News from our Members

Member Nona Mock Wyman sent along the following:

The El Cerrito Historical Society presents a  
Sneak Preview of the Chung Mei Home   
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 5:30 p.m.
 This event is free but attendance is limited. RSVPs required!
 Steve Chamberlin and Doug Giffin of Education Matters,the owner of the campus, will discuss the historically sensitive restoration of the building and lead a tour.
 Founded in 1923 and operating in El Cerrito from 1935 to 1954, the Chung Mei Home was the only such home for Chinese boys in the country. The building has been beautifully preserved over the years and has been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Education Matters leases the campus to Summit Public Schools, which opened last August. We are inviting some of the ‘Chung Mei boys’ who lived at the home.
1800 Elm Street, El Cerrito: Meet in the Main Building of the historic Home on Elm Street. Three blocks from the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station.
 For information, Dave Weinstein, 510-524-1737, davidsweinstein@yahoo.com.
RSVP before March 9 – much earlier if you are wise! No one admitted without a reservation. Parking is very limited at the site so please try to carpool.

Member Jackson Wong shared an article he wrote (and which was originally printed in kungfumagazine.com) about his experience as a Wushu Dad.   Following is an excerpt:

Insights of a Wushu Dad from the 2014 World Traditional Wushu Games

In life it is not just good but necessary to have good memories. Good memories come from unique and special experiences from childhood through our teens and beyond. They come into play when times get tough and we are confronted by challenges in adult life. This thought comes to mind because my daughter told me that she will remember the 2014 World Traditional Wushu Games, in which she medaled, for the rest of her life. And that made me and my wife think the effort in training and preparing and getting to the games worthwhile.
The experience began with qualifying for the U.S. National Traditional Wushu Team at the National Team Trials competition in June, 2014.  After which came months of intensive training in preparation for the World Games.
The 6th Biennial World Traditional Wushu Games was held this year at Chizhou (池州), Anhui (安徽), China at a remote mountain resort.Chizhou is a vast valley framed by two mountain ranges renown through history for their natural and inspirational beauty and Buddhist temples. Many artists through the millennia have sought to recreate the special feeling of these wonderful lush landscapes in paintings and poetry. The tournament site was a short bus ride from our hotel, one of four designated for the Games. This area of Chizhou was lined with large hotels in an apparent effort to develop the area into a tourist destination for Juihuashan and Huangshan. Between the tournament site and hotels was the original small town of the usual kinds of shops you would find in any Chinese village. Behind our hotel, was an unfinished, large scale, luxury home development in an area surrounded by natural overgrowth perhaps waiting to become landscaped.
Immediately upon arriving at the resort, the feel of what an Olympics event must feel like set in. Wushu and competition of international scale was in the air.  This world sports competition would rival the Olympic Games--a competition it aspires to be a part of. This is a mission in which I, as well as many overseas Chinese, support wholeheartedly for the dissemination of Chinese culture through the sport of Wushu.
The Opening Ceremony showcased the teams from each country. Each team, represented by ten of its members, lined up in front of the impressive stage. The Opening ceremony consisted of several cultural performance dance groups with several handfuls of dignitaries.
Notwithstanding administration and management issues, the athletes were focused on the competition. Athletes and teams practiced in the village wherever they could find a space where they were less likely to get run over by vehicular traffic. Our group of six junior competitors from Legend Kung Fu based in Newark, CA traveled to the games with an assistant coach. We made every effort to invite other U.S. Team members to join us in practices. Teams found spaces in the vast expanse of the hotel grounds to practice at various times.
The tournament site was at the foot of Juihuashan (九华山) Mountain with a 99M (325 ft.) tall bronze sculpture of Buddha (地藏王菩萨), a scenic location of Olympic proportions. Three matted areas were dedicated to competitors from China teams. Three other matted areas were dedicated to competitors of 67 teams from 44 countries. Watching the pre-teen Shaolin monk
kids warm up, I could understand and appreciate the separation of China’s competitors from the rest of the world. As one might expect, it was a crowded scene; with spectators, family, team members, and others.
The Russian team was the by far the largest. And they were stoic and disciplined, marching into the dining room like military. This was far from my expectation that such games would bring people together as ambassadors of their countries. In contrast, the top award for fun and frolicking would have to go to the Brazilian team. They not only drowned out others supporting their team at the competition but they formed a dance circle one night at the village and many others joined in a light moment of bonding and friendship.
All in all, the experience --being a first for our family-- was worthwhile.