ISSUENO. 60 . OCTOBER.DECEMBER1995 China Council Quarter$+wrfrceru NORTHWESTREGIONAI CHINA COUNCIL PO BOX 751 PORTLAND, On 97207 (5031725-4567 Mother and Daughter Attend Women'sConference \ fi /hen I heard about an international conference ter finally checking in at the "pass registration of- U U on wemen being held in China,it seemedlike fice" and getting a housing assignment,we were de- the perfect opportunity to combine a professionalde- livered to our apartment building one of the velopment experiencewith a trip for my three-year- infamous buildings that was being constructed right old daughter,Danya,to meet her Chinese up to our arrival. As it turned out, there was more grandparents. than enoughhousing becauseof the 10,000women who never receiveda visa. For me it was a nostalgicjourney to return to the place and the people I had lived for two years-I with Our apartmentsmelled "wet" with the new construc- taught English at Xiamen University in Fujian Prov- tion - cement floors, chalky white walls that rubbed off ince from 1987-89.Six yearshave brought about great on everything minimal furniture, a bathroorn with an changes-the new roads and buildings made parts of old, leaky Westerntoilet, and handheld shower with a Xiamenunrecognizable to me-but it smelledexactly drain in the floor that never completelydrained so the the sameand family life is basicallyunchanged, other floor was alwayswet. But at $9 a night and no expecta- than phones in everyone'shomes (provided by the uni- tion of niceties,I was not complaining. versity).The hot summer days still revolve around mealsand a long afternoonxiuxi (siesta). My description of the forum has been evolving now This was an extra special visit becauseI was finally that I am home and have had time to reflect on it. introducing Danya to her " othe{' grandparentsand What a truly amazing experienceit was to be in the cousinsand aunts and uncles.Children are so natu- company of that many women from nearly every cor- rally adaptable...she ate all kinds of food, slept on a ner of the earth. Together-to learry to educate,to im- rock hard bed with a bamboo mat, tried to tolerate prove the status and the conditions and the the smelly squatty toilets, took baths in a big bowl opportunities for girls and women everywhere. and played happily for hours with her cousinswith- Women with courageand awesomesurvival skills, out a shared language. Shetolerated the heat even women leading their countries, women from every though we were there at the very hottest and most kind of NGO, every sort of grassrootswork, women humid time of year.And shelearned some useful with vision and energy and hope and a deep commit- Chineseexpressionslike dengyixia (wait a minute),a ment to making a difference.Together in the rain, en- useful expressionfor her to use as someonepushed couraging eachother when the oppressive another bite of food toward her before she had fin- conditions of this international event becametoo ishedthe last one. much to beaq,and reminding each other that every canceledworkshop becamean opportunity to attend It was with somerelief and someregret that we said somethingelse that we had not wanted to miss. goodbye to family and boarded the plane bound for Beijing and the Non-Government Organization So it was a lot of jumping around from event to (NGO) International Women's Forum. We arrived in event and a lot of walking in the rain - and for me, Beijing and found ourselvessitting on a bus some- pushing a stroller and carryringit up and down stairs where outside of Beijing waiting in the longest (laden with camer4 bookbag food and stuff to keep stream of busesI could have imagined, all returning Danya busy) and most importantly, making many to Huairou from the forum's opening ceremony.Af- wonderful, unforgettable sidewalk connections. Now back home, e-mail technologr is allowing me to Over the last thirty years,Mr. Schneiterhas worked read about everything I missed at the ferurn-Hillary throughout China, introducin g pizza and hamburg- Rodham Clinton's speeches,summaries of workshops ers, and modernizing the noodle, baking and mill- and presentationgnewspaper articles, radio programs. ing industries. He recently retired from his position Our Oregon group will continueto meetto "bring Bei- as vice president for market development in China, jing home" and keep the experiencealive and the com- US WheatAssociates. mitment strong to improve the lives of women and children. On November L1,we are presentinga com- VolunteerPotluck and Party munity report-back on the Women'sForum and Con- ferenceat Westminster PresbyterianChurch (for more Friday,Octobu 6,6 PM 2711NW Saaier,Portland inf ormatiorv call 72*5895). Bringa dishand plan on enjoying yourseff lnformation:7254567 Colleen Wilson, China Council member /A et together with fellow volunteers at this infor- \Jmal fotluck. Volunteerscome into the office at SPECIALEVENTS different times and rarely get to meet and socialize with eachother. Let's all meet at one place at one China'sEconomic Boom: How Can time and learn who we are-as a group. Small and Medium SizedNorthwest Business es P articip ate? InformalReunion of ChinaMissionary Symposium Talkbv SimonInu, President,Asin Accesslnternational BusinessGroup No-hoslDinner for MissionarySymposium Participants ChinaBusiness Network Lunch Saturday,October 7, 6 PM Wednesday,October 4 MarcoPoIo Garden Restaurant Noon-L:30PM L9NW Sth,4aenue Houseof Louie Reseruationsby October 5 andinformation: 7254567 331NW Daais Cost:$L5, members; $20, non-members Reseraationsby October3 and information:7254567. Fo-" and meet with otherswho sharean interest rr.fin the Americanmissionary experience in China at thib informal gathering for people who were in- Th" China Business Network of the Northwest I China Council invites you to its Wednesday,Oc- volved with the China Council's "American Mission- tober 4,lunch seminar featuring guest speaker Si- ariesand SocialChange in China: Collision and mon Lau, president of Asia AccessInternational Confluence." BusinessGroup from Vancouvex,British Columbia. Mr. Lau will describeopportunities for small and me- AmericansAdopting ChineseB abies : dium sizedAmerican companiesto enterand thrive Issues and Ramifications in the booming Chineseeconomy. Saturday,October 14 14 PM Inscrutable?That's Disputable! In Eugene PortlandState Uniaersitv, Cramer 27L Cost:TBA By Author FredSchneiter lnformation:7254567 EugeneChina Council Lunch Thursday,October 12 Noon-1:30PM f very month, hundredsof Chinesebaby girls FortuneInn Restaurant l-come to the US as adoptedchildren of US par- 1.775West 6th,4aenue, Eugene ents.It is reported that more are coming to Oregon Cost:$1.0, memberc; $15, non-members than any other state.This China Council program Reseraationsby October10 and information:34L3096 will addressquestions such as these:How many ba- bieshave been adopted? Where are they being /ahina Council members and others in the adoptedfrom: Why are thesebabies up for adop- VEugene-Corvallis area are invited to attend a tion?What is the Chineseperspective? talkby author Fred Schneiter giving a lighthearted between-the-lines look at his book, TheJoy of Getting Participantswill also get an overview of what is in- AlongWithThe Chinese,which was on Hong Kong's volved in the adoption process,hear from parents bestsellerlist for a vear. who have adoptedChinese babies,learn about is- a China Council Quarterly suesthat come up after the adoptiory and gain some f)atrick Maveety is the Asian curator of the Stan- insights to how ethnic identity is formed and what I ford Art Museum and specializesin ritual this meansto these adoptive children and parents. bronzes.There will be ritual bronzes in the exhibi- tiory and Maveety will bring insights into their use, Resourcesfor adoptive parents will be available at as objectsof art, and how they were made. the event. For more information, call Brian White at 72s-4346. Doing Businessin China:An Entrepreneur'sP erspectia e Uniqye Lecture SertesTb Compliment Art Exhibition ByMichael Bloom of OffshoreSolutions ChinaBusiness Network Lunch Meeting Wednesday,Noaember L, Noon-1:30PM -l-h. China Council has organized a fall seriesof Houseof Louie I lecturesto showcasesome of our outstanding lo- 331NWDaais cal China scholars.Each lecturer will addressobjects Cost: $1. 5, members; $20, non-member s ReseraationsbyOctober 31 and int'ormation:7254567 or themes of the coming Portland Art Museum exhi- bition from his/her areaof expertise.The exhibit,the China BusinessNetwork invites you to attend Imperial Tgmbsof China coversan immensearea Th. I a talk by Michael Bloom, president of Offshore both in geographyand time, and the prospectiveof- SolutionsInc. Mr. Bloom, who has extensiveexperi- feredby thesescholars will add to your enjoyment encein doing businessin China will speakon and understandingof the exhibition. The topicsin- what's involved in getting plastic, rubbe4,and metal clude early tomb painting and ritual bronzes. parts made in China in Chinesefactories. He will also speal from first-hand experience,on problems Early Paintings From ChineseTbmbs and opportunities related to logistics, quality control, and finding the right factory. ByProfessor James Cahill Monday,October 23, 5:30-7 PM PortlandArt Museum CLASSES 1"219SW Park Aaenue, Room TBA Cost:$5, members and Art Museummembers;$7, non-members lnformation:7254567 ChineseCalligraphy: Art and Theory OctoberZ-Noaember 20 professor JamesCahill is one of the world's fore- Mondayeaenings,T-9 PM I most expertson Chinesepainting. In this lecture, PortlandState Uniaersitu, Room TBA Dr. Cahill will provide a background on tomb paint- Cost:$L20, members; gL-55, non-members, including ing, which will enrich your knowledge of all Chinese supplies Information:7254567 tombs. Dr. Cahill is retired from the University of Californiaat Berkeleyand is living in Portland. ;\ n eight-week course on the method, history, and /lpractice of writing Chinesewith brush and ink. ChineseRitual Bronzes:How to Tbll a The classwill provide hands-on calligraphy practice Ho from a Hu in a fun and relaxing environment. The instructor is Wendy Thnada,a native of Guangzhou, who has By PatrickMaaeety taught ChineseCalligraphy at Cornell University.