CHINESE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PROJECT LUNAR CELEBRATION
CHINESE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PROJECT LUNAR CELEBRATION
by Gerrye Wong January 25, 2025
Chinese New Year of the Snake officially begins January 29 but celebrations will be resounding throughout the Greater Bay Area throughout the next month. The CHINESE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PROJECT group kicked it off on January 23 when it held its annual CHCP membership dinner at the China Stix Restaurant in Santa Clara. The dinner is a welcome gift to all 2025 members so it was a wonderful celebration for over 180 of the CHCP membership to renew their pledge to support this worthwhile organization. As Board members Edith Gong and Helina Chin welcomed all at the registration table, members streamed in to enjoy wine-ing and dining together . They also enjoyed table displays of the group’s many activities.
Edith Gong & Helina Chin welcome guest to CHCP Lunar New Year dinner Incoming President Kimberly Eng Lee welcomes as Emccc
Incoming co-President Kimberly Eng Lee as MC of the evening proudly stood under the CHCP banner on stage and welcomed all to the happy crowd assembled for the banquet dinner. A rip roaring Lion Dance team, led by Liz Chew and Alan Fong at the drums, strolled through the tables in proper Chinese New Year fashion to the delight of the audience. As the Lion came to the stage and stood 12 feet tall, one member on top of the other’s shoulders, they displayed their Happy New Year Banner, while Board Treasurer Elizabeth Lee and Gerrye Wong placed in its mouth, red li see envelopes in appreciation for their coming to bless the CHCP membership. Audience members likewise fed the Lion with more li see envelopes, a great way to thank the young men who energetically brought the Lion’s dance to open up the New Year for CHCP.
CHCP Co-Founder Gerrye Wong welcomes Lion SSDCAP members tell of Year of Snake symbols
CHCP’s Student Docent Cultural Ambassador Program members came on stage to explain Year of the Snake traditions and showed off a beautiful Happy Lunar New Year of the Snake brochure presented by SDCAP members Sada Gill, Zacharee Ho and Jessica Li. They held an open contest asking audience members to yell out answers for prizes. Through their brochure we learned that the symbolism of the snakes were for the following: WISDOM: The snakes ability to shed its skin symbolizes renewal, transformation, and releasing old limitations. Wealth: In the Chinese
Zodiac, snakes are linked to sharp intellect and shrewd decision-making, symbolizing success, good fortune and prosperity. Elegance: Associated with the unknown, snakes embody mystery, grace and charm through their field movement. Did you know the lucky colors for the Year of the Snake are Red for happiness and good fortune, and Gold for wealth and prosperity, and green for harmony and growth. The audience was told New Year Do’s and Don’ts including some of the following. Do’s : clean house, visit family, married couples give out red envelopes to unmarried, wear red, eat lucky foods like dumplings, fish and noodles. For the Don’t’s – no house cleaning to sweep away the good luck, don’t lend or borrow money, avoid negative words like death or sick, and don’t break any glassware.
Founding Board members Michael Chan, Gerrye Wong, Dr. David Shen , Gloria Hom, Allan Chin congratulated by Wanda Ching, Swan Low
To give some history of the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project, co-founder Gerrye Wong shared how the group was formed in 1986 with the mission to house newly discovered artifacts found underground on the site of the fifth chinatown of 1888-1930s. She told that within 4 years, led by Lillian Gong-Guy and herself, they gathered together a group of local Chinese American citizens and rallied support from all of Santa Clara Valley with fundraising drives. In 1991, the CHCP opened their Ng Shing Gung Chinese American Historical Museum doors at the History San Jose site and gifted the building to the City of San Jose as a token of friendship from the CHCP on behalf of the Chinese communities of the area. Newcomers and guests at the dinner applauded the group’s many years of hard work to maintain the museum which is still opened to visitors every Saturday of the month, some 30 plus years later. Counting the museum as CHCP’s main crowning achievement , she however also noted that another proud moment for CHCP was giving its support to members Connie Young Yu and Gerrye Wong to propose and receive a RESOLUTION OF APOLOGY FROM THE CITY OF SAN JOSE for past discriminatory actions against the Chinese communities during the past decades since Chinese immigrated to San Jose from the 1850s. This achievement brought worldwide recognition for the CHCP and these two leaders even as far reaching as Chinese television. She congratulated all present for keeping the goals of CHCP continuing and growing, while welcoming the many new members attending that night for the first time.
MC Kimberly Lee announcing AASLH award to Gerrye Wong Diana Ding, Rose Chung, Lee Liu Chin, Gerrye Wong, Connie Young Yu
MC Kimberly kept her on stage to announce to the audience that Gerrye had received an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History for her decades of preserving and sharing Chinese American history in California. This was awarded in Mobile, Alabama before a convention of 1000 members from all over the country. She was impeded to receiving her award in person by a hurricane which hit her plane’s destination, thus cancelling all flights, so award was sent and presented here by VP Ingrid Lai.
Outgoing President David Yick presented with framed gift card from 2024 Board members. Congratulated by wife Eleanor
2024 President David Yick came to the stage next to call to order his last membership meeting and recalled all of the CHCP’s events and projects that happened during his many years’ reign. He led the Installation of New members of the governing Board of Directors, Trustees, and Advisory Board members, assisted by Advisory Board member Connie Young Yu. Governing Trustee Anita Wong Kwock presented a museum update, telling the proud news that almost 5000 guests had visited the museum in 2024, including field trips by school classes. She lauded retiring Trustee Al Low, welcomed new Trustee Dr Jeff Lee, and welcomed new Board member Officers. As it is said, it takes a village to accomplish anything, and the volunteer Boards of CHCP were appropriately recognized and applauded by the dinner patrons that night. Outgoing President Dave was praised by Vice President Ingrid Lai and presented with a framed poster signed by all of his 2024 Board members
CHCP ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS CHCP BOARD OF DIRECTORS; Front row: SDCAP youth group
Keynote Speaker Asst. Professor of Anthropology, Dartmouth University Dr. Jiajing (JJ) Wang gave an interesting slide show presentation on her findings on “Uncovering Chinese Food Practices Under the Microscope”.
Keynote speaker Dr. Jiajing Wang with Stanford Professor Barbara Voss & staff & CHCP members George, Lee Liu Chin, Gerrye Wong
This was followed by exciting news from Brenda Hee Wong, Teddy Sue, Beatrice Lee & Phil Sexton who announced that their 2023 drive to petition the California Summit Tunnels to become historical landmark site that was approved by the National Parks Service. At the 2024 CHCP dinner, they had encouraged members to write letters to ask for the Summit Tunnels to be preserved and given Historical Landmark statute, so these leaders thanked everyone for its active support to make it happen. The Summit Tunnel was part of the Transcontinental Railroad feat near Donner Summit. These leaders were loudly applauded for their leadership to show that changes can be made when people put their efforts to make it happen.
Musical entertainment came with Emily Zhang playing on her guzheng the beautiful Chinese melody, “Fighting with the Typhoon.”
Showing off work on Summit Tunnels Project Musical entertainer Emily Zhang on gusheng
A highlight of the evening came with the honoring of two Chinese American World War II veterans Harry Lim and Wing Lai to celebrate their 100th birthdays. Both men had been featured in the CHCP film “Our Story of War and Remembrance” that had been dedicated to the veterans of the China-Burma-India Theatre in WWII. A sing along of Happy Birthday, accompanied by cake, and Happy New Years song “Gong Xi Gong Xi” was led by Advisory Board member Pinki Lai.
Toasting Honorees WWII veterans Harry Lim and Wing Lai Celebration 100 year old vets with birthday cake
Co President Kimberly Lee announced to all the upcoming activities CHCP will embark on in the coming year and encouraged more to contribute their volunteer time and services. Unable to attend, 2025 Co-President Arthur Jue spoke via video on his plans for the future of CHCP which showed this organization will never relax its mission to preserve and present Chinese American history to all. To close the program, Peter Young, Ingrid Lai and Andrew Mo presented door prizes to a wildly enthusiastic group of winners as a fond farewell for another year for CHCP members and supporters.
Via video Co President Dr. Arthur Jue Gerrye Wong & Teddy Sue welcoming WWII Vet Wing & wife Dorothy Lai
It is very rewarding to me personally, who could never have imagined back in 1986 that this organization would achieve so many milestones about, for and to the Chinese community. My partner Lillian Gong-Guy back and I then just thought it was a shame the city had nowhere to place 40 boxloads full of Chinese artifacts and when offered to a Chinese Coordinating Council then, no one came forward. So just picture two Chinese American ladies with no experience with such a large project, bravely saying to themselves, We Can Do It — and we did! Thank you to all the 30 years of volunteers who helped maintain the Chinese American Historical Museum so that present and future generations of California citizens can learn about the proud history of Chinese Americans. They all deserve a rousing pat on the back for a job well done, don’t you agree? So come and visit the museum to see new additions made, attend their many events throughout the year, join as a CHCP member volunteer and of course, monetary support is always welcome to continue the many educational programs they present every year.
ABC TV Channel 7 locally featured our Chinese American Historical Museum last week on air just as our CHCP dinner was happening. Thanks to Mimi Kwan and Jason Beal for showing their viewers our beautiful museum building, a replica of the original Ng Shing Gung temple which once stood proudly in San Jose’s Chinatown 1888 to 1950. Here is the link to see the program:
https://abc7ny.com/videoClip/ng-shing-gung-history-san-jose-chinese-american-heritage-museum-new-year/15834040/#
Locke Fdn: Douglas Hsia & Carol Lee SBCSC Pres. Clifton DerBing, CATS Norman & Cindy Toy Peter Young, Frank Chang, Ingrid Lai
