Our featured China-related activities include cultural exchanges between our sister state/cities and ourselves, special lunches and dinners with visiting delegations from China, academic discussions on US-China relations, the annual Chinese New Year Banquet, celebration of other traditional Chinese festivals, and more.
1. Sister Relations Program
The US-China Peoples Friendship Association – MN Chapter helped to create three key in China: between Minnesota and Shaanxi Province; between Minneapolis and Harbin; and between St. Paul and Changsha sister city relationship. Recent years have witnessed growing connections with our sister cities. The USCPFA-MN received multiple delegations in 2017 including the Harbin Foreign Affairs Office on May 20, the Harbin Academy of Social Sciences on September 26, the Shaanxi Translators Association on September 25, and the Harbin Institute of Technology in early November. In addition to extending courtesy to numerous visitors, the USCPFA-MN sends delegations to our sister province and cities upon their invitation to build relationships and enhance friendship. From January 3-12, 2018, Chapter president Ralph Beha led a USCPFA-MN delegation, at the invitation of the Harbin Foreign Affairs Office, to attend the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival and spoke at the International Cold Zone Forum. The Chapter also exerted efforts over the years to contribute to the Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society for the St. Paul-Changsha China Friendship Garden and the proposed Minneapolis-Harbin Friendship Garden.
2. Visiting Delegation Hosting Program
Committed volunteers at the USCPFA-MN always show extraordinary hospitality to our friend delegations from the sister province and cities. They offer car tours in the Twin Cities and home visit or meals to our visitors. On September 25 2017, we hosted a dinner party for our long-standing friend from Shaanxi, Mr. An Wei of the Shaanxi Translators Association, who was present at creation of MN-Shaanxi Sister State/Province relationship 35 years ago. On September 26, we helped organize a lecture titled “Historical Events and theContemporary Era: Human Experimentation and Bacteriological Warfare Atrocities by Japanese Army Unit 731“ presented by visiting scholars from the Harbin Academy of Social Sciences. In early November of 2017, we hosted visitors from the Harbin Institute of Technology who attended a Training Program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. We could not make those events happen without wholehearted volunteers and supporters of the USCPFA-MN.
3. China Talks
The USCPFA-MN fulfills its statement of principles as an educational organization by sponsoring multiple academic lectures at Macalester College, Minnesota History Theatre and elsewhere. Thanks to the long-standing commitment of former Board member Yue-Him Tam, we successfully organized several China Talks from 2011-2013 at Macalester College. In 2018, we continued the momentum by inviting scholars from Brown University and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities on topics ranging from trade history to current media. At the Minnesota History Theatre, we presented a talk with the local Chinese-American playwright Jessica Huang, who discussed her play “The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin.”
4. Chinese New Year Banquet
Every year we celebrate the Chinese lunar New Year with our members and friends. Members meet their old and new friends in the state of Minnesota. On February 25 we held another successful Chinese New Year Banquet at the Peking Garden Restaurant in the Midway. Over 100 attendees enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and a special Beijing Opera performance by the Minnesota Chinese Opera.
5. Sister Cities Day Festival
The USCPFA-MN participates in Minneapolis’ annual Sister Cities Day festivities, which showcases Minneapolis’ many sister-city relationship and affords the opportunity to meet with peoples from other sister cities of Minneapolis around the world. In 2017, we arranged for the Ha Family Lion Dance troupe to perform, teach attendees Chinese calligraphy and paper-cutting, and present videos, slide shows, and other information about the Sister City of Harbin. The 2018 festival will be held at Nicollet Island Pavilion on July 22, and the USCPFA-MN will once again host a table celebrating our relationship with Harbin.
6. Dragon Boat Race
The USCPFA-MN floats “Team Friendship” at the Dragon Boat race held by the American Dragon Boat Association every year. We fulfill our mission of building mutual understanding and friendship among peoples of China and the United State by spending a great weekend day at the Phalen Regional Park where the St. Paul-Changsha Garden is being constructed. Our team has been the model of diversity: 10 men and 10 women; 10 people of Asian heritage, 10 of Western; age ranging from 19 to late 60’s; different interests and occupations. We celebrate this traditional Chinese festival with more than 20 teams participating in 2018.
USCPFA-MN in Harbin
January 3, 2018
From January 3-12 this year, President Ralph Beha led a USCPFA Delegation, at the invitation of the Harbin Foreign Affairs Office, to the 2018 Harbin…
Read moreNational USCPFA Convention
October 6, 2017
From October 6-8, the biennial National USCPFA convention was held in Las Vegas (5 days after the terrible shooting attack there). Former National USCPFA President…
Read moreHost the Delegation from the Harbin Academy of Social Sciences
September 26, 2017
We received the delegation from the Harbin Academy of Social Sciences during their one-week long research trip in the United States. Their research focus on…
Read moreHost Mr. An Wei of Shaanxi Translators Association
September 25, 2017
We hosted a dinner party for our long-standing friend from our Sister Province of Shaanxi, Mr. An Wei of the Shaanxi Translators Association and his…
Read moreSister Cities Day Celebration
July 16, 2017
The USCPFA-MN participated in Minneapolis’ annual Sister Cities Day festivities, where the Sister City of Harbin was the featured city (celebrating 25 years). Your President…
Read moreHost Delegation from the Harbin Foreign Affairs Office
May 20, 2017
The Delegation from Harbin Foreign Affairs Office was greeted by the Chapter’s Advisory Board member Kit Spangler and former Board member Yue-him Tam, with HFAO…
Read more“China Talk” at the History Theatre
February 28, 2017
We presented a “China Talk†at the Minnesota History Theatre with local Chinese-American playwright Jessica Huang, who discussed her play “The Paper Dreams of Harry…
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