March 14, 2010 by Adam.

(The following is an  e-mail I sent out to the heads of some student organizations, edited for this blog)

Greetings all.
I am writing from the Woo Ching White Crane Kung Fu School in Chinatown, in the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association building.

I’m writing because I would like to organize an event that would be a social gathering for all of the organizations in Chinatown, as well as all of the Asian Affiliated Student and Professional organizations in the Boston Area  and of course anyone else interested in coming. The idea would be to bring us all in closer contact with each other so that we can build a stronger community.
Of course I would need advice from College Students on how to plan an event that would be targeting college students which is why I am contacting you.

Some upcoming events our school is participating in is the Chinese Resident Association Banquet on Friday March 19th at 6pm in Chinatown and the Tai Tung Village Residents Association Banquet on Saturday the 27th of March. Both these events are in Chinatown, (probably Empire Garden but I’m not 100% sure.) If you would like to come to one of these events to see what we are about we will meet up at our Kung Fu School at around 5pm.
The address will be listed below.CCBA building on 90 Tyler street and we will move around the entire Chinatown. The idea is that if there are more people to witness the brutal beating on old people that have become more commonplace in Chinatown recently, that the perpetrator will choose not to assault that elderly person because of the crowd.
Dressing up in colorful costume is encouraged.

This will be the second time we have done this this month. The first time was March 13th at 6:30am on Saturday. (The assaults are really across the board in terms of times, which is disturbing.)

One of the participants also had the idea of making more of a party out of it with music performance and outdoor grilling perhaps in the park by the Chinatown gate.
I am looking into this further as well.

If you are interested in being added to Woo Ching White Crane’s mailing list which details our upcoming events let me know and I will add you.

I will post a copy of this e-mail on the Chinatown blog, which I occasionally contribute to as well.

I am looking forward to your advice, feedback, and suggestions.

Adam Cheung
Woo Ching White Crane- Instructor
90 Tyler Street Suite 21
Boston, MA 02111
acheung-whitecrane@hotmail.com
www.bostonwhitecrane.org

781-888-0631

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March 5, 2010 by Adam.

 Recently there have been a lot of robberies in Chinatown at varying hours of the day.

Crime Watch cannot patrol 24/7 neither can the police. I had an idea to have various night time community activities in the trouble spots to make it less likely that people will be robbed during that activity. This idea comes from my experience while I was on Crime Watch. One of the safest areas was Tai Tung Village because all the mothers were out there with their children.

To follow up on my idea in three weeks or so I will hold a free Kung Fu Class outside in Chinatown. I encourage dressing up as your favorite Kung Fu Character. (No Ninjas Please, bright colorful costumes only.) The idea is to have a fun activity that will attract an audience and participation among College Students and others who enjoy silly things like this.  I am communicating with Crime Watch about when the best time and place for the class would be. The time will probably be very early in the morning or very late at night, on a weekend.  This is when people are getting robbed a lot. Not exactly a convenient time, and the street is not necessarily a convenient place, but staying up all night drinking, partying, and then going on a streak isn’t convenient either. And yet people do it often.

Obviously one class will not change much, but my hope is that other groups will step forward with ideas for activities later, making Chinatown the place to be in terms of watching and participating in these events. This will mean more people, more business, and a safer Chinatown.  So please get the word out on the campuses and with anyone young or old who is interested in Free Kung Fu or if they have other ideas about an activity.

Have them contact me about when they would do a class too.  Some of the robberies happened at 7:30amso that could be a time for a class too.

Contact Me through this website or through my contact info below.

Adam Cheung

Woo Ching White Crane Instructor

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Building

90 Tyler ST. Suite 21

Boston, MA 02111

781-888-0631

acheung-whitecrane@hotmail.com

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February 15, 2010 by Adam.

Gung Hei Faht Choi! everyone out there. I hope everyone’s been having a good New Year of the Tiger. All week Woo Ching White Crane will be doing a Lion Dance performance and workshop at the Museum of Fine Arts. Its part of their February vacation exhibition about mythical creatures.  I let them all know its Chinese New Year anyway.

Recently we have had so many lion dances and workshops that they are all running into each other. I feel like my life is one big Lion Dance and its kind of difficult getting around with my baby son. I was hoping all these performances would inspire my old students to practice and participate. I guess that has happened to a degree but they look at me so bored and tired even though I am jumping around lion dancing, kung fu ing and talking all at once. I’m tired! We performed at Uphams Corner, St. James Church, Montclair School in Quincy, Sun Life Insurance, and EMC CORP in.  Do a form to give me a break! Well at leastwe all got to see, perform and practice in some different environments. These Corporations that basically have cities in the middle of nowhere are quite impressive, and I had fun pretty getting adults to sing the drum beats and get into the Kung Fu stances just like the kids. ( I think they ha d fun too. No adult takers for trying the lion head. A few drummers though.)

Even New Year’s day when I went in I did not hear any loud Gung Hei Faht Choi’s my way. I demanded they say it before giving themthe red envelopes. After all, if I do not Faht Choi then next year the envelope I give you will still be small. But even if I start making a little more money the envelope will increase. Only one student screamed it, because he knew I was going to give him money. And it’s New Year, that’s what we all want.

New Year’s Day Before going to our St. James Church we did a lion dance  for the school, and for the CCBA building. One guy told us to come and bless his car too. He was straight from China and apparently this is always done to the cars, but I admit it was the first car I have blessed with the head. Lion Dance as a ritual is a bigger deal in China basically because they believe that the dance as well as the use of mystical/superstitious numbers in giving money will have an actual effect on the the physical world. I believe this too basically because everytime I figure certain thing won’t matter that much, the traditional beliefs are proven to me through consequences.

In China the first thing they would bless would be the water wells, and Business owners would spend a lot more money on the lion dances, hanging down not only five story lines of firecrackers that then rolled up in the ground as well, but Five story strings of money, even Hong Kong Money (which used to be worth much more) to make it even more impressive.

Speaking of handing out money, I still have quite a few hong baos left in my pocket which I plan to give to any child who comes up puts his clenched fist inside a closed palm and says in a big loud voice, “Gung Hei Faht Choi!” and hopefully also, “Sun Tai Geen Hong, Sun leen fai lock, and any other  positive new year phrase. Granted I’m not giving out Benjamin Franklins. But hey, better than nothing right? I hope I run into more kids that do this on the 21st when we will be doing the ritual lion dance for all the businesses  in Chinatown. But I’m not giving up the lai sees unless you wish I get rich. So say it loud and say it proud! Gung Hei Faht Choi!

-Adam Cheung

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November 20, 2009 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE) will be hosting an opening ceremony for a photo exhibit of historic Chinese restaurants in New England. The opening ceremony will include a brief presentation by Heather Lee and Amy Johnson, co-curators, and comments by John Eng-Wong, visiting scholar from Brown University’s Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity in America.  The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN:  Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 5:00-7:00 pm
WHERE:  Chinatown Storefront Library, 640 Washington St (between Essex and Beach Street), Boston
INFO:  Contact Chinese Historical Society of New England at 617-338-4339 or email info@chsne.org

Chow Mein, Chicken Wings, and Cheeseburgers: Recalling Downcity Chinese in the Postwar Era revisits the world of Chinese restaurants in downtown Providence from its heyday in the wake of World War II through its decline in the 1980s. This exhibit remembers Ming Garden, Mee Hong, and Luke’s Restaurant through the families that owned and ran them. It also explores the consumption of Chinese food and culture by the greater Downcity Providence community.

During the month of December, The Chinese Historical Society of New England brings to Boston an exhibit that originally was on display at the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. The exhibit will also feature historic restaurant photos from the CHSNE collection, including a page from CHSNE’s Chinese restaurant matchbook albums, a mock-up of an old Chinese restaurant menu with hand-drawn illustrations showing how to use chopsticks, and a 1961 calendar from insurance & real estate broker Madeline C. Wong listing client restaurants in Providence and Boston.

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September 28, 2009 by Chinatown Blogger.

Super strength, telekinesis, invisibility. “What’s Your Power?” is the theme of this year’s Boston Asian American Students Intercollegiate Conference (BAASIC). What gives you the confidence and strength to influence the change you wish to see in your community? BAASIC brings together college students from all over the Greater Boston area. This conference aims to encourage Asian American students to open the discussion of political, social, and economic issues and explore Asian American culture and identity.

BAASIC will be hosted by Northeastern University on October 10, 2009. This year’s performances will feature Asian American hip-hop artists Magnetic North and Taiyo Na.  Keynote speakers are long-time, community activist and author of The Snake Dance of Asian American Activism, Michael Liu, and poet and writer of The Heart’s Traffic, Ching-In Chen. Go to http://www.baasic.org and register for a small fee by September 30th. The registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, an awesome T-shirt, networking opportunities, performances, workshops, and much more!  What’s your power? Tell us now at http://www.baasic.org!

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