CAPAC Members Celebrate 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Contributions of Chinese Railroad Workers

CAPAC Members Celebrate 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Contributions of Chinese Railroad Workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today marks the 150^th Anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which linked the continental United States from coast to coast and ushered in a new era of American prosperity. The completion of the railroad would not have been possible without the labor of over 12,000 Chinese railroad workers who helped to build this engineering marvel even in the face of great adversity and racial discrimination. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus hosted an event at the Library of Congress to honor the contributions these workers and released the following statements:

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

“150 years ago, the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad marked an inflection point in history that forever changed our nation. It brought tremendous change and growth to the United States by bridging our coasts and facilitating greater economic development and prosperity. But this engineering feat would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions of the 12,000 Chinese laborers who made up over 80 percent of the Central Pacific Railroad workforce. They endured treacherous conditions and faced intense racial discrimination, yet their stories are often overlooked in U.S. history books. That’s why, I was so pleased to host an event at the Library of Congress and to participate in an event at the Smithsonian Museum of American History to highlight the contributions of these Chinese laborers and honor their role in shaping American history. 150 years after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, it is more important now than ever that we continue to tell their stories and ensure these pioneers get the recognition they deserve.”

Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06), CAPAC First Vice Chair:

“Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad that connected our nation, spurred economic growth, and unleashed the unlimited potential of our nation,” said Meng. “Less known to the American public is the enormous contributions of Chinese immigrant laborers who toiled in extreme weather to lay down the literal foundations of our nation. Today, we honor their memory, sweat, blood, and labor, and we provide them with the recognition they deserve. I have tirelessly advocated for Congress to honor the legacy of these railroad workers and I am proud to be pushing a resolution that would finally make that happen. I’m pleased that this year, on this milestone anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service will be issuing three special commemorative postage stamps to mark the occasion. As we celebrate the memory of the Chinese railroad workers, I hope the contributions they made to our country are recognized and remembered by all Americans”

Congressman Ed Case (HI-01):

“I am honored to join my Congressional colleagues in commemorating those of Chinese ancestry who were largely responsible for what became one of the greatest engineering marvels our country has ever seen – the first Transcontinental Railroad. Even though 150 years has passed since the completion of this project, we cannot forget what it took to build this railroad hat stretched from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Sacramento, California. This project – over harsh terrain in the West and especially through the formidable Sierra Nevada mountains – claimed too many lives and maimed too many others. This burden fell disproportionately on thousands of Chinese, many of whom came across the Pacific to America for what they hoped would be a better life. Their back-breaking work on the railroad opened the American West and, as a newspaper reported at the time, united Americans living in the East and the West into “emphatically one people.” Yet they were not included in memorials and pictures of the time and their contributions were treated as but a footnote for over a century. Today we do honor this pioneering community for its incredible contribution to our nation’s history. And we recognize the contributions of their descendants to all facets of our American story since. Mahalo!”

Congressman TJ Cox (CA-21):

“This month, not only do we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, but also honor the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.  Opened on May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was built primarily at the hands of thousands of emigrant Chinese workers. As the son of a Chinese immigrant myself, I honor the sacrifices of our Chinese ancestors responsible for building this important piece of American infrastructure. It’s because of their hard work that the American people were first able travel from sea to sea.”

Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17):

“The historic contributions of Chinese laborers to the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad are too often omitted from our history books. Chinese migrants faced discrimination and extraordinarily hazardous working conditions. History is incomplete if it does not recognize and celebrate the diversity in innovation, in infrastructure, and in transportation”

Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13):

“Today, we mark the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad and the honoring of the contributions of Chinese railroad workers. Their work and sacrifices propelled the growth of America and forever improved the country. Chinese railroad workers and their descendants are an essential piece of the American fabric, and we should always celebrate their contributions.”

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-06):

“The story of the Transcontinental Railroad is uniquely American. It’s a story of ingenuity and it is a story of immigrants. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Chinese laborers who contributed so much to this country by completing the historic Railroad. It is important to remember these forgotten workers, who chiseled through solid granite and laid miles and miles of track at record speed. The workers who built this American dream deserve to be honored and celebrated for their contributions to our modern-day economy.”

Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52):

“The 150th anniversary of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad honors the tireless work of Chinese railroad workers, who were respected for their work ethic, but paid less than others for more arduous work. Their fight against discrimination set the stage for millions of Asian American Pacific Islanders who came to the United States after them. I will continue to work to ensure our AAPI community and every American has an opportunity to succeed.”

Congressman Harley Rouda (CA-48):

“The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad was a landmark American achievement. But in the 150 years since then, the central place of Chinese Americans in building our infrastructure has far too often been forgotten. I’m proud to represent a diverse Asian American community of Chinese Americans, Vietnamese Americans, and Korean Americans in CA-48, and this anniversary marks yet another opportunity to uplift and celebrate their essential contributions to America as we know it today.”

WGBH慶祝亞裔傳統月 諾曼峰田勸亞裔要上決策桌

右起，李超榮，程必璧，保羅渡邊，記錄片製片人，諾曼峰田，記錄片另一製片人，余慕潔，伍仁英。(周菊子攝)

華林太極功夫學校舞獅。(周菊子攝)

(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)”決策桌上，你得列席”。”美國不是熔爐，是織紗”。美國白宮首位亞裔閣員諾曼峰田(Norman Mineta)5月9日晚在WGBH的亞裔傳統月慶祝會座談中提醒亞裔，在美國社會中參與的重要性。

WGBH執行長Jon Abbott。(周菊子攝)

美國公共電視台的WGBH和世界頻道近年每逢五月份，都會放映一系列影片，並舉辦晚會，慶祝亞裔傳統月。該台執行長Jon Abbott表示，今年將在三個頻道上放映50多部展現亞裔傳統，歷史，文化的影片，其中40多部會在全美各地播映。

波士頓市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)。(周菊子攝)

5月9日晚的慶祝會，由WGBH亞裔顧問委員陳秀英，李超榮等人策劃，WGBH總經理程必璧(Liz Cheng)主持，邀得波士頓市議員吳弭(Michelle Wu)致詞，麻州大學波士頓分校亞美研究院院長保羅渡邊(Paul Watanabe)和邦克丘(Bunker Hill)社區學院校長余慕潔(Pam Eddinger)訪談美國白宮首位亞裔閣員，曾任商部部長，交通部長的諾曼峰田(Norman Mineta) ，還請得哈佛大學法律教授伍仁英(Mark Wu)講話。

WGBH將於5月20日播映紀錄片，”諾曼豐田和他的傳奇:一個美國故事(Norman Mineta and his Legacy: An American Story)” ，當晚的慶祝會也放映了該片片段，邀請製片人上台分享製作過程。

WGBH總經理程必璧(左)，邦克丘社區學院校長余慕潔。(周菊子攝)

吳弭在致詞時表示，去年的選舉使得麻州亞裔民代人數再創高峰，在陳德基，黃子安等人之外，又再添二名亞裔眾議員，很是令人欣慰。但亞裔社區需要更多人參與，發聲，弘揚定義亞裔的尊重歷史，關切文化，以社區、天下為己任的價值觀。她讚揚陳秀英，李保華，李超榮等前輩在大波士頓為亞裔做斬荊闢棘先鋒所展現的領導力，鼓勵年輕人要勇於傳承。

香港餐廳老闆李柏豪(左)，波士頓華埠社區中心董事長馬以正(右)。(周菊子攝)

諾曼峰田在接受保羅渡邊，余慕潔訪談時，直言”在那個會由完全不瞭解你的人來做與你有關決策的會議桌上，你必須列席(You have to be at the table where decision is to be made about you by people who don’t know anything about you)”。他坦言自己當年最大的恐懼是在自己的國家中感到自己是外國人，同時他也認為美國不應該被形容為熔爐，反而應該是織紗，因為熔爐意味著所有不同材料丟進一個大鍋混淆後，會失去各自的原味，但織紗卻在把不同材料編織成紗時，展現著各種材料原有的特色。 

右起，伍仁英，陳秀英，奚珍。(周菊子攝)

WGBH的亞裔傳統月除了座談，放映影片外，還有華林太極功夫學校舞獅，紐英崙華人歷史協會擺放太平洋鐵路竣工150周年圖片展，亞美專業人士協會波士頓分會，波士頓華埠社區中心，亞美社區發展協會擺攤做介紹。當晚提供餐點的有九龍餐廳，聚福軒，雞肉飯傢伙等。

紐英崙華人歷史協會董事范王柳娥。(周菊子攝)

亞美專業人士協會波士頓分會顧問鄺朝寶(右三)與會員
們和WGBH總經理程必璧合影。(周菊子攝)

法國第二大製藥公司施維雅選海港區做美國子公司總部

(Boston Orange 編譯)法國第二大製藥公司施維雅(Servier)加碼入駐麻州，5月9日在波士頓市海港地帶的創新區開張美國子公司總部，將先以癌症治療、研發為重心業務，未來再擴展至其他領域。

麻州劍橋市坎德廣場(Kendall Square)早已是世界知名的生物醫藥業集中地，施維雅繼Alexion 製藥和Vertex 製藥之後，也在波士頓市設立公司總部，將讓波士頓市在支撐麻州成為全世界生醫產業重鎮上，享有與劍橋市分庭抗禮的地位。

總部在法國，由非營利基金管理的國際製藥公司施維雅(Servier)，早在2018年9月就以24億元買了夏爾(Shire)製藥的腫瘤部門，並在波約斯頓街(Boylston)上租用共同工作空間，如今不但在波士頓市四號碼頭大道200號7樓設立美國分公司施維雅製藥的總部，還打算五年內加倍增聘員工，拓展業務範圍。

原本是夏爾製藥腫瘤單位主管的David K. Lee博士，現在是施維雅製藥執行長。他認為劍橋-波士頓這生物醫藥圈內已有不下600家生物科技公司，其中還包括全世界10家最大製藥公司中的8家，施維雅在這兒設立公司的美國總部，再合乎邏輯不過。

波士頓海港區正越來越受生命科學公司歡迎。近年把總部遷進該區的公司就有Alexion 製藥和Vertex 製藥。通用電子(General Electric Co.)也剛在5月9日宣佈，達成協議，以2億5200萬元把該公司位於堡壘點(Fort Point)的物業賣給了Alexandria物業和全國發展公司。Alexandria的專長就是生命科學公司物業。

施維雅是法國第二大的製藥公司，全世界有22,000員工，營業銷售額約47億元，一向專注於研發，銷售醫治心臟疾病，糖尿病，以及炎症，神經退行性疾病等的藥物。

            施維雅也是罕見的非營利製藥公司，由基金經營，收入的四分之一重新投入做研發。施維雅製藥母公司董事長Olivier Laureau表示，由於不是上市公司，施維雅的科學家們可以看得比較遠些，不需要每天關注股價的專注於創新。(更新版)

通用電子2.5億元賣公司總部物業 麻州政府賺進1100萬元

               (Boston Orange 編譯)三年前雄心勃勃，要在波士頓大肆擴展的通用電子(GE)公司，5月9日以2億5200萬元把堡壘點(Fort Point)的公司總部賣了給亞歷山卓房地產權及國家發展公司。

             這宗買賣將可容許麻州政府的麻州發展局(MassDevelopment)從撥給該公司的公款中，拿回8700萬元，另外還有1100萬元利潤。

             這交易價格也使得麻州政府在近年來人們記憶中的最重大企業遷移案中，沒有損失金錢。2016年時，GE嘩啦啦地提出要打造新總部計畫，包括翻修兩個磚造倉庫，一座12層高獨特的水景塔樓，還有800個新工作機會。結果卻沒有那麼值得大事慶祝，在進行一輪大裁員後，GE縮小了在波士頓的建造及聘僱計畫。

             波士頓大學的金融教授Mark Williams表示，好在房地產市場上升了。他說，三年前當通用電子搬到波士頓時，他們只計算了優點，沒注意到缺點。

             二月GE把這2.7英畝物業放到市場上求售時，”麻州發展(MassDevelopment)”和GE已有得款分配協議，先讓麻州政府收回所有投資額，再償還GE付出的成本，還有錢剩下，就平分。麻州政府原本要給GE高達1億2千萬元的補助，但在GE決定出售時，”麻州發展”只付了8700萬元。麻州州長查理貝克的前任經濟發展長，也是當年促成此事的主要人物Jay Ash表示，在這情況下，麻州政府的投資賺了錢，GE的總部也還是在麻州。

             不過，今秋從臨時辦公室搬進位於Necco街，二棟翻新磚樓的GE總部，規模會小得多，包括行政團隊，大約只有250名總部員工。自從宣佈搬到波士頓以後，GE已經換了三名執行長，而且前任和現任執行長Larry Culp都專注在收縮火車工程及生命科學部門等業務線上，以精簡這一度龐大的公司，並對因GE股價下跌而不滿的股東們，有所交代。

             麻州政府給出的優惠方案，原本包括最高可達2500萬元的波士頓市物業稅減免，不過GE還沒用到這些優惠，這一優惠也不會轉移給新業主。

             這交易也意味著GE可能會有各生命科學公司鄰居。Alexandria是一家以服務生命科學行業聞名的物業公司，而且在劍橋市的坎德廣場(Kendall Square)已經聚斂了一簇的生物科技辦公室，實驗室。

             GE在Necco街的翻新磚造大樓上簽了12年的租約，並把它併成9萬5000平方呎的建築物。這物業的其他部分包括一英畝的可發展土地，以及可建29萬7000平方呎塔樓的許可。

全國發展公司分支之一的查理士河房地產投資者董事長Brian Kavoogian表示，靠近南車站就已經值得付出高價了。Alexandria和全國發展為拿下GE地段，最近還以8100萬元買下旁邊六層樓高，可提供大約600個停車位的Necco街停車場。GE的物業許可，只有30個停車位。

            他們本來還在研議買下寶潔公司和吉列園區的一塊6.5英畝土地，不過那塊地被瑞峰(Related Beal)拿走了。

儘管縮小了規模，Ge表示會實踐當初搬進波士頓時的另一承諾，捐5000萬元善款。GE基金目前已經花了1500萬元。

Baker-Polito Administration Announces New Housing Choice Designations and Highlights Housing Choice Bill in Haverhill

Baker-Polito Administration Announces New Housing Choice Designations and Highlights Housing Choice Bill in Haverhill

10 additional Housing Choice  Communities recognized for adopting housing best practices

HAVERHILL – Today, Governor Charlie Baker joined Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini, Representative Linda Dean Campbell, Representative Christina Minicucci, Representative Lenny Mirra, Representative Andres Vargas and other local leaders to highlight An Act to Promote Housing Choices, legislation filed by Governor Baker in February that calls for targeted zoning reform to advance new housing production in Massachusetts and support the administration’s goal to produce 135,000 new housing units by 2025.

Representative Campbell, Representative Minicucci, Representative Mirra, Representative Vargas, Karen Sawyer Conard, Executive Director of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Dave Traggorth, President of Traggorth Companies, and Eric Chinburg, President of Chinburg Properties, joined Mayor Fiorentini in endorsing the legislation in the lead up to the May 14^th Joint Committee on Housing hearing. 

During today’s event, Governor Baker also announced the designation of Haverhill and nine other municipalities as Housing Choice Communities. These ten communities join the 69 Housing Choice Communities designated in 2018.Launched in December 2017 as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s Housing Choice Initiative, this designation recognizes communities that adopt best practices for boosting housing production by making them eligible for competitive capital grants. The Administration has awarded $4 million to 19 communities through the Housing Choice Capital Grant Program.

“Housing Choice grants reward and encourage municipalities’ efforts to increase housing production and exemplify the support we believe is critical to empowering community development,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We congratulate today’s designees for their commitment to delivering important housing for residents and look forward to building on this progress by working together with the Legislature to pass our Housing Choice legislation.”

“Governor Baker and I recognize that far too many families, workers and employers are limited by the lack affordable, adequate housing in their communities,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are proud of the $1 billion our administration has invested into affordable housing programs like the Housing Development Incentive Program to advance thousands of market-rate units, and we look forward to continuing to prioritize housing at this crucial juncture.”

Haverhill earned this designation for producing more than 800 new housing units over the last five years, successfully leveraging state resources such as the Housing Development Incentive Program to drive the conversion of former mills into transit-oriented, mixed-use developments and promote a variety of housing and commercial activity. The pending Housing Choice bill would make it easier for the city to continue pursuing such projects.

In addition to Haverhill, today’s newly designated communities include: Ayer, Burlington, Dracut, Fall River, Franklin, Hingham, Newton, Westwood, and Wrentham. Since 2014, these municipalities have collectively produced more than 5,800 new units of housing.

The legislative proposal will enable cities and towns to adopt certain zoning best practices related to housing production by a simple majority vote, rather than the current two-thirds supermajority. While this legislation will lower the voting threshold to change zoning for all communities in the Commonwealth, it does not require cities and towns to make any of these changes. With the proposed simple majority threshold, municipalities that pursue rezoning efforts including those enabling transit-oriented or downtown-oriented new housing, would gain approval if they achieve more than 50% of the vote, as opposed to the current super majority of more than 66%. Massachusetts is currently one of only a few states to require a supermajority to change local zoning.

Zoning changes that promote best practices for housing growth that would qualify for the simple majority threshold include:

• Building mixed-use, multi-family, and starter homes, and adopting 40R “Smart Growth” zoning in town centers and near transit.
• Allowing the development of accessory dwelling units, or “in-law” apartments.
• Approving Smart Growth or Starter Homes districts that put housing near existing activity centers.
• Granting increased density through a special permit process.
• Allowing for the transfer of development rights and enacting natural resource protection zoning.
• Reducing parking requirements and dimensional requirements, such as minimum lot sizes.

This legislation also includes a provision, added by the Joint Committee on Housing last session, that would reduce the voting threshold for a special permit issued by a local permit granting authority to a simple majority vote, for certain multi-family or mixed-use projects with at least 10% affordable units in locations near transit or, in centers of commercial activity within a municipality.

“Massachusetts is home to the country’s best-educated workforce, but also its most expensive housing,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “Our Housing Choice legislation would empower the production necessary to reduce housing costs, delivering relief to families while helping retain talent and securing economic growth. We look forward to working with our partners in the Legislature to make sure it passes this session.”

The legislation is part of the administration’s Housing Choice Initiative, which provides incentives, technical assistance, and capital grant funding to encourage new housing production that meets the long-term needs of the Commonwealth’s growing, and aging, population.

“Our families, seniors, workforce, individuals with disabilities, and vulnerable populations have diverse housing needs, and today’s market is not meeting them. Housing that our residents can afford is a crucial resource and An Act to Promote Housing Choices will create the tools we need to promote new housing development for those across incomes,” said Acting Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development Jennifer Maddox. “We are proud of the coalition we’ve built in support of this legislation and the investments we’ve made in affordable housing, community development, and public housing to benefit the many communities which contribute to our strong, inclusive Commonwealth.”

“I’m grateful that Governor Baker is coming to Haverhill to showcase his key housing legislation, which I strongly endorse,” said Mayor of Haverhill James J. Fiorentini. “This legislation, aptly called the Housing Choice Initiative, will give our city options to control our own destiny. It fits perfectly with our ongoing Master Plan process and will help us as we decide where we want residential growth and what kind of residential growth we want. Most importantly, it will give us new tools to develop housing that middle class families can actually afford.”

"Governor Baker’s Housing Choice legislation provides a much clearer path to create dense urban housing and to preserve existing structures like the Ellis Factory Lofts. It will increase housing options and density, reduce dimensional requirements, and decreases costs, which all helps to make more affordable projects,” said Eric Chinburg, President of Chinburg Properties. “We are really pleased to have completed this renovation and to breathe new life into an iconic, historic factory building. Attracting new residents and businesses to downtown Haverhill supports a vibrant place to live, work and play. Haverhill has been very supportive during this complex project and we congratulate Mayor Fiorentini and his staff staff on their approach to encourage varied housing options in the downtown core, where residents can walk to restaurant, shops and public transportation."

“The Housing Choice Initiative legislation is an important step in the development of more affordable housing across the Commonwealth,” said Lisa B. Alberghini, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. “We are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, and we need to increase affordable housing opportunities to ensure the continued creation of strong, diverse and healthy communities. The Housing Choice Initiative is a significant tool in the effort to address this need.”

“We have been successful in Haverhill because Mayor Fiorentini has proven that housing is key to economic development, and because Governor Baker has given us the tools like the Housing Development Incentive Tax Credit and the State Historic Tax Credit to help make it happen,” said Dave Traggorth, President of Traggorth Companies. “We support the Housing Choice legislation so that we can scale up the success we've had both within Haverhill, and in other cities and towns eager to see the same incredible results.”

“As one of 13 Regional Planning Agencies in the Commonwealth, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is proud to support the Baker-Polito Administration’s efforts with the Housing Choice Initiative,” said Karen Sawyer Conard, Executive Director of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. “Home to seven Housing Choice Community Designations and three Community Grant and Small Town Grant Awards to enhance water infrastructure needs and improve open space amenities for residents, our region is taking full advantage of this innovative program.  Our communities will look to coordinate the benefits of the Housing Choice Initiative with our newly developed Regional Housing Plan to help plan for the development and preservation of housing units to meet the needs of all residents today and in the future.”

“Its designation as a Housing Choice Community is a testament to the City of Haverhill’s commitment to bolstering housing production and supporting a growing workforce that can proudly call this great city home,” said Senator Diana DiZoglio. “I am pleased to see these efforts recognized and look forward to working alongside the City of Haverhill and communities across the Merrimack Valley to ensure all working families have sufficient access to affordable housing.”

“Zoning reform is key to addressing our housing crisis and ensuring that every community does their best to meet the housing demand in Massachusetts,”said Representative Andres Vargas. “I appreciate the Governor taking the time to visit Haverhill, as we continue to make progress on housing affordability.” 

“We must continue to find innovative solutions to address the housing crisis, especially given our aging population,” said Representative Linda Dean Campbell. “Haverhill’s designation as a Housing Choice Community will give the City greater access to funding to further its innovative efforts on this issue. I look forward to working with Governor Baker and my colleagues on the state level to make it easier for our communities to adopt the housing solutions that work best for them.”

“Massachusetts has enjoyed a very robust economy with strong job growth,”said Representative Lenny Mirra. “In order to see this continue, the Commonwealth will need a large increase in housing production and the Governor's plans will go a long way in making this happen.”

The Baker-Polito Administration has shown a deep commitment to increasing the production of housing across income levels. Since 2015, the administration has invested more than $1 billion in affordable housing, resulting in the production and preservation of more than 17,000 housing units, including 15,000 affordable units. In 2018, Governor Baker signed the largest housing bond bill in Massachusetts history, committing more than $1.8 billion to the future of affordable housing production and preservation. The Baker-Polito Administration has also advanced the development of more than 11,000 mixed-income housing units through the successful MassWorks Infrastructure Program, reformed the Housing Development Incentive Program, and worked with communities to implement smart-growth development and planning efforts.

2019 Housing Choice Community Designations:

·         Town of Ayer

·         Town of Burlington

·         Town of Dracut

·         City of Fall River

·         Town of Franklin

·         City of Haverhill

·         Town of Hingham

·         City of Newton

·         Town of Westwood

·         Town of Wrentham

中華表演藝術基金會5/11音樂會

Soovin Kim及簡佩盈(Gloria Chien)。

(Boston Orange)中華表演藝術基金會訂 5月11日(週六) 晚八點，在波士頓紐英崙音樂學院喬登廳 (Jordan Hall) 舉辦音樂會。兩位著名的新英格蘭音樂學院教授，韓裔小提琴家Soovin Kim，華裔鋼琴家簡佩盈(Gloria Chien)將攜手演出。

韓裔小提琴家 Soovin Kim早在20歲時就獲得帕格尼尼國際小提琴大賽一等金獎。他後來得過的獎項包括1997年的亨利克·谢林事業成就獎，1998年的艾弗里費舍爾事業成就獎，以及2005年Borletti -Buitoni信託公司獎。

Soovin Kim以彈奏豐富及特別的曲目聞名，例如巴赫、帕加尼尼的作品，以及大型浪漫協奏曲，新創作曲等。 2006年2月他發行了24首帕格尼尼小提琴獨奏錄音碟，古典電台雜誌稱之為 “本月最佳樂器光盤”。他還有一張由Stomp / EMI製作的光盤，是韓國作曲家特別為韓國MIK鋼琴四重奏編寫由他們演出的作品。

他經常與世界上最傑出的指揮和管弦樂隊一起在各地演出，並獲得了好評。

Soovin Kim畢業於柯蒂斯音樂學院及研究所。他是尚普蘭湖Lake Champlain 室內樂音樂節藝術總監。

在台灣出生的鋼琴家簡佩盈(Gloria Chien)，在新英格蘭音樂學院修得學士，碩士和音樂博士學位。她的老師包括 Russell Sherman和Wha-Kyung Byun。 她現在的身分包括田納西州克利夫蘭李大學副教授，林肯中心室內音樂學會成員，門羅 Music@Menlo 室內音樂節主任，以及尚普蘭湖室內樂音樂節藝術副總監。

波士頓環球報曾把她選為年度最佳高級鋼琴家之一，Richard Dyer稱讚她 “ ...她似乎在所有事情上都表現出色”。“色彩豐富繽紛，混合瀟灑虛張，具有不可思議的準精度...”。波士頓音樂雜誌樂評也曾說:“這是我在波士頓聽過的最好的表演之一”。 她在16歲時就首次和波士頓交響樂團合作，之後與多位知名指揮家合作，在許多國家舉辦過獨奏會，也曾在許多國際鋼琴比賽中得過獎。自2000年以來，她一直是波士頓 Chameleon藝術團的常駐鋼琴家，該團以多功能性，重視新音樂而聞名。

            5月11日晚的音樂會曲目，將包括Ravel: Sonata No. 2 in G Major ，Webern: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7
Szymanowski:  Nocturne and Tarantella, Op. 28 ，Prokofiev: Five Melodies, Op. 35 ，Strauss : Violin Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 18 。

音樂會票價 $15-$50，主辦單位提撥有一百張限學生索取的免費票（十四歲以上），並呼籲六歲以下兒童請勿入場. 查詢可洽中華表演藝術基金會譚嘉陵，foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net 或網站購票: www.ChinesePerformingArts.net。

哈佛大學費正清中心5月8日舉辦 "天安門30年"座談會

哈佛大學費正清中心主任宋怡明
(Michael A. Szonyi)。(周菊子攝)

哈佛大學費正清中心5月8日舉辦
"天安門30年"座談會。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子劍橋市報導) 哈佛大學費正清中心5月8日下午在中心地下室講堂中舉辦座談，公開討論”天安門30年”。講者郝建強調血腥記憶必須保存，王丹聲言推動政府與社會對話，各有所重，但擠滿會場的聽眾，似乎都明白目前中美關係緊張，中國內部管制加強的現實局勢，沒人提太尖銳的問題。

             哈佛大學費正清中心主任宋明怡(Michael Szonyi)在開場致詞時也特地說明，這是關於天安門事件，難得的公開討論，講談內容將製播上網，但為照顧出席者可能有的顧慮，不要求提問者自報身分，現場影像也只拍攝講者。

                 這場座談請來的四名講者分別是北京電影學院教授郝建，墨爾本大學資深講師，也是”失憶人民共和國:重訪天安門(The People’s Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited)”的作者林慕蓮(Louisa Lim)，”對話中國”創辦人，也是八九民運學生領袖王丹，加州爾灣大學歷史教授華志堅(Jeffrey Wasserstrom)。

             座談主持人何曉清現為普林斯頓大學研究院成員，也是”天安門流亡:為中國內的民主掙扎的聲音(Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China)”的作者。她特地感謝了一直以來支持她教”六四”這門課的前費正清中心主任，今年2月10日辭世的馬若德(Roderick Lemonde MacFarquhar)教授。

右起，郝建，宋怡明(Michael A. Szonyi)，華志堅(Jeff
Wasserstrom)，林慕連(Louisa Lim)，何曉清，王丹。
(周菊子攝)

             郝建是當天唯一使用了投影片的講者。他坦言30年來，這是他第一次可以公開談論，紀念六四。他直言，天安門事件讓他對中國的看法有了改變。

             那時候，為了找堂弟，他走遍北京30多家醫院，沿途親眼看到中槍倒地的屍體，其後也協助天安門母親查察事件中死亡者身分，在自己家中辦過紀念六四的活動。他堂弟郝致京的名字，是六年多後，才找石匠刻到墓碑上，

北京電影學院教授，哈佛大學訪問學者郝建。(周菊子攝)

             林慕蓮表示，天安門事件已然是30年前那一代人的共同記憶，但顯然在中國之內仍然是各禁忌話題，譬如在中國禁止發行的書中，就有約10%書名帶有六四或天安門等字樣。她在教課時，新生代居然有人問她，為什麼要學習有關天安門的這段歷史，學了是否反而有礙社會和諧?她感慨道，如果中國的成功是建基於人們即使只是討論這議題都不許可，付出的社會代價是否太高了些。。

郝建:這血腥的記憶，必須保存。(周菊子攝)

             王丹從哈佛畢業後，到台灣定居8年，曾在清華，東吳，中正等大學任客座助理教授，2017年返美，2018年在華府成立”對話中國”智庫。5月7日，他在紐約參加了在聖約翰大教堂舉行，由美國筆會，人到中國等機構舉辦的紀念六四30週年音樂詩歌朗誦會，5月8日來到波士頓哈佛費正清中心舉辦的”天安門30年”座談。

左起，王丹，林幕蓮，郝建。(周菊子攝)

             王丹透露，當年許多年輕人，忙著唸英語，準備出國，學習之外，打牌，學跳舞，沒人一天到晚以國家興亡為己任的去針貶時務，發生學生運動時，他們也只是要求和政府對話，那曉得他們的人生就從此不同了，1989以後，他的一舉一動都在人們注視中。他認為台灣經驗是最好的借鑑，如果中國發展也走台灣的路，一定會成為一個更好的社會。他成立”對話中國”，就是因為這些年的經歷，讓他知道政府和社會對話是多麼重要。

Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting to be shown at MFA from Sept. 2019

Li Bai's night revel in peach and plum
 garden, 1650, Chen Hongshou

SEPTEMBER 14, 2019–MARCH 29, 2020

Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends

In 2018, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), received 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. In September 2019, the MFA will open the first in a series of three exhibitions celebrating the landmark donation made by Wan-go H. C. Weng, a longtime Museum supporter and one of the most respected collectors and connoisseurs of Chinese painting in the U.S.

Featuring approximately 20 masterpieces from the gift, the first installation explores the theme of family and friends. Among the highlights are works by some of the greatest masters from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties, which demonstrate the close association of painting and calligraphy with human relationships in Chinese art. The intimate Landscape of Suzhou Sceneries (1484–1504) album describes Shen Zhou’s travels with friends around his home region, while Nine Letters to Home (after 1523), written by Wen Zhengming to his wife and sons, portray an emotionality not usually seen in the artist’s more formal works. Depicting a powerful salt merchant and art collector,Portrait of An Qi in His Garden (1698) is a collaboration between two friends, Wang Hui and Jiao Bingzhen, both celebrated court artists of the day. The most recent piece in the exhibition is a handscroll painted by Wan-go H. C. Weng himself, Elegant Gathering at the Laixiju Studio (1990). The contemporary work commemorates a momentous gathering of friends—including six of the world’s most respected historians of Chinese paintings—held at the collector’s home in 1985.