their magic show and piano duet were especially memorable.
Our second semester classes starts on February 11, 2005.
We are sorry that two of our teachers, Jane Tor and Juliet Sun, have taken a break. We are fortunate to have two new teachers, Mrs. Peng and Ms. Wang, joining us.
Our annual speech contest will be on Friday, April 14, 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Los Altos Intermediate School (700 Temple Ave., Camarillo). Everyone is invited to come listen to the outstanding efforts of our students.

Lee-May Little

Principal

Membership

Please welcome the following new member and make a pen-and-pencil entry in your directory.

Mrs. Linda Andrews and Mr. Jay Doyle
905 E. Avalon Ave. Brian
Santa Ana, CA 92706 Danny
(714) 423-8434 Jeff

For membership information or suggestions, please send an email to Lesley Ling at LesleyLing@aol.com.

Lesley Ling
Membership

VCCA Historical Society

The Chinese Legacy in
Ventura County

A Call to Arms

On a beautiful summer day in 2003, Daisy Sem Jue returned to her childhood home to talk about her family history and her reminisces of the Chinese community in Oxnard. Graciously, she agreed to participate in the documentary, Courage and Contributions: The Chinese in Ventura County. Daisy was 92 years old, yet her memory and vitality astonished all those who were there to greet her that day. There was joy in her voice as she transported us to a time when Chinese farmers had gardens in the middle of town; when a Caucasian woman gave her a blond haired, blue eyed doll; when “younger uncles” assisted settlers who were unfamiliar with the English language; and when school children toured the Sugar Beet Factory and delighted in a handful of sugar. Moreover, she was proud that she was the first child born in the Chinese community in Oxnard.

Sadly, Daisy passed from this life on January 27, 2005. She was truly a shinning star and she is dearly missed! It is a great honor that the Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society was able to capture her family pictures and history and share them with the community for now and for generations to come.

In the Spring of 2004, the Historical Society debuted our documentary and since that time we have lost two participants: Daisy Sem Jue and Bartley Soo Hoo. Each and every elder who leaves us take with them something so valuable; a legacy that can never be replaced. Their life stories are a vital element of California’s past. As time marches on, we recognize that we must find the early Chinese pioneers, and their families, and document their lives and family histories. The experiences of the Chinese in California are not written in history books, so it is up to us to describe the past. We want to document the community in Ventura County and hear about the triumphant, the struggles, the joy and the laughter. We want to display old family pictures and describe the activities within. The Historical Society is dedicated to recording the lives of Chinese settlers in Ventura County, because it is time that they take their rightful place in history.

Daisy and Bartley generously shared their lives with us, and we are all richer for their contribution. This is our call to the Chinese community. Please come forward and share your heritage with us. Bring your stories, your pictures, and your family heirlooms. We want to hear from you! Material gathered will be presented in our forthcoming book: The Chinese in Ventura County. We look forward to hearing from you at our website: www.vccahs.org or feel free to contact any member of the Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society.

Linda Bentz, Historian

Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society

Youth Group

We were very happy to participate in the Cultural Night & Chinese New Year Celebration event, helping hand out programs, decorating, ushering, selling tee shirts and panda pins. I want to thank everyone who helped out for a job well done.
 Kevin Hai
 Youth Group President

A Look at the Great Wall

N

o one can tell precisely when the building of the Great Wall was started but it is popularly believed that it originated as a military fortification against intrusion by tribes on the borders during the earlier Zhou Dynasty. Late in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC), the ducal states extended the defense work and built "great" structures to prevent the attacks from other states.

It was not until the Qin Dynasty that the separate walls, constructed by the states of Qin, Yan and Zhao kingdoms, were connected to form a defensive system on the northern border of the country by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (also called Qin Shi Huangdi by westerners or the First Emperor). After the emperor unified the country in 214 BC, he ordered the construction of the wall. It took about ten years to finish and the wall stretched from Linzhao (in the eastern part of today's Gansu Province) in the west to Liaodong (in today's Jilin Province) in the east. The wall not only served as a defense in the north but also symbolized the power of the emperor.

From the Qin Dynasty onwards, Xiongnu, an ancient tribe that lived in North China, frequently harassed the northern border of the country. During the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu (Han Wu Di), sent three expeditions to fight against the Xiongnu in 127 BC, 121 BC and 119 BC. The Xiongnu were driven into the far north of the Gobi. To maintain the safety of the Hexi Corridor (today's Gansu Province), the emperor ordered the extension of the Great Wall westward into the Hexi Corridor and Xinjiang region. The ruins of the beacon towers and debris of the Han Wall are still discernible in Dunhuang, Yumen and Yangguan. A recent report shows that ruins of the Han Wall have been discovered near Lopnur in China's Xinjiang region.

Further construction and extensions were made in the successive Northern Wei, Northern Qi and Sui dynasties.

The present Great Wall in Beijing is mainly remains from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). During this period, bricks and granite were used when the workers laid the foundation of the wall and sophisticated designs and passes were built in the places of strategic importance.

To strengthen the military control of the northern frontiers, the Ming authorities divided the Great Wall into nine zones and placed each under the control of a Zhen (garrison headquarters).

The Ming Wall starts from Yalujiang River (in today's Heilongjiang Province), via today's Liaoning, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia provinces, to Guansu. The total length reaches 12,700 li (over 5,000 kilometers). The Shanhaiguan Pass and the Jiayuguan Pass are two well-preserved passes at either end.

Today, the Wall has become a must-see for every visitor to China. Few can help saying 'Wow!' when they stand on top of a beacon tower and look at this giant dragon. For centuries, the wall served succeeding dynasties as an efficient military defense. However, it was only when a dynasty had weakened from within that invaders from the north were able to advance and conquer. Both the Mongols (Yuan Dynasty, 1271-1368) and the Manchurians (Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911) were able take power because of weakness of the government and poverty of the people but never due to any possibility of weakness of the Wall.

Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia®

Quotes

Recall it as often as you wish. A happy memory never wears out. Libbie Fudim	Procrastinate: Something you do when you don’t. Joe Heuer
Courage is grace under pressure. Sir Winston Churchill	Great thoughts come from the heart. Source: Unknown

Lost Translation! Help!

This newsletter did not include any translation to Chinese. We have a need for volunteers to assist in translating the English written articles to traditional Chinese. If you or if you know someone who may be able to spare a few hours four times a year (May, Aug., Nov., Feb.), please send an email to me at brt2eyes@yahoo.com.
 Lloyd Ho

Newsletter Editor

WHAT	WHEN	WHERE
Easter Egg Hunt	March 19, 2005 Saturday, 11:00 am	Edna Tanita’s Residence Camarillo
Memorial Day Picnic	May 30, 2005 Monday, 11:00 am	Pleasant Valley Park Temple Ave. & Ponderosa Rd., Camarillo
Board Installation and Award BBQ	June 11, 2005 Saturday	Edna Tanita’s Residence Camarillo