R E G R E T

Due to the postponment of The Asian Theatre Festival at Kerala , the performance of Zhejiang Peking Opera at Kolkata cannot take place due to their schedule.

Sorry for the disappoinment.

Thank you for the same.

Sorry

Opera performance at Rabindra Sadan on December 7, 2008 is Postponed

Sorry

Chinese Opera To Perform In City

2 Nov 2008 ( Kolkata , Sunday , page 3 )

Subhro Niyogi, TNN

Zhejiang Peking Opera, which has enthralled audiences worldwide with classical plays like Red Lantern, Sha Jia Bang and The Harbour, will perform a power-packed play in the city in early December.

The programme will be jointly hosted by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Indian Chinese Association (ICA).

"It is the biggest Chinese event to be organised in the city. There’s a lot of excitement in both Tiretti Bazar and Tangra, where most of Kolkata’s Chinese live. We are proud to bring to Kolkata an opera that enjoys the status of national treasure in China," said ICA president Paul Chung.

This traditional form of Chinese theatre, combining music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics developed in eastern China’s Zhejiang province in the late 18th century. Though it was banned during the cultural revolution (1966-1976), it was revived thereafter and came into its own after the amalgamation with Zhejiang Kulnqu Opera Company in February 1994. Since then, the troupe has received critical acclaim across the world. Chung, who is a keen music enthusiast and knew about the opera, seized the opportunity when he learnt that the famous troupe was scheduled to perform at the World Theatre Festival in Kochi.

"A year ago, mayor Bikash Bhattacharya had expressed interest in hosting Chinese cultural events and asked us to get performing artistes. I was not too expectant since we are a small organisation. Then, this opportunity came by. I contacted the Chinese consulate and the troupe responded enthusiastically," Chung recalled. While the troupe is best known for its classical plays, it has decided to stage The Monkey King, an action musical with combat movements, to reach out to an audience that doesn’t have much exposure to opera. "What also influenced the choice of the play was the Indian concept of Hanuman, the monkey god. The troupe felt the association would help people identify with the play," Chung explained.

The play could star the winner of the Plum Blossom Prize, China’s highest award for stage performance, Weng Guosheng. He is expected to land in Kolkata with 16 other troupe members on December 6. The performance at Rabindra Sadan is slated the next evening.

Táng Sēng 唐僧

Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘); was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator that brought up the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period.
Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘;: Xuán Zàng; Hsüan-tsang) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator that brought up the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period.
Xuanzang is also known as Táng-sānzàng (唐三藏) or simply as Táng Sēng (唐僧), in Cantonese as Tong Sam Jong and in Vietnamese as Đường Tam Tạng. Less common romanizations of include Hhuen Kwan, Hiouen Thsang, Hiuen Tsiang, Hsien-tsang, Hsuan Chwang, Hsuan Tsiang, Hwen Thsang, Xuan Cang, Xuan Zang, Shuen Shang, Yuan Chang, Yuan Chwang, and Yuen Chwang. In Japanese, he is known as Genjō, or Genjō-sanzō (Xuanzang-sanzang). In Vietnamese, he is known as Đường Tăng (Tang buddhist monk), Đường Tam Tạng ("Tang Three Collection" monk), Huyền Trang (the Han-Vietnamese name of Xuanzang)
Born as Chen Hui, He was the youngest of four children. He was Confucian, but at a young age of 20 he was ordained a Buddhist monk. To clear the contradictions and discrepancies in the texts he decided to go to India, to study in the cradle of Buddhism.
He was in India for 17 long years, travelled through India and passed Orissa, He recorded over 50 Hindu temples, 100 Buddhist monasteries. These are inclusive of those in Bengal (Cuttack, Balasore and Puri ).
His strenuous translation of his collection of Indian Buddhist texts to Chinese, and subsequent these were the source of the recoveries of lost Indian Buddhist texts from translated Chinese copies. He is credited with writing or compiling the Cheng Weishi Lun as a commentary on these texts. He also founded the short-lived but influential Faxiang school of Buddhism. Additionally, he was known for recording the events of the reign of the northern Indian emperor, Harsha.
Under the Emperor's request, Xuanzang completed his book "Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty" (大唐西域記), which has become one of the primary sources for the study of medieval Central Asia and India.
"Journey to the West in the Great Tang Dynasty" (大唐西域記), inspired one of the great Chinese Classics novel Journey to the West. This novel is the reincarnation of a disciple of Gautama Buddha, who is protected on his journey by three powerful disciples. One of them, the monkey, (he might well be inspired by the monkey god Hanuman); was a popular favourite and profoundly influenced Chinese culture.

D U R G A

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga

http://www.durga-puja.org

THE THREE ASTRONAUTS

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng(L), Liu Boming(C), and Zhai Zhigang

Jubilant Return to Earth after Successfully Completing the Country's first-ever Spacewalk mission

Technicians help the three Chinese astronauts out of Shenzhou-7 re-entry module today after their safe landing in central Inner Mongolia, China . State broadcaster CCTV showed Shenzhou 7 spaceship landing under clear skies in the grasslands of China's northern Inner Mongolia region at 5:37 p.m. (0937 GMT).

FIRST WALK IN SPACE

A video grab taken at the Beijing Space Command and Control Center shows Zhai Zhigang outside the orbit module of the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft during his spacewalk.

Zhai became the first Chinese man to walk in space on Saturday (September 27, 2008 ) , clambering out of the space craft ( for 13 minutes ) in a technological feat that Beijing wants the world to marvel about.

Congratulations to China for doing what Russia and the USA did 43 years ago.

Chinese Literature

The Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature or 四 大 名 著 Si Da Ming Zhu

Dream of the Red Chamber ( 紅 樓 夢) known as A Dream of Red Mansions or The Story of the Stone or The Chronicles of the Stone, 石 頭 記 , Shítóu Jì .
A Dream of Red Mansion also named as Tale of the Rock. It is of a tragic love story by Cáo Xuěqín (曹 雪 芹) .

Water Margin (水 滸 傳 ) known as All Men Are Brothers also as Outlaws of the Marsh .
It is based on the folk tales of a band of rebels by Shī Nài'ān (施 耐 庵) .

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三 國 演 義 )
Three kingdoms based on the historical records of the conflict between the kingdoms of Wei, Shi and Wu (220 –265 A.D. 羅 貫 中) by Luó Guànzhōng

Journey to the West (西 遊 記) also known as Monkey King and Monkey.
Journey to the West is based on the Tang Dynasty monk who made the journey to India to fetch the Buddhist Scriptures by Wú Chéng'ēn (吳 承 恩) This is one of The Four Journeys.

MOON FESTIVAL CELEBRATION

The Seagull Foundation For The Arts presents

14:00 16 Aug
Still Life
Director: Zhangke Jia
111 min
Awards:Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion Mainichi Film Concours: Best Foreign Film Kinema Junpo Award: Best Foreign Film & Best Foreign Film Director Durban International Film Festival: Best Direction Asian Film Award: Best Director 2 nominations Asian Film Award: Best Composer & Best Film
Coalminer Han Sanming comes from Fengyang in Shanxi to the Three Gorges town Fengjie to look for his ex-wife whom he has not seen for 16 years. The couple meet on the bank of the Yangtze River and vow to remarry. Nurse Shen Hong also comes to Fengjie from Taiyuan in Shanxi to look for her husband who has not been home for two years. The couple embrace each other and waltz under the imposing Three Gorges dam, but feel they are so apart and decide to have a divorce. The old township has been submerged, while a new town has to be built. Life persists in the Three Gorges - what should be taken up is taken up, what should be cast off is cast off.

17:00 16 Aug
The World
Director: Zhangke Jia
140 min
Awards São Paulo International Film Festival: Critics Award Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: Best Foreign-Language Film2 nominations Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion Golden Horse Film Festival: Best Original Film Score
"The World" is a theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, sixteen kilometers from the Chinese capital, designed around scaled representations of the world's famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The site is seen here not from the visitors' point of view but through the eyes of a few of its staff, lonely people, communicating poorly, a bit disillusioned with life, glittering for the tourists but dull and restricted as far as they are concerned.

14:00 17 Aug
Platform
Director: Zhangke Jia
154 min
AwardsBuenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema: Best Film Fribourg International Film Festival: Don Quixote Award & FIPRESCI Prize Nantes Three Continents Festival: Golden Montgolfiere Singapore International Film Festival: Young Cinema Award Venice Film Festival: Netpac Award
Set in Fenyang, Shanxi Province, the film focuses on a group of amateur theatre troupe performers whose fate mirrors that of the general population in China as massive socio-economic changes sweep across the mainland. The film commences in 1979 with the troupe performing numbers idolizing Mao Zedong, ending in the '80s when the shows reflect the strong Western influences pervading China, covering a decade in which China saw tremendous changes. 2 nominations Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion Singapore International Film Festival: Silver Screen Award

17:00 17 Aug
Xiao Wu
Director: Zhangke Jia
105 min
AwardsBerlin International Film Festival: Netpac Award & Wolfgang Staudte Award Nantes Three Continents Festival: Golden Montgolfiere Pusan International Film Festival: New Currents Award San Francisco International Film Festival: SKYY Prize Vancouver International Film Festival: Dragons and Tigers Award 1 nomination Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema: Best Film
Little pocket thief Wu never got away from the streets like his friends did. He realises that he is alone, as his old buddy doesn't invite him for his wedding. When he falls in love with a hooker he is forced to think about his future. Can he break with his criminal past?

Documentaries
18:30 18 Aug
The Blood of Yingzhou District
Director: Ruby Yang
39 min
AwardsOscar: Best Documentary RiverRun International Film Festival: Jury Prize Silverdocs Documentary Festival: Grand Jury Award Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival: Audience Award VC FilmFest-Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival: Golden Reel Award & Best Documentary 1 nomination International Documentary Association: Pare Lorentz Award
Gao Jun, the child featured in "The Blood of Yingzhou District," does not speak a word until the closing minutes of the film. Little is known about him, not even his age. Yet this young AIDS orphan reveals his ferocious resolve to live while his extended family weighs whether or not to keep him. The documentary tells the story of traditional Chinese obligations of family and village colliding with terror of infection, and how these forces play out in the lives of children in the remote villages of Anhui. Framing the film is Gao Jun's search for a family to call his own.

19:30 18 Aug
To Live Is Better Than to Die
Director: Weijun Chen
88 min
AwardsPeabody Awards
A portrait of a Chinese family living with and dying of HIV/AIDS.

18:30 19, Aug
There's a Strong Wind in Beijing
Director: Anqi Ju
50 min
Awardsselected for Berlin International Film Festival
With consummate simplity, Ju An Qi roams the street of Beijing to gain an insight into a culture which is grappling with change but which holds on to recent tradition with a white knuckled grip. Rather than attempt to prise open the culture by asking formal questions, this crew simply asks "is there a strong wind in Beijing?" Like Jeff Krulick's classic pop-culture work Heavy Metal Parking Lot, Ju is not so much interested in what is said but the WAY it is said. It is truly amazing just how much a simple gesture or reaction can reveal about a person and in this instance how much it can reveal about a culture. The crew of three wander unannounced into through beauty parlours, toilets, schools, restaurants, public squares and all manner of locations. They eavesdrop on public phone conversations, knock on doors and generally have loads of fun capturing some inspired moments which run the gamut of hilarious to intensely moving.

19:30 19 Aug
Blossoming in the Wind
Director: Yueling Sun
60 min
Selected for Yunnan Multi-Culture Visual Festival
A record of the blissful journey of a Living Buddha, several of his disciples and the filmmaker circumambulate a holy mountain. The joy endures throughout the film as they march on through sleet and snow .

Fifth Generation Filmmakers

18:30 20 Aug
Springtime in a Small Town
Director: Zhuangzhuang Tian
116 min
AwardsTromsø International Film Festival: Don Quixote Award Venice Film Festival: San Marco Prize
Liyan and Yuwen live in post-war torpor, childless but with Liyan's school-aged sister. He coughs, imagining he has TB; Yuwan embroiders; they sleep in separate rooms. A surprise visit from Liyan's boyhood friend Zhang, a big city physician, wakes up the household. To Zhang's amazement, he discovers his friend's wife is his own youthful sweetheart. Possibilities abound: an affair, an arranged marriage of Zhang and Little Sister, now 16, or simply ending ennui and embracing vitality. Can a stifling atmosphere of Chinese Chekhov give way to spring? Alcohol at a birthday party speeds resolution.

18:30 21 Aug
Peacock
Director: Changwei Gu
144 min
AwardsBerlin International Film Festival: Jury Grand Prix Golden Rooster Awards: Best Supporting Actress São Paulo International Film Festival: Special Prize of Direction and Illumination3 nominations Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear Golden Rooster Awards: Best Supporting Actor São Paulo International Film Festival: International Jury AwardThe story is set in the 1970s in a small town in China. A middle aged couple has three children. The eldest son is obese and mentally challenged, therefore he is teased and outcasted by others. The second child is an outgoing and energetic daughter, who is not afraid of doing anything to pursue her dreams or to survive. The youngest child is a shy and quiet boy who is ashamed by his older brother and tries to break away from the misery in his family. Breaking into three sections focusing on each of these siblings, the film allows us to look into the lives of ordinary Chinese people the 70s.

18:30 22 Aug
Blind Shaft
Director: Yang Li
92 min
Awards12 wins Bangkok International Film Festival: Best Actor Berlin International Film Festival: Outstanding Artistic Achievement Bratislava International Film Festival: Special Jury Prize Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema: Kodak Award & ADF Cinematography Award Deauville Asian Film Festival: Lotus Edinburgh International Film Festival: New Director's Award Film by the Sea International Film Festival: Film and Literature Award Golden Horse Film Festival: Best New Performer & Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source Hong Kong International Film Festival: Silver Firebird Award Tribeca Film Festival: Best Narrative Feature 6 nominations Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear
Two Chinese coal miners have hit upon the perfect scam: murder one of their fellow mine workers, make the death look like an accident, and extort money from the boss to keep the incident hushed up. For their latest "mark," they choose a naive teenager from a small village, and as they prepare to carry out their newest plan, things start to get complicated...

14:00 23 Aug
7 to 400 Blows
Director: Ming-liang Tsai
116 min
10 wins
Asia-Pacific Film Festival: Best Director, Best Film & Best Supporting Actress Chicago International Film Festival: Best Director, Grand Jury Prize & Special Jury Prize for Cinematography Cinemanila International Film Festival: Best Actor, Kodak Vision Award & Lino Brocka Award Golden Horse Film Festival: Special Jury Award2 nominations Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm Chlotrudis Awards: Best Cinematography
When a young street vendor with a grim home life meets a girl on her way to Paris, they forge an instant connection. He changes all the clocks in Taipei to French time; as he watches Francois Truffaut's Les 400 Coups, she has a strange encounter with its now-ageing star (Jean-Pierre Leaud).

17:00 23 Aug
A Confucian Confusion
Director: Edward Yang
125 min
Awards Golden Horse Film Festival: Best Screenplay Originally Written for the Screen, Best Supporting Actor & Best Supporting Actress 7 nominations Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm Golden Horse Film Festival: Best Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Original Score & Best Sound Effects
Taiwanese society is closely examined in this complex political drama that includes elements of black comedy. The underlying thesis is a call for nouveau riche Asian countries to expand their horizons and reconsider their traditional ways. The relationships within the film are quite convoluted. All the characters are somehow connected by blood, friendship, or sexual chemistry.

14:00 24 Aug
Small Station
Director: Chien-ping Lin
29 min
AwardsVenice Film Festival: Silver Lion for the Best Short FilmThe film is inspired by a real story. A 60 year-old woman and her 35 year-old mentally disabled son travel from Taipei to a remote train station in the interior of Taiwan. The son is fond of watching trains rushing by, and they spend the day just looking at express trains ply back and forth, north and south past the small station.

15:00 24 Aug
A Brighter Summer Day
Director: Edward Yang
237 min
AwardsAsia-Pacific Film Festival: Best Film Kinema Junpo Awards: Best Foreign Language Film Director Tokyo International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize & Special Jury Prize
Set in 1960, and based on a true incident weighing heavily on Yang's own youth, the film -- which, in its unedited form, clocks in at just under four hours -- primarily focuses on the life of S'ir, a high school student whose civil servant father was among the millions of Chinese mainlanders who fled to Taipei in the wake of 1949's civil uprisings. In the picture's opening scenes, it is revealed that S'ir is teetering on the brink of academic expulsion; like so many of the film's characters, he is clearly yearning for a stronger sense of belonging, and as a result joins a youth gang, much to the detriment of his life at home and at school. In time, he falls for Ming, a flirtatious girl with domestic troubles of her own; this ill-fated couple's circle of friends also includes Honey, an exiled gang leader, Si'r's best friend Xiao Ma, and Cat, a younger boy obsessed with Elvis Presley.

R E S P E C T

“ Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator ". Confucius

Following the saying of our great teacher Confucius, a programme was organised by the Chinese community of Territti Bazar or Kolkata Chinatown, for honouring our senior citizens of above 75, on the occasion of the Inauguration of Beijing Olympics 2008
We felt the joy of their encouragement by the presence of about 30 of them. They sat through the inauguration ceremony, shown on the project screen and enjoyed the meal offered. We felt proud of their enthusiasm and joyful presence. We had over 250 members of our community joining in to facilitate them.

We thank all the senior citizens, the whole community for their encouragement and all the volunteers who put in their bests to see to the organisation and with the professionalism in putting up the facilitation of our elders, whom are held in precious esteem and respect.

We invite everyone to join us with grateful hearts and prayer for the happiness and long lives of our elders.

Golden Moment

Abhinav Bindra (born September 28, 1982) is an Indian shooter specializing in the 10 m Air Rifle event. Today at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became the first Indian ever to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games and first gold medal since 1980 for India by winning the gold in the 10 m Air Rifle event

The Medal

The medal for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is designed with inspiration coming from "bi", China's ancient jade piece inscribed with a dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and are the embodiment of traditional Chinese values of ethics and honour, sending forth strong Chinese flavor.

The medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness. On the front side, the medal adopts standard design prescribed by the International Olympic Committee. While on the back, the medal is inlaid with jade with the Beijing Games emblem engraved in the metal centerpiece.

The design inspiration of the medal hook derives from jade "huang", a ceremonial jade piece with decoration of double dragon pattern and "Pu", the reed mat pattern.

Noble and elegant, the Beijing Olympic Games medal is a blending of traditional Chinese culture and the Olympism.
It gives the winners of the Games great honor and acclamation as recognition of their achievement.

Note: bi - a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the center
Huang - a semi circular jade ornament

Governor Invites at Raj Bhavan on 15 th August 2008

8808 GOOD LUCK , BEIJING

The commencement of Beijing Olympics on 08.08.2008 at eight minutes past 8 o'clock in the evening will guarantee that it will be carried out under the most auspicious circumstances, as the digit "eight" is considered synonymous with "prosperity" , "fortune" or "wealth" .

Let us pray that the "lucky" day will lead a hassle-free event, amid concerns of bad weather in the host city.Lets rain not disrupt the opening ceremony from 8:08 pm to 11:30 pm at the open - air national stadium ("Bird's Nest") ,though 32,000 strong team has been mobilised with scientific - engineering backgrounds and cloud - seeding technology to drive clouds away on the D-day.

Wish Sports be at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. 'Harmony' boasts strong Chinese characteristics, and expresses the traditional Chinese philosophy in pursuit of a balance between man and nature, among people and between man's body and soul.

Let us build a harmonious society of enduring peace and common prosperity.

Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing

The Indian Chinese community in India is also as excited as the community all over the world ( One World One Dream ) in the event of Beijing 2008 Olympics. For most of us it may be once in the lifetime experience and definitely it is the first time ever.

Here in Kolkata, we have two communities: one known as Territti Bazar or Old Chinatown or Calcutta Chinatown (Downtown Chinatown), the other as Tangra Chinatown. There are plans to have gatherings in order to enhance the joy of togetherness and savouring the pleasure of this great event.

The community in Territti Bazar will have their gathering at Sea Ip Church, while Tangra Community will hold the gathering at the spacious Pei May Chinese High School .

The gathering at Sea Ip will take this opportunity to honour the senior members of the community, as to show how precious they are and fortunate for us to have them with us. At the same time to remember that they are considered as a tangible sign of blessing on the whole Community.

We take this opportunity to invite all Indian Chinese, where they may be, to be with us at least in their mind and Spirit.

觀今宜鑒古 ，無古不成今。

This is taken from our ancient sayings, it happened to emerge in my mind after hearing the remark from an Indian research student, who is doing her Ph.D.
She made this remark in the context about the experience in her research in the written aspect of the Chinese in India.
We are proud to share with one and all, that the time for the Indian Chinese in Calcutta or Kolkata to move forward towards a brighter future has come. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to recollect our past and then orient our direction of forward thrust.
It will be sad and also rather late, to only lament about the lack of written history of our presence in Calcutta, but it is also a great opportunity for us to do so. It is undoubtedly a great service to our descendants and to the Chinese all over the world besides to the culture of the land we live in.
We, thereby appeal to all the Indian Chinese, no matter where you may be living now, to offer to our ancestors the sacrifice of writing or sending to this blog, whatever you know, by experience or by what you had heard from reliable sourses and any printed material or photographs.
We appreciate your sacrifice and contributions to keep the fire and the warm significance that help us to keep our head high, and to be proud of our ancestors and their achievements.
Please do pass this message to all your friends, so that more drops of encouragement will be collected to form the fountain of memories.

Flavour Of Chinatown

KOLKATA SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008, page 2 ( TIMES CITY )

One-Day Tour To Soak In Flavour Of Chinatown

Somdatta Basu TNN

India’s very own Chinatown will soon be on the Kolkata tourism circuit, officially. The civic body has joined hands with some Tangra residents to come up with an "alley tourism" scheme that will take tourists 300 years back — to the days when the first Chinese immigrants settled in the city. It will begin with an authentic Chinese breakfast at Tiretta Bazar, followed by a visit to the eight Chinese temples, churches and museums. Tourists will be taken to the tomb at Achipur where the first Chinese colony was established, then the temples at Anandanagar and the cemetery at Beliaghata. The Chinese monastery will be a must-see. The daylong tour will terminate with a sumptuous dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Tangra. There are plans to build a full-fledged Chinese cultural centre inside Tiretta bazaar. "We have asked the government to identify a site for this," said president of Indo-Chinese Association, Paul Chung. Municipal commissioner Alapan Bandopadhyay said KMC would extend its assistance from the heritage funds. "I have asked the association to submit a blueprint. There is a friendly atmosphere developing between India and China. A Lucite policy is on the cards. After many years the city has got a Chinese consulate and Kolkata is now linked to China through direct flights. In the Buddhist Circuit Kolkata has been selected as the base before reaching Bodh Gaya. This is the time to focus on overseas Indian Chinese legacy." "Churches, Chinese clubs and old-age homes in Tangra take priority among the institutions that need to be revived and preserved," said Chung. The association also wants to revive the Nanking restaurant and the temple that houses it. "If we can get back the property we will set up a Chinese museum at Nanking temple," said Chung. The cultural centre will have an exhibition hall, an auditorium for Chinese cultural programmes, another for Chinese movies, a conference room, classes to teach dialects like Mandarin, Cantonese, Chinese and Hakka. Tourists — or even local people — who are interested in making Chinese handicrafts and artifacts can learn the traditional skills here. The association will submit a blueprint to Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Residents are ordering a statue of Chinese poet Lu Hsun from his birthplace in Shaoxint city. There will be Chinese nameplates and signages for Sun Yet Xen and Lu Hsen Streets will be redone in Chinese language. "We will create a complete Chinese environment. A China Gate will be built at the entrance to Tiretta Bazaar. We want KMC to allow the bazaar to be open in the evening too, in the name of Sun Yet Xen," Chung said. "The Chinese community will meet next Thursday to finalize the blueprint and hand it to KMC commissioner," said Chung.

CHEERS FOR KOLKATA CHINATOWN

KOLKATA SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008, page 2 ( TIMES CITY )

Grand Gateway To Shangri-La

A year after TOI ( May 19 & 20 , 2007 ) brought you a glimpse of what Chinatown could be, the govt & KMC have come up with rejuvenation plans

Somdatta Basu TNN


Cheenapara might soon trade its shabby, unkempt look for a more graceful exterior, complete with elegant gateways and dazzling signages, courtesy the state tourism department. The government has finally decided to take a look at the neglected Chinese settlement in Tangra — India’s lone Chinatown — and chalked up plans for a Rs 1 crore makeover.
That’s only for starters. A major rejuvenation project is on the anvil as part of the “Destination Calcutta” project. And Kolkata Municipal Corporation has its own ‘Alley Tourism’ scheme to make Chinatown a tourist destination.
Soon, visitors to Tangra will not be greeted with overflowing drains, slushy roads and stinking garbage, but three elegant arches on the south, north and east gateways to Chinatown. Decorated with traditional Chinese symbols, idols and dragons, the gates will portray ethnic Chinese architecture. The city’s growth has skipped Chinatown but not for long,” says managing director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation, TVN Rao.
Two of the arches will be on Park circus connector and Gobinda Chandra Khatik Road. Each will have a map of Chinatown, marking out traditional landmarks and well known restaurants. “The Park Circus gateway will cost Rs 60 lakh and the Gobinda Chandra Khatik Road arch Rs 30 lakh. The signages will cost Rs 10 lakh,” said Rao.
Tourism minister Manab Mukherjee expects the Union tourism ministry to hand over Rs 1 crore by July. “The state is ready to finance whatever it takes to revamp Chinatown,” he promised.
The tourism department is already planning daylong theme tours. “For the moment, it will only be a visit to the restaurants and the Chinese monastery. But we plan to develop a few new places of interest,” Rao said, adding that they have urged the state government to identify a site in Tangra to set up an ‘interpretation centre’.
It will have information kiosks, shops selling Chinese artifacts, a gymnastics centre and a martial arts school. During the Chinese New Year, tourists will get to see unique shows and dragon dances.
The department is also eager to hold talks with Kolkata Municipal Corporation to clean up Tangra. “To project Chinatown as a tourism destination we will first need to develop the roads. The drainage system needs to be upgraded so that there is no waterlogging during the monsoon. Even the dumping of garbage at street corners by restaurants and locals needs to be stopped,” a senior tourism department official said.

KMC’S ‘ALLEY TOURISM’ PROJECT

Daylong trip beginning with Chinese breakfast, meandering through the monastery, Chinese temples, churches and museums and stopping by the tomb at Achipur where the first Chinese colony was established. Round-up with a sumptuous dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Tangra

CHINESE CULTURAL CENTRE

LOCATION : Tiretta Bazaar

FEATURES :

• Language classes for Mandarin, Cantonese, Chinese and Hakka
• Cookery school for ethnic Chinese cuisine
• Training centre for Chinese handicraft
• An exhibition hall and two auditoriums
  
  OTHER PLANS

• China Gate at entrance to Tangra
• Statue of Chinese poet Lu Hsun
• Chinese nameplates, signages
  
  GOVT’S ‘DESTINATION CALCUTTA’ PROJECT
  
• Three arches at the entrance of Chinatown portraying ethnic Chinese architecture
• Tour of Tiretta Bazaar and monastery
• Interpretation centre with shops for Chinese artifacts, a gymnastics centre and martial arts school
• Special tourist programmes during Chinese New Year
  

Surf the Link :

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIKM&login=default ( June 7 , 2008 , Times City , page 2 )

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Archive/skins/pastissues2/navigator.asp?login=default&AW=1212830970609 ( May 19 & 20 , 2007 , Kolkata , TOI , Times City , page 2 )

Grand Revival Plan for Chinatown Legacy

CALCUTTA TUESDAY 3 JUNE 2008

Deserted by 70 per cent of its inhabitants and left to rot by the civic authorities, the city’s decrepit Chinese quarter is suddenly getting the attention denied to it for four decades.

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Monday announced plans to preserve “200-odd years of Chinese heritage”, its slumber broken by a Metro report on the realty threat to the building that houses the now-defunct fine-dining address, Nanking, and a shrine.

The announcement was made after a delegation from the Indian Chinese Association for Culture, Welfare and Development, led by Paul Chung, met municipal commissioner Alapan Bandyopadhyay to give its suggestions on preserving the Chinese legacy in central Calcutta and the city’s southern suburbs.

“We are concerned about the existence of our church and the site of Nanking Restaurant at Tiretta Bazar since the building has been sold off. We are happy to know that the municipal commissioner has asked police to protect the structure and revoked the permission given by the CMC to the building’s owner to tamper with the structure,” Chung said.

The association has proposed that the building be turned into a heritage institute or museum. Another suggestion is to construct a “China Gate” at Tiretta Bazar as a memorial to Chinatown, which once throbbed with life. “The civic commissioner asked for the proposals in writing,” Chung said.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya claimed that the CMC had already begun “extending civic amenities” to parts of the Chinese colony in east Calcutta. “China has reopened its consulate office in Calcutta after a gap of over 40 years and it is in the fitness of things that we do our bit to preserve the Chinese heritage.”

The city’s Chinese population is a mix of people of Cantonese, Hakka and Hupei origins. The first and largest Chinese settlement is still the one at Tiretta Bazar, now a claustrophobia-inducing maze of crumbling structures standing cheek by jowl with new but uglier buildings.

“This was once a home away from home for the Chinese, with all its temples, opium dens and gambling haunts co-existing with schools, clubs and eateries,” Chung said.

Heritage conservation experts believe any plan to resurrect the city’s Chinese legacy should begin from the horseshoe-shaped red tomb at Achipur, about 50 km away from the city. The tomb is that of the Chinese sailor Tai Pak Kung (also known as Yong Atchew), who set up the first sugar mill in Bengal in 1780 with 110 workers from his native country.

“That humble beginning 230 years ago led to the growth of the Chinese as a community. We need to preserve Atchew’s tomb first,” Chung said.

More than 70 per cent of the city’s 11,000-strong Chinese population in 1962 no longer lives in the city.

May surf the link :
www.telegraphindia.com/1080603/jsp/calcutta/story_9341845.jsp

TT

Nanking Restaurant

" The dwindling number of Indian Chinese in Kolkata make it easy to be prey upon. It is a uneasy time when these take place, and a source of unimaginable destruction to our culture and heritage: but with the sense of community pride and cooperative attitude from friends and neighbours, things can turn around and propel it to a phrase of growth. We are sure that there are many well wishers and many among these are eager to offer a helping hands. We, the member of the Indian Chinese community will greatly appreciate your support and encouragement. Please do let us know your feeling and support."

Yours in the service for the growth of our culture

Surf the link below to read between lines :

www.telegraphindia.com/1080601/jsp/calcutta/story_9346579.jsp

PERUSE

2008 Sichuan Earthquake

We are greatly saddened by the news that thousands lost their lives and that hundreds of children who were at school at the time are trapped in the debris.

It is the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed approximately 250,000 people.

What we can do is offer our support and our thoughts and our prayers.

China: Inside the Dragon

National Geographic Magazine ( May 2008 )
Special China Issue
The great nation is on the move.

"Chinese history has become the story of average citizens. But there are risks when a nation depends on the individual dreams of 1.3 billion people rather than a coherent political system with clear rule of law".

SAY SORRY

Read the signed editorial " Say Sorry " of today's (13/03/2008) The Times Of India or surf online at http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIKM&login=default&AW=1205393780359 or read the same below :

BRIEF CASE

Say Sorry

S N M Abdi


As New Delhi and Beijing come closer, it is time we apologised to the ethnic Chinese in India who got such a raw deal after the 1962 war. Beaten hollow in the Himalayas, the government unleashed a reign of terror against them that is comparable to the persecution of ethnic Japanese in America after the Pearl Harbour attack. Kolkata witnessed the worst crackdown because it had India’s biggest Chinatown, Tangra, with about 50,000 residents. Labelled China’s spies, a charge never proven, the diaspora was hounded and battered. Thousands were pushed into China under the cover of darkness. There were midnight arrests, assets were seized, bank accounts were frozen and properties auctioned by the government. Work permits were introduced to snatch their jobs. An estimated 3,000 Chinese were packed off to Rajasthan to live in police camps. State-sponsored persecution triggered immigration to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada and Australia. By 1981, Tangra’s population had shrunk to 10,500. Now it has dwindled to 3,000 and is still falling.
Paul Chung, president of the Indian Chinese Association, says that time has not healed the community’s wounds. He explains that unless India acknowledges that the Chinese were targeted and tortured, there cannot be any healing. India should of its own volition apologise to the Chinese. But Kolkata’s residents should go one step further to live up to their self-perception of being cosmopolitan and tolerant. What better way to end a sorry chapter than for the city mayor to host a reception for leading members of the community still around? Among those honouring the Chinese can be Jyoti Basu, who was branded a Chinese agent in 1962 and jailed. It didn’t really matter as he became the longest-serving chief minister and would have become prime minister if his party had not played spoilsport. Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who tries to live up to his famous surname, should invite the Chinese to his Independence Day high tea in Raj Bhawan. Fortunately there is now a strong civil society movement in Kolkata that is unlikely to allow such state-perpetrated atrocities to occur unopposed. It protested Rizwanur Rahman’s death and the Singur and Nandigram incidents and forced the book fair to shift venue on environmental grounds. The city must never forget that eternal vigilance is the price of cosmopolitan civility.

Or read online at
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAwOC8wMy8xMyNBcjAxODA2&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Kwai-yun Li

www.kwaiyunli.com

Read an interview of her on http://www.guidingstar.ca/Kwai-yun_Li.htm

Her book The Palm Leaf Fan is named as The Last Dragon Dance in Chinatown in Penguin India edition .

Now she is in Kolkata.

Email : kwai.li@utoronto.ca

New Mobile Player

The most interesting new entrant is ZTE , the Chinese telecoms equipment maker that is starting to give established western rivals, such as Nokia , a run for their money.

ZTE's success is becoming a " bit of annoyance " to Global mobile phone makers.

HINDI - CHINI BUY BUY

China is now India's largest trading partner . China's trade share is even higher than that of the United States by Rs 600 crore during April - October 2007 according to Economic Survey for 2007 - 08.

INSIDE CHINA

2008 is an exciting year for China as it hosts the Olympic Games in Beijing. BBC World has its finger on the pulse of this dynamic country this March with Inside China, a special season bringing together news, analysis and the best in documentary and factual programming - examining the impact of China's headlong rush for economic growth.

BBC World is LIVE in China with World News Today and the hourly BBC World news bulletins.

Throughout the month regular programmes on the channel will be dedicated to China – including HARDtalk and extratime with interviews and business stories from World Business Report and Asia Business Report.
The season also includes a range of exciting programmes that takes you to the cultural heart of a nation . Chinese School examines the delights and challenges of schooling in the nation, while the residents of White Horse Village are facing huge challenges driven by the astonishing pace of industrialisation.

Inside China is your comprehensive guide to China on BBC

Throughout the season, regular programmes such as HARDtalk ,The World Debate and fast:track will feature special editions focusing on China.

Anniversary of Sumgail Tragedy.

I attended the 20th anniversary of Sumgail Tragedy on the invitation by Rev. Fr. Oshagan Culgulian at Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy, Kolkata.
It was a very meaningful and strengthening experience. It leads us with compassion and sorrow through the suffering of those who had received from the hands of inhuman cruelty of fellow human being. It takes to a deeper level of understanding, in order that we the living may do whatever it takes to prepare ourselves to make it impossible for it to happen again.
To one and all, learning of the truth with all its horrors and sufferings is essential, for then it will have the power to unit and empower people, society and the world to be aware, awaken and to have the determination to stop reoccurrence of such inhuman acts.

Welcome To The New Ambassador on His First Visit To Kolkata.

The ethnic Chinese community is glad to welcome the new ambassador of People's Republic of China, H.E. Mr.Zhang Yan on 24/2/2008. We thank him for his visit as a sign of concern and affection. We wish him a long and fruitful stay in India.

Ji Xianlin

Read about the scholar's tryst with India in The Sunday Times ( 17 / 02 / 2008 ), page 8 , or surf the link : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/To_Sir_Ji_with_love/articleshow/2788448.cms

ART IN CHINA

Read about Chinese contemporary art through the eye of Monica Dematte in The Telegraph t2 ( page 13 , Friday 15 February 2008, Kolkata )

Arise ! Awake !

WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE DAWN of the Rat year,
WILL THE BRIGHT LIGHT OF HOPE BE FAR BEHIND FOR
THE CHINATOWN IN KOLKATA.

The coming dawn of the year of the Rat brings forth the light, which indicates the brightening up the prospect for the growth of Kolkata Chinatown.
This opportunity has to be utilized by the communities living here, and those who are living in the city. The result undoubtedly will be proportionate to the effect we put in, which is from our sincere desire for growth toward our destiny.
The city authority has given us the green signal to forward our plan for a better and more effective, more Chinese, and more vibrant Chinatown. For the fore coming year, all the communities should be gathering together to work out the best possible ways of making the Territti Bazar Chinatown into a location, which will contribute the Chinese identity to the city of Kolkata.
To make this a reality, and with the knowledge of our own resources, we hereby appeal to all people of good will and well wishers to contribute with suggestions and any help possible.
Thanking you all in anticipation for your kind-heartedness and your earnest contributions

Happy New Year 4506

Prof. Justin Lin Yifu 林毅夫

For the first time a Chinese , Prof.Justin Lin Yifu ( 林毅夫 ) has been named as the Chief Economist of The World Bank. Mr.Lin,55, is the founder director of the China Centre for Economic Research ( CCER ) at Peking University. He was the top economic strategist for communist China and had a key role in China's economic modernization.

Kolkata Chinatown

Read " Gateway To Chinatown " in The Times Of India ( February 6 , 2008 , Kolkata ), page 2 ( Kolkata Next ), about revival of Teritti Bazar , Tangra and dreams of development .

敬祝大家

敬祝大家

鼠年出大运 万事如意

Republic Day Interview With The Governor

Mr.Paul Chung in conversation with Shri GopalKrishna Gandhi ,The Governor Of West Bengal,India, and beside Mr.Gandhi is Prof.Husenur Rahman, broadcasted on 26 January 2008 - Republic Day at 8 pm by Doordarshan, Kolkata .

The Padma Bhushan 2008 for Ji Xianlin

In a rare honour, the Indian Government conferred Ji Xianlin The Padma Bhushan - one of the country's top civilian awards - on Republic Day on Saturday 26 January 2008. The 97-year-old scholar is the first Chinese to receive the award.

Welcome to one and all

All are welcome to ring in the Earth Rat Year.

Our Annual Lion Dance Displays and Cultural Shows will take place on Sunday, 3 rd February 2008 at Territti Bazar. It will commmence from 17:30 hrs.

Wishing one and all a very prosperous New Year.

New Office Bearers for 2008-2009 of our Association

The new office bearers of the Indian Chinese Association for Culture, Welfare and Development will be as given below :

President - Mr. Paul Chung

Vice President - Mr. Dominic Savio Lee

Secretary - Mr. Bobby Lin

Jt.Secretary - Mr. Xie Ying Xing

Treasurer - Mr. Peter Chen

Jt.Treasurer - Mr. Liao Amei

Counsellor 1 (Public Relation) - Mr. Sylvester Tseng

Counsellor 2 - Mr. Paul Lin

We wish them all the best and success in their work.

希望你来临的一年愉快和成功 .


The Times of India has published on the last day of 2007, in the Q&A, an interview with the New Consul General Mao Siwei; He took notice of the largest presence of ethnic Indian Chinese community in Kolkata. Although the number is dwindling down to about 3,000 – 4,000, and politically they are Indian but historically, culturally and linguistically they are Chinese, as one of the reason why the Chinese Consulate has been reopened in Kolkata. The main reason is to facilitate the estimated 30,000 Indian people from Eastern India, who will visit China.

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