Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates Second Annual STEM Week with Kickoff at the Museum of Science

Students across the Commonwealth will engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math lessons to boost awareness of STEM career opportunities

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, educators, business leaders and other state officials kicked off the second annual statewide STEM Week at the Museum of Science today, an effort to encourage more young people to explore science, technology, engineering and math studies and careers. More than 400 schools have applied-learning lessons planned for the week, and nearly 1,000 events will take place across the Commonwealth to engage students in STEM activities. 

At the Museum, the Governor signed a proclamation declaring October 21 through 25 statewide STEM Week, with a focus on encouraging young people across the Commonwealth the “See Themselves in STEM.”

Strengthening STEM education in the Commonwealth’s K-12 schools and deepening the STEM workforce pipeline is a priority of the Baker-Polito Administration. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito co-chairs the STEM Advisory Council along with Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III and Jeffrey Leiden, chief executive officer of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The STEM Advisory Council is appointed by the Governor and includes education and business leaders in STEM industries that work to promote STEM education, partnerships among industries and schools and internships for students.

“We hope that STEM Week sparks interest among students to explore science, engineering, technology and math as fields they could pursue in their future careers,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “As STEM-related industries like biotech, clean energy, information technology, and manufacturing continue to thrive in the Commonwealth, the demand for highly-skilled young people is a pressing issue for the state’s economy and I am grateful to Lt. Governor Polito for her leadership on this initiative in her capacity as Co-Chair of the STEM Advisory Council.” 

“We have made tremendous strides in boosting STEM education in Massachusetts schools over the past several years, but there is too much untapped potential in classrooms as young women and minority students are still widely underrepresented in these fields,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We appreciate all the hard work done by schools, businesses, colleges, libraries, museums, and other nonprofit organizations to make this week a success and look forward to celebrating the week across the Commonwealth.”

Employment in STEM-related occupations is projected to grow to more than 9 million jobs nationwide between 2012 and 2022 – an increase of about 1 million more jobs over 2012 employment levels, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The need for STEM graduates particularly impacts Massachusetts because more than 40 percent of all employment in the Commonwealth revolves around innovation industries such as clean energy, information technology, defense, and advanced manufacturing, according to the Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education.

“In an economy increasingly reliant on STEM skills, students shouldn’t have to dream big just to envision a STEM career,” said Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III. “Throughout this second annual STEM Week, thousands of students will be given the opportunity to work closely with leaders in business and education to gain experience in our most rapidly expanding economic sectors. Leaving so much untapped potential on the field not only fails our moral obligation to our students, it drains the economic growth we need instead.”

“STEM Week is helping us change the way we teach topics like science and engineering – it brings learning out of the textbook and into the real world with hands-on problem solving,” said Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “Like most of my scientist friends, I got hooked on science by my outstanding fifth grade teacher. Developing the next generation of scientists is all about capturing their imagination early and showing them how much fun a career in science can be, and that’s what this week is all about.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Governor, Lt. Govenor, Secretary Peyser, and Congressman Kennedy and other leaders from government, industry, and education to celebrate the kick-off of the second Massachusetts STEM Week here at the Museum of Science,” said Gwill York, Board Chair for the Museum of Science. “For millions of people every year, the Museum of Science lives out its mission to deepen the public’s relationship with STEM by highlighting its critical role in our day-to-day lives. As a cultural institution and educator of science, technology, engineering and math, we take very seriously our role in helping to break down barriers and dispel any misconceptions around what STEM is or who belongs in STEM. STEM is for all. As a member of the MA STEM Advisory Council, we welcome the close partnerships we have with city and state agencies, schools, colleges, and industry, to support our common goal to build STEM education in Massachusetts.”

Over the past several years, Massachusetts schools have boosted the prominence of STEM subjects. Public high school students are now able to substitute a computer science course for a lab science or mathematics to meet their MassCore curriculum requirements. The state adopted new digital literacy and computer science curriculum frameworks, giving public school students their first statewide standards in a subject that is increasingly becoming essential to college and career success. And in 2017, the state created a new license for computer science teachers. 

The Baker-Polito Administration is focused on giving more students career exploration learning opportunities. Schools across the Commonwealth have strengthened career coaching and planning, and state education officials are working to help school districts develop and expand programs in high schools that give students rigorous college-level courses in STEM subjects through early college and career pathway programs. 

At the state’s vocational and technical schools, the administration has made significant new investments, more than $65 million over the past four years, to make sure students learn on the most up-to-date industry standard equipment. 

“We would like to see more students gain applied learning experiences so they develop real-world skills and knowledge in STEM-related fields,” said Secretary of Education James Peyser. “It is critical that all students are able to use these skills to think critically and solve problems, both in school and in the workplace.”

“Science, technology, engineering and math are great subjects for hands-on experiences that have students work together to investigate questions and explore fields that they might not have considered,” said Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley. “I’m glad to see students and teachers engaged in this work during STEM Week and throughout the year.”

The Governor and Lt. Governor, along with their Cabinet secretaries, will take part in several STEM Week events throughout the week. 

To find out more about STEM Week events, visit the Mass STEM Week website

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Baker-Polito Administration Announces Health Care Legislation Aimed at Addressing Key Challenges

Proposal Prioritizes Primary Care and Behavioral Health Within the Construct of the State’s Health Care Benchmark

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today introduced comprehensive health care legislation to improve outcomes for patients, increase access to care and bring down costs. The reforms will promote access to behavioral health and primary care services and cut down the hidden costs that currently blindside consumers and impact the overall system. The legislation also holds drug companies accountable for excessive prices and unjustified price increases, and supports distressed community hospitals and community health centers.

In addition to the legislation, Governor Charlie Baker today signed an executive order forming a commission tasked with conducting a comprehensive study of the individual and small group insurance market, often referred to as the “merged market”, to examine the underlying trends that are contributing to growing costs for individuals and small and mid-size employers. The administration also approved $15 million to be deposited into the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to support care provided to uninsured and underinsured patients by acute care hospitals and community health centers.

The legislation aims to invest in team-based approaches to treat the whole individual in order to improve health outcomes and decrease costs over time. Current internal and external data suggests that less than 15% of total medical expenses in Massachusetts are spent on primary care and outpatient behavioral health services combined. 

“We need to prepare our health care system for the future, focus our efforts on achieving the best outcomes for patients and bring down costs. The current health care system is not incentivized to take proactive steps to address the challenges associated with supporting an aging population, individuals with a chronic illness, or those in need of behavioral health services,” said Governor Baker. “This legislation supports holistic approaches to care, provides consumers and employers with affordable care options, promotes behavioral health parity, and ensures everyone has access to the services they need.” 

“The Commonwealth is one of the healthiest states in the nation with the highest percentage of insured individuals, in part due to our strong and innovative health care industry; however, we continue to be one of the most expensive states for health care,” said Lieutenant Governor Polito. “This legislation aims to protect consumers and reduce their out-of-pocket costs, and further support community hospitals and health centers which play a critical role in delivering quality, affordable care to some our highest-need communities.”

“For far too long, primary and behavioral health care has not been at the forefront of our health care system. While we know that changing the narrative will take time, we are committed to engaging in a multi-year, multi-pronged approach to create a cohesive system of behavioral health care and strong primary care in the Commonwealth,” said HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders. “We took a hard look at our current system and asked what we had to do as a state to incentivize payers and providers to invest in these services and improve access to care. Today’s legislative action is a significant step, and over the next several months we will be rolling out additional behavioral health initiatives that support our overall goal of achieving true parity.”

The legislation includes reforms in five major areas: 

• Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care
• Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers
• Improving access to high-quality, coordinated care
• Stabilizing distressed community hospitals and health centers
• Promoting insurance market reforms

Prioritizing behavioral health and primary care within the cost growth benchmark

Since January 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has invested $1.9 billion in behavioral health across the spectrum of care. Even as the administration has made important strides in the integration of behavioral and physical health and increased treatment capacity, deep-rooted structural challenges continue to exist. Consumers consistently report long waits for appointments, lack of treatment available at the right time and at the right place and difficulty finding providers who take insurance. 

Additionally, the system continues to underinvest in primary care despite the known link to better population health and lower spending. By definition, primary care focuses on early detection and treatment and is among the most cost-effective functions of our health care system. 

The legislation targets those challenges by prioritizing investments in behavioral and primary care and establishing a spending target.

• Providers and insurers, including MassHealth, will be required to increase spending on behavioral health and primary care by 30% over three years within the construct of the state’s healthcare benchmark. 
• Calendar year 2019 spending will serve as the baseline, and providers and insurers will be measured on their performance beginning in calendar year 2023. 
• The legislation does not suggest a standard pathway for providers and insurers to achieve the target.
• Providers and insurers will be required to report their progress on an annual basis through the Center for Health Information Analysis’ (CHIA) and Health Policy Commission’s (HPC).
• If the target is not achieved, providers and insurers will be referred by CHIA to the HPC and may be subject to a performance improvement plan which may require them to identify strategies and opportunities to increase investments in primary care and behavioral health. 

In addition to promoting increased spending in behavioral and primary care, the legislation complements the administration’s broader efforts to create a cohesive behavioral health care system by developing the behavioral health workforce and ensuring consumers have access to accurate and updated information by:

• Encouraging behavioral health practitioners to accept insurance

·         Requires insurers, including MassHealth, to use a standardized credentialing form so providers only need to complete one application.

·         Increases payment rates by establishing a “bottom line” for certain services based on the in-network rate for comparable medical/physical services.

·         Requires insurers to report on their out-of-network behavioral health utilization. 

• Promoting timely access to appropriate behavioral health treatment

·         Requires insurers to maintain accurate provider directories and update them on a quarterly basis. It also requires providers to update any changes in status (e.g. no longer accepting new patients).  

·         Prohibits payers from denying coverage or imposing additional costs for same-day behavioral health and certain medical visits

·         Requires acute care hospitals to maintain clinical capacity to provide or arrange for the evaluation, stabilization and referral of patients with behavioral health conditions in emergency departments

• Develop behavioral health professional workforce

·         Requires insurers to reimburse non-licensed behavioral health professionals in training working in clinical settings.

·         Establishes a Board of Registration of Recovery Coaches, per the recommendations of the Recovery Coach Commission, to credential and standardize the recovery coach position to promote insurance reimbursement.

Managing health care cost drivers to protect consumers 

Since 2009, total healthcare spending growth in Massachusetts has been below the national rate; however, health care spending is still high and consumers continue to pay more for health care even when they have coverage. The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA)’s recent annual report found that total health care expenditures grew from $58.8 billion in 2017 to $60.9 billion in 2018, an increase of 3.1%. Even with a moderate overall growth rate, the burden of health care costs on Massachusetts employers and residents continues to grow. Over the past two years, growth in consumer out-of-pocket costs and premiums has outpaced inflation and wage growth. For every additional dollar earned by Massachusetts families between 2016 and 2018, 48 cents went to health care. 

The legislation protects consumers and reduces out-of-pocket costs by:

• Prohibiting surprise billing for emergency and unplanned services rendered by an out of network provider at an in-network facility. For example, an individual may receive a surprise medical bill after going to the emergency room for a broken arm and getting an X-ray by a radiologist who, unbeknownst to the consumer, is out-of-network. 
• Creating limits for when a hospital can charge an extra fee (known as a facility fee) for services delivered at hospital outpatient department. Patients may go to a hospital outpatient department to see a specialist or have a day surgery that does not require an inpatient stay. Statistics show that prices for the same service can be 30-60% more in hospital outpatient departments than in a doctor’s office. The limits are focused on the proximity of the clinic to the hospital’s main campus and fees are prohibited altogether for certain services like an X-ray or MRI delivered in an outpatient setting. 
• Requiring that pharmacies inform individuals about their lowest out-of-pocket cost options for prescription drugs when they pick-up a prescription.

The legislation also provides the Commonwealth with additional tools to hold pharmaceutical manufacturers and middlemen accountable for growing prescription drug costs. 

High drug costs that are new to the market with little competition continue to drive health care spending, even after rebates. The Baker-Polito Administration has already taken historic measures to address high drug costs through the state’s Medicaid program.  Provisions approved in the FY20 budget authorized MassHealth to directly negotiate with drug manufacturers and engage in a public process when a deal cannot be reached while maintaining full coverage for members. However, no system targeting high cost drugs currently exists in the commercial market. To address this, the legislation creates a multi-pronged approach for increasing accountability for drug manufacturers:

• Subjects manufacturers of new, high-cost drugs to HPC’s accountability process (cost more than $50,000/per person per year) for further review, similar to the processes established for insurers and providers.
• Imposes a penalty on manufacturers that increase the cost of drugs exponentially which are sold or distributed in the Commonwealth. The penalty will be imposed if a drug is increased greater than the consumer price index (CPI) plus two percent. The penalty would be equal to 80% of the increase amount in excess of CPI +2% for drugs sold or distributed in the Commonwealth.
  • For example, a drug may cost $1,000 on 12/20/20 and on 12/20/21 it costs $1,020. If the CPI is set at 2% then the drug could grow 4% (CPI + 2%) without being penalized. In this scenario the manufacturer would not be penalized because the price increase does not exceed 4. However, if the drug cost $1,200 on 12/20/21 the manufacturer would be penalized because it exceeds the 4% growth. The Commonwealth would then collect the 80% on the difference times the amount of units sold or distributed. In this scenario, the difference is $161 meaning the penalty would be $129 (80%) per unit. If the manufacturer sold 30,000 units then the Commonwealth would penalize the company for $3.8 million. 

Additionally, the legislation aims to increase state oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM). PBMs manage prescription drug benefits for many health plans and negotiate prices and rebates with manufacturers and payments to pharmacies. Their practices have increasingly raised concerns because they aren’t transparent and may contribute to high drug costs. As part of reforms included in the FY20 budget, the Baker-Polito Administration implemented a new requirement for PBMs to be transparent about their pricing and to limit PBM margins under contracts with MassHealth, MCOs and Accountable care organizations (ACOs), which is projected to save $10 million in the first year. However, Massachusetts currently has no authority or oversight of PBMs or their compensation and as a result cannot hold PBMs accountable or compel them to report data related to revenues. The legislation:

• Establishes a PBM certification requirement within the Division of Insurance.
• Requires PBMs to report financial data to CHIA from manufacturers and provider payments to increase transparency. 

The legislation also strengthens the Commonwealth’s ability to hold insurers and providers accountable for growing health care costs.

• Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012 is designed to health care spending growth in line with growth in the state’s overall economy by establishing a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures, known as the “health care cost benchmark”, which is set by the Health Policy Commission

昆士市長Koch競選連任 麻州長站台強調無標籤選舉

麻州州長查理貝克(右)和昆士市長柯奇(Tom Koch)合影。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長 Tom Koch 歷數昆士市進步，坦言喜愛這份工作，
籲請民眾支持連任。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子昆士市綜合報導) 還有不到20天，就是11月5日的大選日。你的神聖一票要投給誰? 麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)認為，昆士居民可以投給柯奇(Tom Koch)，一個做事不看標籤的人(no label game)。

             共和黨籍的麻州州長查理貝克，自五年前競選州長，得到民主黨籍昆士市長柯奇支持以來，兩人的友誼日益更深。16日晚他再度來到昆士市的Tirrell廳，親自為昆士市長柯奇的競選連任站台。

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)強調無標籤選舉(No label)，
做得好的人就要支持。(周菊子攝)

             在2分多鐘的簡短講話中，他稱許柯奇是個無時無刻不在想，可以做些什麼來使昆士市更好的市長，而且他還會想盡辦法把事情做成。在好多活動及項目上，他都是一個非常好的夥伴。

查理貝克還說，柯奇是那種他會形容為把敏感度帶進工作和公眾生活的人，而在現代社會中，這種敏感十分重要。柯奇也是那種從長遠著想的人，致力改善昆士市民眾生活品質，雖然是民主黨籍，並不在乎為共和黨做事，有如無黨派人士，是真正的”行事無標籤(no label game)”的人之一，會從尋求共同點開始，找出機會與可能性。

在講話結束前，查理貝克不忘提醒出席者，要帶動自己的朋友，親戚，在十一月五日這天出席投票，投柯奇一票。

柯奇表示，其實查理貝克本人也是這樣，講究的是”捲起袖子，解決問題”。他還說，要是華府(那些政客)也是這樣就好了。柯奇稱讚查理貝克是個非常好的夥伴，無論是地鐵紅線，濫用毒品，交通，住宅的建設等等問題，他都協助昆士市處理。

柯奇也不忘稱讚昆士市的市議員，學校委員會委員們等市政同僚，指稱在持續改進昆士市的路上，教育上學校表現非常好，治安上，警察使得昆士市成為麻州犯罪率最低的城市之一。他說，昆士市是個很棒的城市，因為市民願意奉獻。

柯奇也提醒出席者，11月5日要去投票，因為還有很多人甚至不知道11月5日是大選投票日。

麻州州長查理貝克(右)應邀和昆士市長柯奇(Tom Koch)
一家人合影。(周菊子攝)

昆士市今年的市長選舉，是市長任期從二年改為四年後的第二次選舉，柯奇一旦當選，將成為昆士市有史以來任期最長的市長，也是第一位起用亞裔助理的市長。

根據昆士市愛國者報(Patriot Ledger)，柯奇大概還是把昆士市變成麻州市長選舉花費最昂貴城市的第一人。至少在人口65,000上下城市，今年的25名市長候選人中，柯奇花的錢最多，籌款額也最高。截至10月15日，他共花了221,051元，競選財庫餘額，還有436,383.79元。

在助選會場上，麻州長查理貝克和昆士市長柯奇
開心談笑。(周菊子攝)

今年昆士市有3人參選市長，但選局卻非常安靜，在初選階段，既無辯論，也無論壇，兩名角逐者似乎都”醉翁之意不在酒”，既未落力籌款，也未積極競選。根據愛國者報(Patriot Ledger)，在初選中落選的Tracey Lea Dorgan，只花了26元競選; 在初選中得票率也有19%，將於11月5日和柯奇競爭的Brenda A. Ryan，甚至宣佈過她不會籌款，也不會為競選花一分錢。不過昆士市長柯奇每次競選連任時，都坦率表示，他絕不會理所當然地認為自己一定會當選連任，絕對很懇切地要求選民支持，所以無論有無對手，競選活動都辦得很認真。

麻州參議員John F. Keenan出席連襟，昆士市長的助選會。
(周菊子攝)

昆士市民主黨委員會(Quincy Democratic City Committee)將於10月29日(週二)晚6點，假中央中學(Central Middle School)為市長，分區市議員，不分區市議員，學校委員會委員等4場選舉的所有候選人，舉辦論壇。

(圖片已於17日發表)

昆士市長助理邱潔芳(右)和市府同事。(周菊子攝)

麻州獅子會33K分區區域主任李源沛家住昆士市，
出席支持柯奇。(周菊子攝)

昆士學院的翁渭漢(Al Young)和麻州州長查理貝克
交換意見。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長的鄰居，梁燕珍夫婦當然到會。(周菊子攝)

助選會現場，感謝麻州長助選的
可愛薑餅人。(周菊子攝)

昆士市長助選會的餅乾，色彩豐富。(周菊子攝)

大波士頓華商會發起籌款會 支持吳弭連任

波士頓華埠商會為吳弭辦籌款會。(周菊子攝)

波士頓華商會共同會長陳文棟介紹吳弭。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)波士頓市內唯一的華裔/亞裔市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)，甫於9月24日的不分區市議員初選中奪得第一高票。波士頓華商會10月17日晚，再辦籌款會，繼續為吳弭的將在11月5日順利連任，造勢，奠實力。

            波士頓市的不分區市議員選舉，由於前議員普莉斯萊(Ayanna Pressley)當選聯邦眾議員後，席位由之前在選舉中得票數排名第5的葛莉森(Althea Garrison)遞補，於是今年的選舉在許多人心目中，形同至少有一席出缺，包括都表態要競選連任的其他3名在位者，居然有多達15人跳入選戰，熱鬧十分。

東海集團董事長梁國忠(左)也應邀出席，支持吳弭(右)。
(周菊子攝)

            初選過後，得票率超過13%的，只有3名在位市議員。其餘各候選人，競爭者亞歷珊卓聖吉倫(Alejandra Nicole St., Guillen)，梅吉雅(Julia Mejia)的得票率，依序各有8.68%，以及7.87%，遞補上位的在位市議員葛莉森(Althea Garrison)，得票率7.09%。

競運瓜菜董事長陳仕維(右)經陳文棟介紹，認識了
劍橋市的素描湘菜餐廳老闆陳素描(左)。(周菊子攝)

            其餘候選人的得票率，頂多5%，甚至低至1%，估計都構不成殺傷力。選戰觀察家普遍認為，今年的波士頓市不分區市議員選舉，如無意外，將是公開的西語裔女同性戀者，原任波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任的亞歷珊卓聖吉倫(Alejandra Nicole St., Guillen)，和5歲從多明尼加移民來美，由單親母親養大，創辦了一個鼓勵選民投票，公民參與非牟利組織的梅吉雅(Julia Mejia)之爭。

            吳弭的哈佛大學法律學位(J. D. )，律師資格，曾是現為美國總統候選人的聯邦參議員伊莉莎白沃倫(Elizabeth Warren)的學生及助選員，已經擔任過波士頓市議會議長，現年僅34歲等資歷，都讓她在所有的不分區市議員參選人中，顯得格外亮眼。

            吳弭在位這些年間，推動過許多法案，包括簡化牌照申請，倡議環保，帶薪育兒假(paid parental leave)，支持可負擔住宅等，讓她備受支持，曾經獲選為波士頓雜誌的”100名最有影響力人士”之一，以及”愛米莉名單(Emily’s List)”崛起新星的6名決選者之一。

            11月17日晚，波士頓華商會在波士頓安良工商會大樓四樓會址，為波士頓市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)舉辦籌款會。吳弭在波士頓華商會共同會長陳文棟引介下，和支持她的華裔商家晤面。

吳弭先用中文感謝出席眾人從她第一次競選，一直到現在競選第四度競選連任，接著簡述自己近來的變化，從當初經常與妹妹一同出現，到如今自己已婚，有2個小孩，整個波士頓市也有了許多變化，唯一不變的是，和所有亞裔一樣，大家都很重視家庭，重視文化傳承，波士頓華埠，亞裔在她心中一直有著很特別的地位。

波士頓美術博物館翁萬戈家族藏畫展 即日起展至2020年8月

First Installation Explores Theme of Family and Friends, Featuring Greatest Masters of Ming and Qing Dynasties

Li Bai's Night Revel in Peach and Plum Garden (detail), 1650, Chen Hongshou

BOSTON (October 12, 2019)—This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), opens the first in a series of three exhibitions celebrating the largest and most significant gift of Chinese paintings and calligraphy in its history: the Weng Family Collection, comprising 183 objects that were acquired by and passed down through six generations of a single family. Featuring 19 works from the gift and a selection of decorative objects, Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends explores the themes of family and friends, demonstrating the intimate association in Chinese art between works of art and human relations. The exhibition assembles works by some of the greatest masters from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, such as Wang Hui and Chen Hongshou. Curated by Nancy Berliner, Wu Tung Senior Curator of Chinese Art, Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends is on view in the Asian Paintings Gallery from October 12, 2019 through August 9, 2020. Generously supported by the Tan Family Education Foundation. Additional support from the Rodger and Dawn Nordblom Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C. Nordblom, The June N. and John C. Robinson Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C. Nordblom, and the Joel Alvord and Lisa Schmid Alvord Fund.

The passion for art in the Weng family resulted not only in a superb collection of objects, but a reverence for art and scholarship that was passed down through generations. A member of the 19th generation of the family, Wan-go Weng recalls watching and listening as a young boy while his family admired and discussed works of art in their home—the same objects that he would inherit in 1948 and bring to the U.S. Throughout the gallery are works that carry the personal touches of the Weng family, including a large one-character auspicious calligraphy made for his son by Weng Tonghe (1830–1904), who built the greater part of the collection. Many of the works also feature colophons, or personal inscriptions, written by family members, revealing deep personal connections with individual pieces and the memories they evoked. For example, Weng Tonghe wrote on Chen Hongshou’s The three hermits: plum, chrysanthemum, and narcissus (1651): “My father liked to recite the poem [on the painting] and always kept the scroll with him. Every time I unroll the scroll, tears flow uncontrollably.”

The role and deep significance of friendship also manifests throughout the gallery. The interaction among friends when discoursing artworks was often recorded through colophons, recalling such gatherings or noting that a painting was given as a gift to a friend. The exhibition space is designed to evoke the atmosphere of a Chinese garden, a place where friends would often come together to view paintings in natural light. In addition to 19 works from the gift, the gallery includes a large decorative rock, as would be seen in most gardens as a reminder of the larger natural environment, and examples of fine 17th-century huanghuali furniture. A contemporary handscroll by Wan-go Weng, Elegant Gathering at the Laixiju Residence (1985) (1986), commemorates a momentous gathering held at his New England home, attended by six of the world’s most respected authorities on Chinese painting. In May 1985, these scholars and friends made the journey to Wan-go Weng’s retreat in the mountains to examine the family’s famed painting collection. Other paintings illustrate friends gathered to write poems together, as is depicted throughout the Suzhou Series album (about 1490) by Shen Zhou (1427–1509).

Exhibition Highlights

·        The handscroll Nine Letters to Home (after 1523) by Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), one of the greatest Ming-dynasty artists and calligraphers, demonstrates the elegance of the artist’s well-trained brush as well as moving spontaneity. The nine letters, written by Wen Zhengming to his wife and sons while he was residing in Beijing for an official posting, also portray an emotionality not usually seen in his more formal works.

·        A collaboration between Wang Hui (1632–1717) and Jiao Bingzhen (active late 17th to early 18th centuries), Portrait of An Qi in His Garden (1698) depicts a powerful salt merchant and art collector in his garden estate, a symbol of his refined status and cultural sophistication. This painting was gifted to Weng Tonghe in 1897 by Aixinjueluo Tingyong, a young scholar whom Weng took under his wing. After the tragic execution of Tingyong during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, Weng wrote a poignant inscription on the painting praising his friend and his accomplishments.

·        In Li Bai’s night revel in peach and plum garden (1650), Chen Hongshou (1598–1652) references a poem by China’s most celebrated poet, Li Bai (701–762), who describes the lavish drinking parties held in the Golden Valley garden. Appealing to the taste and connoisseurship of antique collectors of his time, Chen creates an evocative setting for such a gathering by displaying on the stone table an 11th century B.C.E. bronze vessel and a ceramic cup with crackled glaze typical of the 13th century C.E.

·        Popular in China since the Song dynasty, the theme of children playing is often considered to symbolize the aspiration for many descendants, appearing frequently in decorations on ceramics, metalwork and textiles. In Children Playing with Crickets (late 16th century), Hou Genyang (active 1575–1600) succeeds in presenting the auspicious theme while also communicating the joy inherent in the absorbing play of children.

·        The character for tiger, hu, can act as a talisman to ward off evil spirits. Weng Tonghe’s hu calligraphies were particularly sought after, as the character was believed to gain potency when written by a prominent person, like him, who was born in the year of the tiger. Included in the show is a highly auspicious hu written in 1890 or 1902 for his greatgrandson, Weng Zhilian, the adoptive father of Wan-go Weng.

文協合唱團年度音樂會 11/9

中華耆英會白禮頓樓十月壽星有8人

中華耆英會壽星合影，左起何山,謝惠仙,司徒貴嬋,李積秀,鐘來娣
,陳金妹,周信本。(白禮頓樓提供)

(Boston Orange)中華耆英會白禮頓樓10月11日在布萊頓區會址為8名壽星慶生，載歌載舞的獻鮮花，奉禮物，逗樂了所有壽星和出席者。

包括李積秀，以及何山，鐘來娣，陳金妹，謝惠仙，周信本，翁杏菊，司徒貴嬋等，10月份壽星有8人。其中的李積秀還以壽星身分，兼做司儀，和老搭檔樂趙令瑜，游刃有餘的串場主持節目。

抽獎環節由司儀李積秀主持,張麗冰,黃少萍協助。

(白禮頓樓提供)

中華耆英會白禮頓樓主任梅麗梨祝福壽星們身體健康，用吉祥話”福如東海年年在，壽比南山日日高”來祝賀之外，還周到的準備了鮮花和豐富的生日禮物，讓每一個壽星眉開眼笑。

             生日會的餘興表演，先由李積秀率領所有出席者合唱《草原上升起不落的太陽 》和《快樂的伴侶》，接著有鄧東慧帶領徐勤傑，譚潤金，黃少萍，賈東霞，葉英明，陳文龍等人表演優美舞蹈《花開的時候你來看我》；何佩榮和壽星何山在李潤蓮鋼琴伴奏下合唱《萬水千山總是情》，然後何山主唱《陽紅夕》，何佩榮唱《红河谷》，還有樂趙令瑜和黃永耀，黃少萍，王小琴，徐勤傑，賈東霞，葉英明，陳文龍等人合唱《星星索》，《綠島小夜曲》，鄧東慧帶領舞蹈組表演舞蹈《花開的時候你來看我》。

壽星們和出席者互當演員，觀眾，現場充滿了歡樂喜慶氣氛。

慶生會最後在張麗冰主持，黃少萍協助的抽獎環節，得獎者驚喜領獎的開心中落幕。

哈佛費正清中心講座談中國大灣區整合及未來(圖片)

恩萊特斯各特諮詢公司董事米高恩萊特(Michael J. Enright)。
(周菊子攝)

哈佛費正清中心前主任傅高義(Ezra Vogel)。(周菊子攝)

左起，Michael Enright, 哈佛大學甘迺迪政府學院主任
東尼賽奇(Tony Saich)，傅高義會後續談。(周菊子攝)

Wednesday, October 16, 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The Greater Bay Area, Regional Integration, and the Future of China
Critical Issues Confronting China Series
Michael Enright, University of Hong Kong
Sponsored by Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies
S020, Belfer Case Study Room, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge

昆士市不分區市議員和學校委員會候選人雙語論壇 (圖片)

主辦單位和不分區市議員候選人合影。右起，QARI莊建豪，ACDC劉安琪，Frank Rubio， Ann Mahoney，梁秀婷，Neol DiBona，Paul Watanabe，鄒毅。(周菊子攝) (

哈佛CSSA學術講座 賀德廣淺談中醫、氣功、太極拳(圖片)

学术讲座：中医，气功，太极拳

主题：中医，气功，太极拳，都是中国传统文化中的瑰宝，并且在世界上越来越普及。这三者之间有什么内在的联系？它们是否有共同的基本概念和理论基础？了解和沟通这三者的联系对这三者的实践有怎样的意义？两位从事中医，气功，太极拳的实践、教学、和科研的学者，愿意分享自己的经验和见解，并与大家共同讨论。欢迎有兴趣的朋友们参加！

主讲：贺德广，哈佛大学附属麻省总医院中医师，新英格兰中医学院教师，全美中医药学会副会长，气功太极委员会主任。出国前为中国中医科学院针灸研究所科研人员。

特邀嘉宾：蔡外娇，复旦大学中西医结合博士，导师沈自尹院士。哈佛医学院附属麻省总医院神经学科博士后研究员。

时间：10月15日星期二，晚上7:30 - 9:00

地点：哈佛大学 Gutman Library，404教室

地址：6 Appian Way，Cambridge，MA 02138