By Karun Yee
CACS Foundation was invited to have a Calligraphy Booth at this free family multicultural day on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at the Crocker Art Museum. Board Directors Doug Hsai, Cathy Wei, Brenda Fong and Karun Yee participated and dressed in traditional Chinese outfits.
We also had the honor of modeling our Chinese outfits for the famous Locke artist, Ning Hou who painted us on a 4′ x 4′ canvas as shown on the photos below. Douglas was left doing the calligraphy and holding down the booth by himself, while the 3 of us spent 3-1/2 hours as models for this oil painting by Ning Hou. Everyone in attendance enjoyed the painting and our Calligraphy booth!
This opportunity gave CACS Foundation a chance to interact with the art and multicultural community in a different way. Bringing focus on Chinese culture and talent is one of our mission statements we have accomplished.
On June 1, local author Kim Luke, who made Sacramento home after escaping Revoluntionary China, discussed her book, The Lu Family Saga, an autobiography of a young girl whose great-grandfather, Lu Haodong, plotted alongside Dr. Sun Yat-sen to overturn the feeble Qing Dynasty, the last of the Chinese Dynasties. Generations later, the girl was born into a world still in turmoil. She and her family struggled, suffered, and survived.
This author lecture, held at the Jan Ying Museum, 13947 Main Street, Locke, was jointly sponsored by The CACS Foundation and the Locke Foundation.
CACS Foundation and Members of the Council supports OCA Sacramento Annual Dragon Boat Festival at the Double Tree Hotel on Thursday, May 23, 2019. Over 500 attendees honoring Saori Choulos, Tia Gemmell, May O. Lee and Chris Mateo.
The Chinese American Council of Sacramento Foundation and the Folsom Historical Society will present “Fashion in Tradition,” a benefit Chinese fashion show and luncheon on Sunday, July 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Happy Garden Restaurant, 5731 Stockton Boulevard, in Sacramento.
The fashion show will present exquisitely embroidered Chinese garments from the private collection of Karun Yee, dating back to the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Garments and photographs from the archives of the Folsom History Museum will also be presented. The luncheon will feature fine Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese dishes.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the restoration of the historically significant Chan House, home of the future Chinese Heritage Museum in historic Folsom. The Chinese Heritage Museum will join the family of Folsom Historical Society museums, which include the Folsom History Museum (823 Sutter St.) and Pioneer Village, an outdoor interpretive center (196 Wool St.)
The Chinese Heritage Museum is being established to recognize the many contributions the Chinese have made in Folsom and California. Those contributions will be on display in the Chan House at 719 Sutter Street, which was the home of Howard Chan Sr. and Mabel Chan, descendants of Oak Chin Chan, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in Folsom in 1852 and became a prominent business man and the Chinese mayor of Folsom. The Chan family first rented the property in the 1920s but was not allowed to purchase the home until 1943 when the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. Howard Chan, Jr. and June Chan grew up in the home and are still local residents.
Folsom’s Chinese history is featured in the Folsom History Museum’s newest exhibit, “The Chinese Legacy in Folsom,” which runs from May 4 through September 1.
Tickets for the fashion show and luncheon are $50 per person. They can be purchased online at www.folsomhistoricalsociety.org/events, or by telephone at 916-985-2707 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The Folsom Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) corporation.
CACS Council and the CACS Foundation supports ARI Inc Lunar New Years dinner held at the Happy Garden Restaurant on 1/31/2019. Assemblymember Jim Cooper and Nilda Valmores of My Sister’s House were the honorees that evening! Both Assemblymembers Cooper and Evan Low both donated $5,000 each to ARI Inc! ARI Inc. Lunar New Years honorees Nilda Valmores of My Sister’s House and Assemblymember Jim Cooper
The Locke Boarding House Museum is staging a special Opening Reception on Saturday, November 10, 2018 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Docents will be on hand to welcome visitors and to answer questions. Bring your friends and family. Groups and organizations are welcome. Handicap accessible.
The Locke Boarding House Museum and Visitors Center is presenting two new exhibits which recognize the achievements of the Chinese workers who helped in the construction of a monumental project which changed the face of America – the Transcontinental Railroad.
Completed in 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad linked the east and west coast of the U.S. and shortened cross-country travel from three months to 7 days. Construction of the railway, particularly the western half which ran from Sacramento to Promontory Point, Utah, was back-breaking and dangerous work. The majority of the massive labor force used in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad were Chinese immigrants. Underpaid, discriminated against and alienated, these workers accomplished a feat never before seen in America. The project was a marvel of engineering and a testament to sheer will and determination.
The new exhibits are sponsored and presented the Locke Foundation, a California nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the historic and cultural heritage of the town of Locke.
The first exhibit, entitled The Chinese Helped Build The Railroad – The Railroad Helped Build America, is on loan from Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University. The display consists of 60 interpretive panels honoring the contributions of Chinese railroad workers who completed the Transcontinental Railway.
The second exhibit, entitled Chinese and the Iron Road, consists of 8 large standing panels depicting the demands and tribulations endured by Chinese workers during construction of the railroad. These panels are on loan from the Chinese Historical Society of America.
Also displayed in the Locke Boarding House Museum exhibit are artifacts on loan from the California State Railroad Museum.
The entire second floor of the Museum is dedicated to the presentation of these fascinating and historic exhibits. Be sure to allow some extra time when visiting Locke. This new show is extensive. Your time will be well spent. Admission and parking are free.
Locke Boarding House Museum
(Immediate left when entering Locke)
13913 Main Street
Walnut Grove (Locke) 95690
Museum Hours:
Tues & Fri – Noon to 4:00 pm.
Sat & Sun – 11:00 to 3:00 pm
916-776-1661
How you dress gives everyone the first impression of you. That’s how people the world over could tell your status in life, unless of course, you were in disguise and were trying to fool someone. Our Chinese fashion show was inspired by this idea. One focus the Chinese American Council of Sacramento Foundation is Historical Preservation. We partnered with the Fiddletown Preservation Society to put a new roof on the Chew Kee herb store. By producing an unusual and fun event, we wanted to increase awareness for this important community project. Karun and Doug Yee collected antique Chinese embroidered robes (plus Joyce Eng) and thought this would be a good opportunity to educate our friends about their historical significance.
On July 14, 2018 CACS ad FPS gathered 150 people to witness this beautiful collection and have a delicious lunch at Happy Garden Restaurant as a fund raiser to save this important Chinese building. The most important claim this building has, is the fact it is the only standing Chinese built rammed earth store with original contents intact from the 1850’s (Gold Rush Days). People from the around the world, and school children have made a special effort to see this special place. CACS and the Sacramento Pioneer Association recently made field trips to Fiddletown to meet author Elaine Zorbas. Private funds have also been given by generous donors; big and small.
The show was rehearsed by our models; Anne Leong, Julie Nyugen, Nancy Yee, Julia Yee, Kaeli Kaneshiro, Debra Balagtas, Brenda Fong, Katie Kaneshiro under the guidance of wardrobe mistress Betty Louie and Sue Maggio. The great team of Merlayna Yee Chin and Beth Squire checked guests in; commencing our program at 11:55am. A brief history of Fiddletown was presented . A scrumptious lunch was served. We began the show with Cathy Wei’s Chinese history of fashion slide show. Every dynasty had a different style from the Han to the Qing; a period of over 2000 years. From plain to elaborate embellishments marked the time period with unusual fabrics, hairstyles and footwear (bound feet).
Karun presented some of her collection in the form of slides because of the fragile age and nature of the clothing. The parade of models came forth showing each article of clothing emphasizing the delicate forbidden and satin stitch artistry of each piece. Karun explained what the embroidered symbols meant like the dragon, phoenix, butterflies, bats, various flowers and Buddhist signs.
We also had help from the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in Laureen Anderson, Bernice Woo, the Fiddletown Preservation Society in Beth Squire, Janet Migliore, Alice Kaiser, Duncan Herring, Rhea Irvine and The Shen Yun Group. Previous promotion of the event was a radio spot with Jim Chong and Karun. A TV Channel 31 spot with Courtney Dempsey, Brenda Fong and Karun on Monday July 9 was a fun experience for both of us. Newspaper articles in Currents thanks to Patty Fong , Locke newsletter ( Stuart Walthall,) and API news ( Dennis Lee) were printed. The CACS Foundation board was proud to promote this endeavor; John Cho, Franc Martinez , Doug Hsai, Cathy Wei, Honey Lum, Brenda Fong, Greg Jung, Merlayna Yee-Chin, and Karun Yee.
The Chinese American Council of Sacramento Foundation and the Folsom Historical Society will present “Fashion in Tradition,” a benefit Chinese fashion show and luncheon on Sunday, July 21, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Happy Garden Restaurant, 5731 Stockton Boulevard, in Sacramento.
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