China Center News

Winter 2004

Reconnecting with Hong Kong Alumni

L-R: Leung, Wong, Fong, Kan, Yang, Cheung, Lee

China Center Director Dr. Hong Yang met with a group of U of M alumni in Hong Kong on Dec 7, 2003. The gathering was organized by Mr. Richard Fong ('75), director of Global Synergy Alliance Ltd. Attendees included Mr. Simon Wong ('75), chairman, Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades; Richard Lee ('79), executive chairman and CEO, Wo Kee Hong (Holdings) Ltd.; Elizabeth K.Y. Kan ('81), managing director, First Eastern Investment Group; Emmett Leung ('76), general manager, MPS Engineering Limited; and Vincent Cheung ('77), managing director, VConsulting Ltd.

The alumni were thrilled to reconnect with the University. Dr. Yang discussed with them the opportunity to establish an Alumni Association Chapter in Hong Kong. The China Center will follow up with UMAA and key alumni in Hong Kong regarding this issue.

Fazheng Fund Established at the China Center

Mr. Wang Guangfa and EVPP Chris Maziar

Mr. Wang Guangfa, Chairman of the Board, Beijing Fazheng Group, returned to the University of Minnesota November 10-19 to establish the "Fazheng Guangfa Educational Fellowship Fund" at the China Center. This fund will assist University faculty and staff in developing or carrying out educational initiatives and collaborations with Chinese partners.

A signing ceremony was held on November 18 to commemorate Mr. Wang's first three-year donation commitment of $150,000 to this fund. A wide variety of people attended, including Mr. Zhu Shanlu, vice mayor of Beijing; Mr. Geng Xuecao, Beijing Municipality Education Commissioner; and Mr. Ding Hongyu, director of International Cooperation at the Beijing Education Commission. Mr. Wang and Dr. Christine Maziar, executive vice president and provost, signed an agreement to establish the University of Minnesota - Fazheng International Education Center — UMFIE Center.

During his previous visit in August 2003, Mr. Wang signed a memorandum of understanding with China Center Director Dr. Hong Yang, citing specific areas of possible collaboration. On this visit Mr. Wang built on his previous discussions with University and community leaders to take concrete steps toward establishing collaborations. These collaborations include: collaborative degree programs between the U of M Law School and the China University of Political Science and Law as well as between the U of M Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The proposed UMFIE Center is responsible for coordinating these joint programs and future projects. Also discussed was a possible partnership between Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and Wang Fu Hospital.

Community business leaders benefited from Mr. Wang's insights through his participation in the China Center's "China Business Colloquium," which was held on November 13. Mr. Corey Kiefer, TBT Global Resources, had these thoughts of his contact with Mr. Wang: "Our company is extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to gain such valuable insights into the emerging entrepreneurial sector within China. Mr. Wang has already been an invaluable resource, and good friend, to us since meeting him during the first China Colloquium and we are very much looking forward to furthering our business relationship with the Fazheng Group and other companies that we will have the opportunity to meet through Dr. Yang and the China Center."

Mingda Leadership Training Program Update

Sichuan Training Group

After being delayed for nearly six months due to the SARS outbreak, a delegation of seventeen mid-level government executives arrived from Sichuan Province on November 30. They were officially welcomed to Minnesota at a luncheon on December 3 that included such guests as Gene Hugoson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Gene Allen, director of the University's Office of International Programs; and Zhu Dingguo, secretary general of the Sichuan Cadre Education Academy. These delegation members, led by Mr. Xu Chunman, will train on the Twin Cities campus for nearly three months. All of the trainees are from Sichuan Province, which is located in southwestern China near the head waters of the Yangtze River, has a productive agricultural sector and more than 85 million residents.

L-R: Hong Yang, Zhu Dingguo, Gene Hugoson, Gene Allen and Xu Chunman at Sichuan Welcome

Through the China Center's Mingda Institute the delegation will study American agriculture and industry, government administration, international trade and WTO principles, public health administration, education policy and development, and science and research management. In addition, they will also take ESL classes, which along with meeting with volunteer language partners, will help them understand some of the basics of American culture and daily life in America.

The group will return to Sichuan after professional visits to local companies and community organizations as well as to important sites on the East and West coasts. This is the first training program the Mingda Institute has hosted from Sichuan Province, but local government officials have already committed to send two more delegations in early 2004.

Professor Perry Explores China Initiatives

Perry visits a farmer in Sichuan

Professor Jim Perry, College of Natural Resources, submitted the following reflections after his first trip to China in October 2003:

A great deal of attention is being paid to northwestern China, the land of the Gobi Desert and of vast open places. Northwestern China is a land of great opportunity and of great need, but emigration from the northwest to the east and south have placed demands on social and economic systems in the major cities along China's coast. Some have suggested that Sichuan Province, in the west central part of the country, can serve as a gateway - a place to provide opportunity and growth that then decreases the pressures on the coastal regions.

I was fortunate to meet Professor Jiang Zhenghua, vice chairman of the National People's Congress, and discuss with him ideas for a large scale Train-the-Trainers project that would strengthen human capital in Sichuan Province, and in turn strengthen the ability of Sichuan people to train others north and west of the Province. In October 2003, I visited Beijing, Shanghai, and several places in Sichuan Province to discuss this training project, called The Gateway Project. We also discussed other potential collaborations between the University of Minnesota and several groups in China, including Sichuan University, the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and the Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese National Academy of Science.

I was amazed by the breadth and depth of work being conducted in northern Sichuan Province. It is apparent that there are many very active and thoughtful scientists and managers trying many different things. That is the pattern I would have expected, but its depth is more than I anticipated. The aspect that struck me most is that there is great energy being invested in demonstration and environmental technology. If a person or a manager wants to do something, like reforest a hillside, control erosion, or develop an alternative crop, there are many resources available. However, there is relatively little momentum in decision making — in helping people decide what they might wish to do rather than how to do something they have decided to do. I see that as a major opportunity for our collaboration. Other opportunities for collaboration that emerged during the trip are:

  • a proposal to deal with sustainable development of the greater Jiuzhai Ecoregion,
  • developing a post-graduate joint certificate program in natural resources and other fields, and
  • developing a suite of integrated environmental indicators to help in developing ecotourism at two national parks.

The trip itself was delightful. The hosts were gracious and the trip planning (by China Center staff as well as contacts in Beijing and Chengdu) was excellent. I had the chance to make short visits to world-renowned places like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Juizhaigou, and Huanlong. This was my first trip to China so it was very exciting to see such famous places. The food, of course, was a magical experience. My friends in Sichuan found it amusing that I could not get the food hot enough! I am in love with Sichuan food, especially Sichuan pepper.

As would be expected on such a high-velocity trip, I spent most of the time thinking, talking with people, and dreaming of potential collaborations. I had the chance to meet students, faculty, administrators, scientists, managers, city officials, provincial managers, national park managers and scientists, party officials, and residents. I enjoyed the cross section of views and perspectives.

I greatly appreciate the support of people in the China Center, the government of Beijing and Chengdu, the university and Chinese Academy of Science officials, the colleagues in the national parks, and the College of Natural Resources. I look forward to returning to China in April to further develop these exciting opportunities!

Distiguished Leadership Awards given to two Chinese alumni

The Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals is a new University-wide award for alumni, former students, and friends of the University who have distinguished themselves in their post-university work as leaders in their professional careers.

"The international alumni and friends of the University of Minnesota have gone on to do very impressive and important work in their home countries and around the world," said Gene Allen, executive director of the Office of International Programs. "The goal of this award is to increase the visibility of their achievements and to highlight the global impact of a University of Minnesota education." A selection committee of faculty members and an international fellow, headed by Shirley Baugher, dean of the College of Human Ecology, reviewed the nominations and chose the nine winners, including Dr. Fanny Cheung of Hong Kong and Dr. Xi-Ru Wu of China.

Dr. Fanny Cheung

Dr. Fanny Cheung is a distinguished alumna of the College of Liberal Arts. She graduated from the University with her Ph.D. in psychology in 1975. During her time in Minnesota, Dr. Cheung served as program adviser and consultant for community programs. Dr. Cheung is currently the chair of the Department of Psychology and professor of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She is also the current and founding director of the Gender Research Center at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies. Dr. Cheung has been active as a distinguished professor of psychology at CUHK since her return to Hong Kong in 1975. In the early 1990s she took the lead in developing the Cross-Cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory. This was one of the first initiatives in the field to develop a local, non-Western responsive of personality. Her work has been influential across Asia.

From 1996 to 1999, Dr. Cheung served as the founding chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Hong Kong government and established the research foundation of this organization. Her work has led to increased opportunities for women and persons with disabilities. She has published and lectured widely, both in Hong Kong and internationally on these issues.

Dr. Xi-Ru Wu

Dr. Xi-Ru Wu was a research fellow in the Pediatric Neurology Division of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota from 1979 to 1982. She is currently professor of pediatrics at Beijing Medical University and, from 1984 to 1999, was director of pediatrics at the First Hospital at Beijing Medical University. She is also the honorary president of the Chinese Pediatrics Society and chairperson of the Society from 1998 to 2002. Dr. Wu is also the chief editor of the Chinese Journal of Pediatrics and executive board member of the Chinese Neuroscience Association.

Dr. Wu, who graduated from Beijing Medical College in 1955, is one of the leading Chinese researchers in the field of the genetics of epilepsy. In September 2002, Dr. Wu organized a joint meeting of the 9th International Child Neurology Congress and the 7th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology. This was the first time that the Congress was held in China.

Dr. Wu was the first Chinese pediatric neurologist to diagnose Landau Kleffner syndrome, Rett syndrome, and mitochondrial encephalomyopathy. She has initiated close collaboration with colleagues in Japan and has sent a number of young pediatricians for advanced training in Japan and Hong Kong. She has also published five textbooks on the topic of pediatric neurology, a field that previously had been documented very little in China.

Celebrating 25 years — Memories from the past

Professor Jiang Huashang, of Nankai University, Tianjin, and who is currently a visiting fellow at the University of Minnesota, submitted the following memory:

I remember it vividly, though it happened some 18 years ago. A group of Nankai University English majors arrived in Minnesota in mid-January and "stormed" the stages of 10 universities performing "Thunderstorm," a Chinese play in English. " Thunderstorm" is written by a renowned Chinese playwright Cao Yu, an alumnus of Nankai. With the help of the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, and eight other host universities, the drama group of 14 students and teachers, headed by a vice president of Nankai University, toured most parts of Minnesota and later Stanford University in California from January to March 1985.

Just imagine, after only five years of the open-door policy, how difficult it was to bring a group of students to the west to exhibit Chinese culture and at the same time introduce themselves to people they knew little about! I understand that the China Center, especially Dr. Pat Needle, the director of that time was responsible for reviewing the documents, helping with the arrangements for the performances, travel, and many other details.

"Thunderstorm" is about the disturbances of a Chinese family in the early 1930s in Tianjin, a northern industrial and port city of China. With the students' skilful acting technique, idiomatical and fluent English, and sometimes a bit of Chinese sense of humor, the audience enjoyed the play, Chinese culture, and friendship from China. When the play was over, the audience was reluctant to leave and queued up to the stage to chat with the students to express their thanks and appreciation. According to the newspaper and the Chinese Ministry of Culture, this was the first time ever that Chinese students put on a Chinese play in English outside of China.

After the 45-day drama tour of the U.S., the group went back to China as a great success. They had also experienced a touch of American culture and western society. All students involved benefited a great deal in terms of culture and English language. In 1986, another Chinese play, "The Rickshaw Boy," by the very famous writer Lao She, was dramatized by another group of Nankai students and toured 10 midwest universities for 45 days.

Without the successful help from the China Center, without creative work by staff the of China Center, and without the deep understanding of each other's culture, it could have never taken place. Isn't that something we should remember and never, never forget?

Message from the Director — China Center Corporate Partnership

The China Center Corporate Partnership is your front door to the wealth of expertise, experience, and relationships that the University of Minnesota China Center has developed over 25 years. The Corporate partnership is committed to fostering U.S.-China Business relationships that result in harmonious and profitable collaborations between U.S. and Chinese business people.

The China Center Corporate Partnership:

  • Offers programs that facilitate business exchange between the U.S. and Greater China
  • Assists businesses in identifying appropriate resources for their China or U.S. business
  • Conducts regular seminars and forums to educate business people in relevant issues regarding U.S.-China business

The China Business Colloquium, which held its first session in November 2003, is a series of cultural and business seminars offered in Minnesota to U.S. professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences in China. The Minnesota - China Business Road Map, a directory of U.S.-China related companies and organizations published in both English and Chinese will be published soon. Programs like these have impacted and contributed to the Minnesota community. I invite you and your company to join the China Center Corporate Partnership through an annual charitable contribution. Your gift will support the China Center's mission, and you and your company will benefit from the wealth of expertise and connections we have to offer.

Happy Holidays! We wish you and your family a healthy year in 2004!

Giving makes greatness possible

It is possible to create a future gift to benefit the China Center by including simple language in your will or trust document. If you have already included the China Center in your estate plans or if you do so in the future, please let us know so we can thank you now. Also, we would like to meet with you to draft a memorandum of agreement to ensure your bequest is directed according to your wishes.

Suggested language to share with your financial adviser: I give, devise and bequeath to the University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, (percentage of residue, sum, or description of property) for the benefit of the China Center. (Memorandum of agreement is on file with the University of Minnesota Foundation.)

For a brochure on "Planning Your Will" or to talk with someone directly about how you might support the China Center, please contact Diane Young, University of Minnesota Foundation, 612-624-8819 or 1-800-775-2187.

Events and Visitors
October – December 2003

  • Mr. Liao Jin, vice president of Jiangsu Association of Social Sciences, led a delegation of five higher education officials from the province of Jiangsu to the University of Minnesota on November 11.
  • The University hosted eight government agricultural officials from Qingdao, led by Mr. Sun Zhenhua, deputy director general of Qingdao Agriculture Bureau, on November 11. During their visit these officials learned more about the food processing industry in the U.S.
  • On December 3 – 4, a delegation of government agricultural officials from Chongqing visited the Twin Cities campus, led by Mr. Gu Wenyu, deputy director general of Chongqing Agriculture Bureau. In 2001 the Chongqing Agricultural Bureau signed a collaborative agreement with the University that initiated a variety of exchanges and collaborations. This delegation of ten agricultural officials met with University officials to discuss the further development of this agreement.
  • On December 9 – 10 a delegation from the Beijing Univeristy of Posts and Telecommunications, including Mr. Zhou Xiaoguang, director of the foreign affairs offfice, and Mr. Yang Fangchun, dean of the College of Software, visited.
  • Mr. Shi Shaojie, deputy director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Personnel, led a delegation to the U of M on December 12 to discuss training programs. Following their visit, Beijing government decided to send two short-term training delegations and one long-term delegation in 2004.