Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day
By Heidi M. Pascual
May 31. It was supposed to be a very happy occasion. Great
efforts and lots of time were spent by officers and members of the
Madison Area Chinese Community Organization (MACCO) to
ensure that the second Wisconsin Culture Day would be just that.
Prior to this day, several meetings, phone calls to performers and
vendors, stage paraphernalia and hundreds of details
overwhelmed MACCO for weeks, while committed performers
began their rehearsals, costume preparations, and physical
readiness. The participation of many small children would make
the day extra special.
But May 12 came, and a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck China,
with its epicenter at Sichuan province, killing more than 60,000
people and leaving millions of Chinese homeless. Aftershocks
resulted in more casualties and flooding to many areas that
continue to threaten the safety of Chinese citizens in several
places to this day.
MACCO leaders decided to go ahead with the May 31 Wisconsin
Chinese Culture Day on the steps of the State Capitol, less as a
celebration and more as a gathering to emphasize the gravity of
the situation in China and the need to raise funds to help the
quake victims.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” Jenny Lee,
co-emcee and founder of the Madison Chinese Cultural
Association said. “We want to help them.”
Jianming Lin, co-emcee and MACCO board member, urged
people to help by buying from vendors’ booths along Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. “Families, restaurants, and bakeries
cooked/baked food for sale, while others sold art work and crafts,”
he said. “The proceeds of the sales would be used to help the
families of the quake victims.”
Aside from several performances from local schools teaching
Chinese language and culture as well as from the Milwaukee
Chinese community, there was a moment of silence, words that
conveyed sorrow, and songs that reflected the feelings of
sympathy for those whose lives were shattered by the calamity
that struck Sichuan province.
May 31. It was supposed to be a very happy occasion. Great
efforts and lots of time were spent by officers and members of the
Madison Area Chinese Community Organization (MACCO) to
ensure that the second Wisconsin Culture Day would be just that.
Prior to this day, several meetings, phone calls to performers and
vendors, stage paraphernalia and hundreds of details
overwhelmed MACCO for weeks, while committed performers
began their rehearsals, costume preparations, and physical
readiness. The participation of many small children would make
the day extra special.
But May 12 came, and a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck China,
with its epicenter at Sichuan province, killing more than 60,000
people and leaving millions of Chinese homeless. Aftershocks
resulted in more casualties and flooding to many areas that
continue to threaten the safety of Chinese citizens in several
places to this day.
MACCO leaders decided to go ahead with the May 31 Wisconsin
Chinese Culture Day on the steps of the State Capitol, less as a
celebration and more as a gathering to emphasize the gravity of
the situation in China and the need to raise funds to help the
quake victims.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” Jenny Lee,
co-emcee and founder of the Madison Chinese Cultural
Association said. “We want to help them.”
Jianming Lin, co-emcee and MACCO board member, urged
people to help by buying from vendors’ booths along Martin
Luther King Jr. Blvd. “Families, restaurants, and bakeries
cooked/baked food for sale, while others sold art work and crafts,”
he said. “The proceeds of the sales would be used to help the
families of the quake victims.”
Aside from several performances from local schools teaching
Chinese language and culture as well as from the Milwaukee
Chinese community, there was a moment of silence, words that
conveyed sorrow, and songs that reflected the feelings of
sympathy for those whose lives were shattered by the calamity
that struck Sichuan province.
Emcees Jenny Lee and Jianming Lee
"Go Olympics Go!" by Madison Fine Arts
Children Center
Children Center
"TaiChi Qianlong Fan" by Madison
Chinese TaiChi Club
Chinese TaiChi Club
"Young Drummers Welcome Spring," by
Milwaukee Chinese Cultural Center Dance
Troupe)
Milwaukee Chinese Cultural Center Dance
Troupe)
"A Garden Overflows with Spring Color," by
Madison Hua Yun Dance School)
Madison Hua Yun Dance School)
| "Goodluck, Motherland," song by Guo Yuan Xiu |
| "Clay Doll," dance by Madison Hope Chinese School |
| Lion Dance by ZhiongYi Kung Fu Association |
| Dail Nationality Dance "Rain in the Bamboo Forest," by Hua Mulan Dance School |
| Yan Liu, an exchange student from Tsinghua University, Beijing |
| "Love for Life" song by MACCO members, dedicated to the victims and families of the 5/12 earthquake in China |
| "Misty March Rain" by Asian Pacific Dance Study Group |
Raising Funds for the Quake Victims:
Dashan Ouyang, Ming-Huang Huang and Xi
(Andy) Chen
Dashan Ouyang, Ming-Huang Huang and Xi
(Andy) Chen
"Good Days," dance by Milwaukee
Chinese Community Center Dancing Troupe
Chinese Community Center Dancing Troupe
| "Plum Blossoms Bloom on Snow" dance by Hua Mulan Dance School |
| "Celebrating!" by Madison Chinese Waist Drum Dance Troupe |