Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7:00 p.m. — Cantonese Yankee is the narrative of Kwong Bing Kong or “Bing,” a student sent by Imperial China to New England to study Western science and technology as part of an educational mission. One of 120 boys sent over between 1872-1881, the biography follows Bing and his ten year stay in America and his subsequent return to China as a modern Mandarin. Tang has written an absorbing and romantic drama based on family stories and her own hours of research at the Yale University Archives and the Connecticut Historical Society.
During the 19th Century, China faced a cabal of foreign powers ready to sweep the ancient empire from the pages of history. There have been books written about those days but few have plumbed the depths of her civilization—what were the customs, mores and ethos of her people? In Cantonese Yankee the author presents the intimate life of Bing and his family and the people of his day—and we are there with them.
LOUISE SU TANG, Bing’s granddaughter, was close to her grandfather during her childhood years in Shanghai. After a three year interlude in Portland, Oregon, where her father was Chinese Consul, she completed her secondary education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Shanghai. She received her B.A. in journalism and political science from UC Berkeley, and her M.A. in School Administration from CSULA.
Join us for an absorbing evening of this author’s insights into Chinese and Western history.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Author Talk: Cantonese Yankee
Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7:00 p.m. — Cantonese Yankee is the narrative of Kwong Bing Kong or “Bing,” a student sent by Imperial China to New England to study Western science and technology as part of an educational mission. One of 120 boys sent over between 1872-1881, the biography follows Bing and his ten year stay in America and his subsequent return to China as a modern Mandarin. Tang has written an absorbing and romantic drama based on family stories and her own hours of research at the Yale University Archives and the Connecticut Historical Society.
During the 19th Century, China faced a cabal of foreign powers ready to sweep the ancient empire from the pages of history. There have been books written about those days but few have plumbed the depths of her civilization—what were the customs, mores and ethos of her people? In Cantonese Yankee the author presents the intimate life of Bing and his family and the people of his day—and we are there with them.
LOUISE SU TANG, Bing’s granddaughter, was close to her grandfather during her childhood years in Shanghai. After a three year interlude in Portland, Oregon, where her father was Chinese Consul, she completed her secondary education at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Shanghai. She received her B.A. in journalism and political science from UC Berkeley, and her M.A. in School Administration from CSULA.
Join us for an absorbing evening of this author’s insights into Chinese and Western history.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
FILM SCREENING: NIGHT MARKET HERO
Thursday, November 10, 6:00p
– Crowell Public Library and the Taiwanese United Fund are happy to present a special screening of the blockbuster film Night Market Hero, (雞排英雄) a heartwarming story of a Taiwanese night market community. The story reveals the strong work ethic and determination of the vendors and their community when livelihoods are threatened by the plans of a construction company to build on the property. Night Market Hero is not just a story of community struggle, with the nostalgic sights and sounds of food and games that bring the people together. It is also an exhibition of the colorful and iconic culinary exuberance of the Taiwanese culture.
Director YEH Tien-lun 葉天倫 tells a feel-good story with a team of comedic veterans like Chu Ko-liang 豬哥亮 and Lotus Wang 王彩樺 with younger names like actor-model Blue Lan 藍正龍 and Alice KO 柯佳嬿. You won’t want to miss this melodramatic tale pitting the power of community values and Taiwanese "street democracy," over the forces of political corruption and the venal property developers.
Crowell Library thanks the Taiwanese United Fund (TUF), a non-profit organization dedicated to culture and performing arts, for bringing Night Market Hero to library patrons.
The movie runs 124 minutes. Free popcorn will be available while it lasts!
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