2011 A Passage to China at Mall of America

April 16 & 17

Raise the Red Lanterns

For photo highlights, please visit our Photo Gallery

For video highlights, please visit China Insight

There are many reasons, other than a wedding, for a Chinese family to raise its red lanterns. A Passage to China, an annual celebratory event presented by Chinese Heritage Foundation Friends (CHFF), is one of them.  This year, in addition to its own 10 red lanterns, CHFF raised another dozen of them, graciously loaned for the occasion by Karl Wong Catering.  The high ceiling of the Best Buy Rotunda in Mall of America was awash in a sea of festive red, anchored in a corner by a demure bamboo ceiling, covered with blooming forsythia and wisteria, and lowered to human proportions to hover over guest tables.

Festive indeed was the atmosphere of the Rotunda as soon as the welcome gates were opened at 11 AM sharp Saturday morning, April 16. Families started streaming in, some return visitors from past years, and many, clearly Mall visitors and new to Passage, came in to have a look.  They stayed and participated in numerous activities and games.  An early estimate indicated that at least half of the visitors were non-Chinese.  This was welcome news to CHFF, since the primary goal of Passage was to promote mutual understanding between the Chinese community and the Twin Cities community at large.  Getting new visitors to come in through its gates of mutual understanding and mutual courtesy was the first step towards achieving this lofty goal.

Once inside the gates, families found much to do: paper folding, paper cutting, calligraphy, making opera masks or lanterns or musical instruments, testing one’s knowledge of Chinese history or geography, or learning to use an abacus or to speak Mandarin Chinese or trying on traditional Chinese clothing.  For the serious minded there were tables set up for playing traditional Chinese chess or the cerebral game of Go.  Non-Chinese members of the American Go Club were on hand to entice quiet elderly Chinese gentlemen to sit down for a game.  From the intensity of the engagements it was obvious that the Go board was fantastically effective in moving past language barriers.  It was also obvious and satisfying to see many tweens and teens, from diverse backgrounds, sitting down to learn the game.  There was definitely a thirst to learn something new and challenging.

For other adventurous and fun-seekers there were the palm readers and fortune tellers, always ready to bestow blessings and to offer paths/keys to personal understanding and enlightenment.  Name translators and calligraphers were on hand also to exhort laid-back youths to diligence and hard work.  And for those with food on their minds, there were cooking demonstrations and hands on opportunities to learn how to make jiaozi, the traditional dumplings.

Across the hallway from the Rotunda cultural performances were going full force throughout the entire two days at Sears Court.  There were numerous performances of Chinese dance, singing and opera, and musical instruments.  Interspersed among them were demonstrations of qigong, kung fu and taichi.  When Master Jim, the first African American master, from Spring Forest Qigong took the stage he invited everyone, in the audience on the main floor as well as onlookers from the second and third floors, to move along with him, raising and stretching arms and feeling one’s own qi.  It was quite a sight to come along and see outstretched arms, smiling faces and closed eyes, three stories high, moving to Master Jim’s sonorous commands.

Throughout the two days, steady streams of families came through the Rotunda and on to Sears Court.  As 5 PM rolled around on Sunday and Passage officially closed, many visitors were reluctant to leave.  Participating organizations were equally reluctant to stop from reaching out to just one more visitor.  But it was simply uplifting to close and leave everyone wishing for more.  CHFF is deeply grateful to the record 55 participating organizations and numerous individuals for making Passage such a thrilling success and the best to date.  An entirely volunteer-run and free event like this can only succeed when everyone pitches in and works for the greater good.  The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

Participating Organizations & Artists

Best Buy Rotunda

Organizations

American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Arts Midwest
Association of Minnesota Chinese Physicians
ChinaSprout Inc.
Chinese American Association of Minnesota
Chinese American Business Association of Minnesota
Chinese Social Service Center
CIAC Travel Inc.
Concordia Language Villages
Dragon Festival
Families with Children from Asia
Global Volunteers
Hennepin County Library
Hui's Lucky Dragon Dance
Macalester College, Asian Studies
Minhua Chorus
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society
Minnetonka Public Schools
Panda Express
Patrick Henry High School
Red Thread Charities
Shaanxi Association of Minnesota
Stages Theatre Company
The Film Society of Minneapolis/Saint Paul
Tsinghua Alumni Association of Minnesota
Twin Cities Chinese Language School
United States-China People's Friendship Association, MN Chapter
University of Minnesota China Cente
University of Minnesota Confucius Institute
US China Business Connections

Demonstration Artists

Will Ahern, webcasting
American Go Club
Cindy Bai, photography
Angie Brain, videography
Huang Cheng, calligraphy
Gary Erickson, ceramics
Ivy Flanders, painting
Paul Grawe, go
John Ho, photography
Jo Hui, fortune telling
Marlene Hui, fortune telling
Hwai-Chyi Kuei, calligraphy
Siu Kee Lee, calligraphy
Li Xuanyao, abacus
Liang Ying, paper cutting
Hong Lin, paper cutting
Donghua Lu, paper folding
Stephen Mao, calligraphy
Shu-Whei Miao, knot tying
Andrew Moy, magic
Shen Fei, painting
Yue-him Tam, name translation
Stephen Tsui, calligraphy
Yen Shih-Pau, fortune telling
Alice Yang, abacus
May Yue, feng shui

Mandarin Chinese

Josephine Auyeung
Neil Bray
Yuefen Deng
Kuangchi Lee
Li-Chen Lin
Lucy Lofquist
Kong Hui Zhu
Stephanie Ollila
Qin Fang
Priscilla Van Sloun
Ju-Chang Wang
Maureen Wu
Xu Xiting
Alice Yang
Changying Yan
Shannon Young
Samantha Yuan
Mary Zhang

Cooking

Margaret Chan
Louisa Eng
Linda Tam
Victor Wong

Sears Court Performance Stage

CAAM Chinese Dance Theater
Chinese American Ballroom Dance Association
Chinese Musical Gallery
Dragon Gate School of Tai Chi Chuan
Golden Leopard Martial Arts Center
Green Dragon Kung Fu
Ha Family Entertainment and Lion Dance Troupe
Hengde Zhang
Hong De Choy Li Fut
Hopkins XinXing Academy
Hua Sheng Music Center
Li Lei Studio
Macalester College Music Students
Minhua Chorus
Minneapolis Plum Blossom Kung Fu School
Minnesota Chinese Dance Theater
Minnesota Chinese Opera
Minnesota Minghua Central School
Muzi Youth Chorus
Normandale Community College Tai Chi for Health Programs
Peihui Lu
Shaanxi Association of Minnesota
Spring Forest Qigong
Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan
the Marsh, a Center for Balance and Fitness
Ting James Kong Tai Chi Group
Twin Cities Chinese Dance Center
Yinghua Academy
Zhang Ying

Masters of ceremonies –Yan Huss, Xu Qian, Shannon Yee, Marcus Young, and Wang Haixia

Stage managers – Haihua Wei, Sharon Zeng

Volunteers