Chinese Culture Day 2006
MACCO Chinese Culture Day Committee Chair Guangying Fang
     by Heidi M. Pascual
     
      The Chinese culture in America is almost always celebrated wherever a Chinese community exists. It is undoubtedly the glue that keeps the Chinese together, regardless of which area in China they originally come from. While other cities in America contain Chinatowns, which historically segregated the Chinese from all the rest in response to discriminatory laws of the past, Wisconsin cities seem to have "generally integrated" Chinese communities whose members are businessmen, academicians, scientists, health care professionals, engineers, IT scientists, artists, and the like. Notwithstanding this
integration, Chinese Americans preserve an identity that is uniquely theirs.
      On September 16, for the first time on the steps of the State Capitol of Wisconsin, Chinese Americans in Wisconsin, led by Madison Area Chinese Community Organization (MACCO), celebrated and shared with the larger society a rich culture that showcased intergenerational talents and local Chinese groups that do volunteer work to help others throughout the world.
      MACCO-Chinese Culture Day Committee Chair Guangying Fang (top left) was visibly excited to welcome the huge crowd of Chinese American families, friends, guests, and curious onlookers. He thanked profusely MACCO's cosponsors, contributors, and the many Chinese organizations throughout the state that helped
make this colorful and memorable event possible. A Chinese consul from Chicago also delivered a brief remarks on this event.
      Performers included the Waukesha Shao Lin Boxing Methods; Hua mulan Dance Troupe; Madison Chinese Waist Drum Troupe; Fox Valley Chinese Dance Group; Milwaukee Modern Chinese School; Jie Liu (Gu Zheng); Madison Fine Arts Children's Center; Qiuping Yuan and Changhuo Guan; and the Milwaukee Chinese Chorus.
      The MACCO organizing committee wrote: "It is our belief that the Wisconsin Chinese Culture Day will add a piece to the bridge of people's friendship. Together we celebrate. Together we make tomorrow better than today. For the theme of the day, nothing is more appropriate than a quote from a Song Dynasty (960-1080 AD) Chinese poet Su Shi:
      "I pray for you wherever you are, together under the same bright moon."