Raising the Lanterns

Garden members and friends celebrated the close of Chinese New Year at the February 4th Raising the Lanterns event in the festively decorated Chan Center. They bid on a wide and colorful variety of items in the silent auction (thank you to all our generous donors!) and enjoyed socializing over wine, tea and treats and listening to the lovely guzheng melodies by a musician from Huayin Performing Arts.

Many participated in the raffle for the beautiful plant container designed by Riz Reyes. Judy Koenig was the lucky raffle winner of the magnificent planter. The festival concluded with a procession at dusk to Knowing the Spring Courtyard, hung with beautiful big lanterns and sparkling with lights decorating the pine trees, bamboo stone, and gate columns. The sweet smell of wintersweet filled the courtyard with its tantalizing hint of spring.

Special thanks to event chair Ying Yin, silent auction leads Judy Koenig and Barb Bonamy, Benjamin Lee, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Washington, for his loan of many beautiful lanterns, and to the many volunteers (15 with 5 friends!) from the Boeing Asian American Professional Association and other Garden volunteers. This was the first big event for our new intern, Kana Ueda, who started her 4-month internship as events coordinator for the Garden in December.

SCG board president Jon Geiger and vice president Jim Dawson with supporters Grace and Stella Chien

SCG Hosts WACE Awards Ceremony

Washington Association for Chinese Education (WACE) held their first awards ceremony at the Seattle Chinese Garden yesterday.  The competition for the awards, which solicited written and video entries on the importance of learning Chinese from middle and high school students across the state, generated enormous support and press for the fledgling, student-run nonprofit WACE.

Andrea Liu and Wayne Huang prepare to announce the WACE competition winners

The six finalists received their cash awards and honors in a ceremony held in the Judge Warren and Nobie Chan Education Center at the Garden.  The ceremony was marked with speakers, performances and community support for the hard work of the student organizers from WACE as well as the competition finalists.

Winners from left: Megan Lu (2nd), Kate Lipscomb (3rd), Lee Xie (3rd), Andy Lin (3rd), Mason Ji (1st) and Katarina Nguyen (2nd)

Tang Changping with Andrea Liu

WACE, co-founded and co-chaired by Skyline High School seniors Andrea Liu and Kevin Li, is committed to the belief that American students should be given the opportunity to learn more about China and immerse themselves in the Chinese culture (see previous blog entry Why Learn Chinese?).

Founded in March 2011 from an idea that stemmed out of the Chinese Cultural Club at Skyline High School, WACE now spans across seven schools and five school districts. They have received support from over 500 members of the community through their petition to bring Chinese into more Washington schools, including letters from US Ambassador to China Gary Locke and Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire.

Chunman Gussing

Sponsors Chunman Gissing, president of the Chinese Language Teacher's Association of Washington and Tang Changping, director of the Confucius Institute of Washington both spoke eloquently of the need for generating more interest in learning Chinese so students in our region will gain the competitive edge and global perspective needed to succeed in today's global community.

The grand prize winner was Interlake High School senior Mason Ji who wrote in his winning essay how "learning Chinese in an English-speaking society fosters self discipline and dedication, for it takes motivation and resilience to continue learning the language."

Kevin Li, Andrea Liu, and Wayne Huang from WACE, grand prize winner Mason Ji, and SCG president Jonathan Geiger

Garden in Snow

Board vice president Jim Dawson slipped out to the garden late this afternoon to capture the Courtyard in Seattle's first snow of the season, first of the new year. These beautiful shots call to mind two great poets across two great continents: Bai Juyi (772-846) and Robert Frost (1874-1963) both of whom shared a love for the beauty of simplicity and honesty, and a renown for their highly regarded realistic depictions of rural life, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. 

白居易: 夜雪

Bai Juyi: Night in Snow

已訝衾枕冷

復見窗户明

夜深知雪重

時聞折竹聲

Surprised to find, so cold, my quilt and pillow,

Then light I see from the papered casement window.

Deep in the night, so heavy it snows, I know, when

Bamboos go crack ~ a sound, now and then, I follow.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong. 
(Huang Hongfa) 譯者: 黃宏發

Dust of Snow

by Robert Frost 

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Donor Wall Reflects Knowing the Spring Courtyard

Today, a photo montage of a few winter views around Knowing the Spring Courtyard...

Board treasurer Alan Chinn with Courtyard reflection on donor wall (Yvonne Chinn photo)

Board president Jon Geiger with brother Stephen and family from Boston in front of family donor bricks

Ferns sprout in bamboo shoot rocks

Last leaf clings in the Courtyard

Root, stark against pristine white wall

Grays balanced with browns

Song Mei Ting framed by winter grasses

First Donor Wall Bricks Set Today

Miguel Aparicio and Dan Johnson from LP Tile install the first set of bricks

Dan Johnson and Miguel Aparicio of LP Tile are installing 269 bricks on our first donor wall this week. The tiles are being set with a fast-setting thinset and will then be covered at night with thermal blankets for the curing process.  Miguel and Dan, both West Seattle residents, were pleased that weather conditions were holding strong for the project - dry with even a few sun breaks. (Miguel revealed some exciting Christmas news about his family – he and his wife, who have four sons, are expecting triplets!)

Reporter Patrick Robinson from the West Seattle Herald came by to cover the story (in photo above, conferring with program director Julia Freimund). These donor bricks, which help build our community gem, will be seen by the Northwest community and by visitors from around the world as they come to visit our growing project. 

The wall would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of all the brick campaign members and key volunteers including Nora Chan, Benjamin Lee, Steve Locke, Jing Wang, Ken Anderson, Noah Dubose, Sarah Dean, Katie Yuen, Allan Chinn, Chip and Charles Ragen, Jon Geiger, and Jim Dawson. The Garden is also thankful for the more than 200 individuals who purchased bricks to be placed on this first phase of the wall.  West Seattle Herald

Thai Master Movie in the Courtyard

Actors Julie Digiacomo and Jeremy Horn in front of the entry gate

In the great tradition of martial arts film making, comedian, actor and writer Simon Kaufman has created a character of epic proportions in the mythical tale describing the legend of The Thai Master. Its story describes the training and adaptation of one of the most deadly ancient weapon forms. Can power of such magnitude exist?

Director R.C. Muraoka (left) working with his assistant director on the script with actors in the background

This Fall, The Thai Master production company and film crew rented Knowing the Spring Courtyard to work a few scenes from this spoof on martial arts – a parody on old style Kung Fu movies fighting with the ridiculous weight loss and exercise contraptions promoted on late night TV (such as Shake Weights, resistance bands, thigh masters, and ab rollers), making fun of the cheesy exercise infomercials promoting these gimmicks.

Thai Master production crew and martial arts actors working a scene 

For two days, a professional director, camera crew, lighting tech, fight choreographer, and many kung fu martial arts students and actors filmed in the Chinese Garden with the Courtyard as its backdrop.

Actors Digiacomo and Horn 

As far back as July of this summer, the Garden was contacted by writer and star Simon Kaufman from New York city about using the courtyard for the filming.  The location is an ideal backdrop and, as has been discovered by local news crews and cultural programming directors, the acoustics are fantastic. After ironing out a few of the details and logistics, the film crew set to work.

"We find ourselves in the dojo as the young Thai Master meditates, learns, trains, and prepares himself to accept the awesome power that will be his covenant for life.  He devotes his full being to learn the secrets and harness the power of the dreaded weapon that will make him the one and only Thai Master."

"As the Thai Master's power grows, Grandmasters from other clans come to challenge him with an array of weapons that would be more than just a workout for a mere mortal.  The Thai Master is up to the tests and defeats all those who dare flex their muscles against him. The Ab Roller, The Shake Weight, The Cross Crunch, The Easy Curve, The Magic Circle, and the Perfect Push Up, are some of the enemies our hero must defend himself against.  Danger lurks around every corner." 

So begins the seven-minute film... I'll keep you posted on its progress.

Total Eclipse of the Moon

Early this Saturday morning there was a total lunar eclipse, a rare celestial phenomenon – the last one before April 2014. Heavy cloud cover made viewing difficult, but starting at 6 am, the moon turned a deep shade of red, a sliver of the crescent shadow highlighted before clouds obscured the burnished orb. (Play the video below while reading further...)

The moon took on a reddish glow, as some indirect sunlight continued to reach it after passing through the earth's atmosphere.  A lunar eclipse happens when the earth blocks the sun's light from reflecting off the moon, casting an eerie shadow over its surface. The moon, following its orbit around the earth, passes directly behind our planet (as seen from the sun). And so we have a total eclipse of the moon. During a total lunar eclipse such as we had this morning, the moon is obscured completely from view. 

As I watched from my early morning vigil, I was reminded of Ray Pfortner's moon shots in the Courtyard last month, during the full moon we had here in November in Seattle.  These photographs call to mind the powerful pull of the moon, seen and felt all across the globe.

Photographer Ray Pfortner captured Knowing the Spring Courtyard while teaching a photography class at the Garden during a full moon shoot.  After the total eclipse today I thought of how connected we all are, watching the moon, miles away from each other...

Miles Away From Light At Noon

Total Eclipse Of The Moon

Many Reasons To Believe In Life

Just Listen What It`s Telling You

(Enigma) 

Chinese Garden Inspires West Seattle Students

Bones of Earth form mountains

Timeless pines know many stories         

Bamboo dances with the wind
Fourteen fishes paint the water
                                        Alia                               An Ode to Tang Dynasty Poets

In the Waterside Pavilion, Chunman Gissing talks
with students about writing Tang-style poetry.

Alia beautifully captures the spirit of Tang Dynasty poetry, as did John and Madison, all sophomores in a world history class at Chief Sealth International High School (CSIHS) in West Seattle.

Teacher Paul Fischburg introduced Tang poetry into the curriculum to acquaint his students with traditional Chinese culture. The class read poems such as Li Bai’s famed Road to Shu, and each student chose a favorite poem from an anthology, wrote about the feelings it evoked, and created a poster board to illustrate the poem with art or photos.

On October 21 the class was ready for a field trip to the Seattle Chinese Garden and a poetry writing session. First stop for a little inspiration — the 15-foot-tall gleaming white marble statue of Li Bai near the South Seattle Community College library. This statue, a gift from famed Sichuan sculptor Ye Yushan, will be moved to the Garden when construction is completed.

Two students work on their poems.

After a tour of Knowing the Spring Courtyard by docent Sandy Marvinney, the students gathered around long-time volunteer Chunman Gissing, a former Chinese language teacher. She delighted them by explaining how her mother taught her poems when she was a little girl, and offered tips on the rhythm of four- and seven-line Tang poems. 

With an assignment to write about anything that inspired them, the 30 students gathered into small groups around the courtyard, just as Tang poets might have gathered with friends to write poems 12 centuries ago. 

Freezing water blankets like snow

Blustery wind makes us shiver

Icy rainwater stings sharp

Hunched over teeth chattering cold.

                                        Madison

As the chilly morning turned to drizzle, the class moved into the Chan Education Center classroom, where Chunman had set up a beautiful display for a traditional tea service, including flowers, an array of tea and teapots, and Chinese snacks. 

Chunman Gissing serves traditional Chinese tea.

As the students one by one shared their poems with the class, Chunman shared the warmth of tea. 
I sit alone with nature.

Am I really alone?

The sun masks the moon.

The clouds hide my shadow.

                                  John

“A big challenge in a world history course is how to connect to people and places not your own. Getting students out of the classroom and into a place that expresses another culture is a great way to do that,” Fischburg said.  “Writing poems in the Garden setting gave students a chance to explore Chinese culture on a personal, heart level. The students truly embraced this learning experience. "  

As a final lesson assignment, Fischburg asked the students to write about how they experienced the Garden. One student truly captured its essence as inspiration for inner reflection.

Here I was able to sit and relax and tune into the sound of raindrops hitting the ponds, rocks, and nearby trees. … the architecture and designs of this garden were beyond calming. … Being able to sit and be alone with your thoughts for a while is one of the best things a person can do…  These gardens allow me… and anyone else, to separate from everything and just let the thoughts flow. Saying I love this garden would be an understatement.   Antonia

Posting by Sandy Marvinney

Seattle Deputy Mayor Smith Charms Chongqing

Seattle deputy mayor Darryl Smith spoke at the summit of the International Garden Expo in Chongqing, China on Saturday, November 19th after a very successful lunch the previous day with deputy director Zhang Haiqing of the Foreign Affairs Office. Smith was part of the Seattle Chinese Garden delegation attending the opening ceremonies – sent to China by Seattle mayor Mike McGinn to represent Seattle at this important event showcasing gardens from around the world on a 476-acre site in the largest city in the world.

Mayor McGinn asked Darryl Smith to represent him at the EXPO opening and take advantage of the excellent opportunity to meet with Chongqing officials to explore future opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration.  "Both of our cities face the challenge of providing economic opportunities for a growing population while maintaining a high quality of life," wrote Mayor McGinn in a letter to Chongqing mayor Huang Qifan. Smith discussed finding better ways to reduce carbon emissions and protect our natural resources by developing sustainable energy resources, more transportation alternatives, and better building practices.  "Perhaps these are some of the areas where we can partner in order to achieve better results in our respective cities," wrote Mayor McGinn.

On the lake at the Chongqing Expo 

Smith, who has served as an advocate, activist and community building expert in southeast Seattle, has built strong relationships in business, housing, community development, environmental sustainability, and arts and cultural affairs in Seattle.  He spearheaded the revitalization of Columbia City, making it a vital active community, attracting new business development.

Boy crossing bridge in the "Seattle Garden"

His visit to Chongqing with Garden board vice president Jim Dawson was his first to China.  The Chinese were very impressed with his understanding of our two cities' need to pursue clean energy and charmed by his  engaging manner.

As part of the official EXPO activities planned for next year, the Chongqing Parks Bureau and the Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China are working with the Seattle Chinese Garden to organize a "Seattle Week" of activities to take place in Chongqing in early spring 2012. Scott Heinlein is spearheading the business activities planned during the Seattle Week celebrations which will include banquets with senior US and Chinese officials, business breakfast roundtable discussions, and meetings with Washington State and Seattle companies already doing business in Chongqing (contact Scott Heinlein at 206-229-8587 or via email at heinlein@wachinacenter.com if you are interested in attending). 

Board member Sandy Marvinney will be organizing the cultural part of the delegation. Sandy can be reached at sandymar2@comcast.net.  

Artist Liu Nenfeng who has donated a sculpture to the Garden (see previous blog entry) presents Smith with a gift.

Jim Dawson photos.

Garden Delegation Visits Chongqing 重庆 and EXPO

The four-member Garden delegation – Seattle deputy mayor Darryl Smith, Seattle Chinese Garden vice president Jim Dawson, Washington China Center president Scott Heinlein, and Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects co-founder, Ilze Jones – attended the 8th China International Garden Expo opening ceremonies on November 19th in China's largest city, Chongqing.  

Robert Pong, Scott Heinlein, Darryl Smith, Ilze Jones and Jim Dawson in the "Seattle Garden" at the EXPO (Robert Pong is a sister city board member who owns a spectacular new restaurant under the Three Gorges Museum).

They were there to see the Seattle Garden, designed by Ilze Jones, constructed in collaboration with our two sister cities as part of China's Garden Expo and to visit the city of Chongqing as guests of the Foreign Affairs Office.

Ilze Jones inspecting the Seattle Garden at the Chongqing EXPO

Before the opening ceremonies, the delegation was met at the airplane door by the Foreign Affairs Office (FOA) and whisked off to the VIP arrival lounge. Reports from Jim Dawson indicate that the FOA have had to do this for over 125 delegations from around the world. They were very attentive and interested in the Seattle delegation, particularly because of Seattle deputy mayor Darryl Smith's attendance. The FOA made a special effort to host and showcase Smith's visit.  

The second day, the delegation went to a briefing at the headquarters for the Two Rivers Development Zone. Smith was immediately engaged in discussions with Chongqing officials because of their interest in gaining his perspective and ideas on clean energy and Seattle's potential involvement in business opportunities.  

Charles Ragen, Ilze Jones, Darryl Smith, Scott Heinlein, and Jim Dawson at the Dazu stone grottos.

Darryl Smith with artist Liu Nenfeng

The delegation was then taken to the famous Baodingshan Buddhist carving site outside Dazu which is about two hours from Chongqing.  In Dazu they met with the artist Liu Nenfeng at Mr. Liu's stone carving studio where they had a chance to see the Guan Yin carving that Mr. Liu has donated to the Garden.  Great discussions ensued about the logistics of shipping the sculpture which from the photo on the left seems incredibly large.

On the Friday before the EXPO opening, the delegation spent the morning at the ancient street on the Jialing River followed by a lunch at the Foreign Affairs Office with deputy director Zhang Haiqing who was very interested in talking with Darryl Smith.  Zhang Haiqing emphasized that the FOA will be helpful in setting up the upcoming March delegation, a "Seattle Week" of activities to take place in Chongqing early spring 2012.

Scott Heinlein is spearheading the business activities and board member Sandy Marvinney will be organizing the cultural delegation for that week (see previous blog entry for details).

More photos and stories to follow in my next blog posting.  Thanks to Jim Dawson for the updates and his incredible photos.