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GLEN NORCLIFFE: THE RISE, DECLINE AN REBIRTH OF CHONGQING Sunday, October 23, 2016 On Sunday October 23, the TCCFA presents Glen Norcliffe, author and Professor Emeritus of Geography at York University, as he presents his book Inside the Fourth Furnace: The Rise, And Fall, And Rise Of Chongqing. This event will take place at the OISE building, located right at Bloor and St. George, at 2:00 pm. Chongqing formerly transliterated as Chungking, is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in China. Administratively, it is one of China's four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China. Glen Norcliffe is an economic geography interested in industry, technology and development. His research over 5 decades has taken him to four continents, Europe, Africa, North America and more recently Asia. His most recent writings concern the industrial renaissance of Chongqing. His recent book Critical Geographies of Cycling include chapters on China’s delivery tricycles, and on the Global Supply Chains connecting China’s bicycle manufacturers with Canadian bicycle retailers. He has also written on the extractive industries in Canada’s hinterland, some of which supply China with resources. In this illustrated talk he will recount the long and turbulent history of Chongqing, relating it to the city’s geographical setting. He will then explain its role as China’s capital during the Japanese occupation, its subsequent decline during the industrial rise of Coastal China, and its re-birth under the auspices of the Western Development Plan, to emerge as one of the World’s largest centres for computer manufacture.   
ANNUAL FALL BANQUET Monday, September 19, 2016 This year’s Banquet marked the opening of the 9th year of TCCFA, and celebrated the Chinese National Day, October 1, the 67rd anniversary of the founding of modern China. We thank everyone who came down on Monday, September 19 to our Annual Banquet which takes place at 6:30 pm at the Gold Mark Chinese Cuisine in Markham. The menu included Peking Duck, La Soupe de Fruits de Mer, Chicken Crimson Phoenix, Caramelized Ribs, Fried Tiger Shrimp, Braised Mushrooms and Broccoli, Pan-fried Grouper and more! ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND AUCTION Sunday, April 17, 2016 Bloor St. West and St. George We thank all who joined us on Sunday, April 17 as we held our Annual General Meeting which will included our year-end report as well as the election of the President and Board of Directors for 2016/17. We also held an auction of various select items donated by members of the Federation. We also thank everyone who placed bids on the items in the Silent Auction which followed the AGM. These items included Wise Men Talking, a boxed set of 10 books with quotations, ideas and sayings from leading Chinese Philosophers.     
    
  
Royal Ontario Museum Guided Tour Sunday, March 20, 2016 - 2:00 PM On Sunday March 20, we gathered for a 2:00 pm tour of the Royal Ontario Museum’s China Galleries, guided by one of ROM’s docents. Following the guided tour, we visited the new exhibit Made in China: Cultural Encounters through Export Art. Tickets were just $10 and we thank everyone who attended. To learn more about the Rom's exhibit, "Made in China: Cultural Encounters through Export Art", you can visit their web site at Exhibitions & Galleries .   
AN AFTERNOON WITH ARTIST YITONG LOK Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 2:00 PM O.I.S.E. Building, Bloor St. West and St. George On Sunday, February 28, noted artist Yitong Lok gave an insightful talk about his work. Three generations of Lok family have special ties with many of the great Chinese masters who had changed twentieth century Chinese Art History. Both Yitong and his father have been participating in the turbulence. He will show some historical photographs that captured memorable moments as well as their paintings. He will talk about the motivation and concept behind his and his father’s works. The title of his talk is Changes in 20th Century Chinese Art through Two Generations Practice. After the family settled in Canada, father and son have been carrying on Chinese tradition with Western concept through out their paintings and teachings. Their works have been praised by in both North America and in Asian countries.   
ANNUAL JIAOZI PARTY Saturday, January 30, 2016 Downsview United Church 2822 Keele Street We thank everyone who joined us as we celebrated the Chinese New Year with our traditional Jiaozi Party.. The event this year again took place at the Downsview United Church where we welcomed the Year of the Monkey! Jiaozi is the Chinese word for dumpling(s). Our recipe includes ground pork, ginger, cabbage, scallions and spices. A spoonful is wrapped in rolled noodle dough, many spoonfuls in many wrappers, sometimes artfully, sometimes not quite so nice. Boil until just tender. And serve steaming hot with a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and optional hot bean sauce (toban djian).   
Author Yan Li: The Last Love Letter from Norman Bethune Sunday, November 15, 2015 OISE Institute, Bloor/St. George, Room 5150 On Sunday, November 15, Yan LI, Director of the Confucius Institute, Renison College, University of Waterloo, will be our speaker. She was the person who had organized the ten person Canadian group that participated in the September 9 celebration of the signing of the 1945 surrender of Japan. Room 5150 OISE Yan is a novelist to boot. She will talk about her book, The Last Love Letter from Norman Bethune, based on a letter dated August 15, 1939, Norman Bethune wrote to Lillian Smith in Toronto, the last known one he wrote. Excerpts from his letter: Now I’m coming home for a few months. I need a lot of money for my work. I’m not getting it. . . . . I am leaving here in November and should be home at the end of February 1940. It’s a long trip south. I have sent you a cable not to come here but to wait in Canada. I must return here and if you are of the same mind, you can come back with me next year. Bethune died on November 12, 1939. Yan’s novel speculates on how different things would have, could have, been had he lived and returned to Canada.  
  
From World War 1 to China to Hollywood: Henry Norman Bethune, Tillson Lever Harrison & A.A. MacLeod Sunday, October 18, 2015 On September 9th, China celebrated the 1945 victory over the Japanese which marked the end of World War 2. The theme of the event was 'Learn from the Spirit of Norman Bethune'. The China Cultural Heritage Foundation had invited TCCFA President Michael Copeland to attend and to prepare a talk on Norman Bethune. His talk (and slideshow) is 'From WW1 to China to Hollywood: Henry Norman Bethune, Tillson Lever Harrison & AA MacLeod'. On Sunday, October 18 he presented what he would have done in Beijing. Thanks to those who joined us for this very informative and enlightening presentation   
ANNUAL FALL BANQUET Monday, October 5, 2015 This year’s Banquet marked the opening of the 8th year of TCCFA, and celebrated the Chinese National Day, October 1, the 66rd anniversary of the founding of modern China. We dined at the KING DRAGON CUISINE and the dinner was enjoyed by our guests and members of the Chinese Consulate. The menu included: Peking Duck, Rainbow Wrap (Duck Meat & Multicolored Veggies in Lettuce Leaf), La Soupe de Fruits de Mer, Seafood Mélange, Farm Cornucopia (Braised King Mushroom, Bamboo Shoot & Greens), Garlicky Phoenix Fried Chicken, Steamed Twin Tilapia. Fried Rice embellished with Shrimp and Lentil, Braised Noodle Minced Meat with Tomato Paste and for Dessert, Almond Cookies and Red Bean Puree.    
COURTYARD HOUSING AND CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY by Dr. Donia Zhang Associate, City Institute, York University Saturday, May 9, 2015, 2:00 pm OISE BUILDING, 252 Bloor St. W at St. George The Chinese have lived in single-extended-family courtyard houses in many parts of China for thousands of years. The earliest courtyard house found in China was during the Middle Neolithic period (5,000-3,000 BCE). However, the 20th century was a significant turning point in the evolution of Chinese courtyard houses. This presentation provides an overview of this transition and evaluates some of its causes. Based on Dr. Zhang’s empirical research and analysis of six multi-household renewed and new courtyard housing experimental projects built in Beijing and Suzhou since the 1990s, she observes that although the new communal courtyards can facilitate some social interactions, neighborly relations are only partially influenced by the form and space of the courtyard housing, and are perhaps influenced even more so by China’s changing and polarizing society as manifested in these specific residents’ socio-economic levels, housing tenure, modern lifestyles, community involvement, common language, cultural awareness, and demographic backgrounds. Dr. Donia Zhang is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University (BArch, MA, PhD) in the UK and Brock University (MEd) in Canada. Her area of expertise is in courtyard housing development in China and North America, China’s heritage preservation policies and practices, cultural sustainability, and architectural multiculturalism. She has published four academic books and numerous journal articles. 
 
MIDDLE POWER, MIDDLE KINGDOM by DAVID MULRONEY Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China from 2009 to 2012 Sunday, April 26, 2015 OISE BUILDING, Bloor and St. George China’s rise is having a direct impact on our prosperity, our health and well-being, and our security here in Canada. The road to achieving many of our middle-power aspirations now runs through the Middle Kingdom. We need to start paying closer attention, says former ambassador David Mulroney. China has become our second largest economic partner, not as important as the US is, but far bigger than all the rest. Canada exerts a magnetic pull on Chinese tourists and students. It’s also a popular destination for Chinese home buyers in search of a new life or simply looking for a safe place to park money. An assertive China is challenging the balance of power in the Pacific, and it is more than willing to reach across borders, including Canada’s, to steal technologies and to confront challenges to its ideology. We must do better. David Mulroney is uniquely positioned to discuss this issue as the former ambassador to China, and as a leader in forming a successful strategy in Afghanistan. He discusses what our challenges in Afghanistan were and how we eventually got it right, and how these lessons can be applied to the future challenges of China, and beyond. Cutting right to the heart of the issue, Middle Power, Middle Kingdom is an intimate account of how foreign policy works, and how policies must be changed if Canada is to prosper. BIO David Mulroney served as Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China from 2009 tom 2012. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Minister responsible for the Afghanistan Task Force, overseeing interdepartmental coordination of all aspects of Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. 
CANADA'S BUSINESS RELATIONS WITH CHINA by SARAH KUTULAKOS CCBC’s Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer Sunday, March 15, 2015 On Sunday, March 15, Sarah Kutulakos Canada China Business Council’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer spoke on 'How Canada Needs to Be More Strategic in its Business Relations with China'. This is a very important topic given the large impact that China has on Canada and the rest of the world. Sarah has an MBA in marketing and she speaks Mandarin fluently. Before joining CCBC in 2007, she worked on a number of projects in China for a major multinational corporation. 
 
NEW YEAR EVENT - YEAR OF THE RAM JIAO ZI DINNER Saturday, February 7, 2015 Downsview United Church, 2822 Keele Street (just north of Highway 401) This year we revived the Jiaozi Party after a few years in hibernation. The event this year took place at the Downsview United Church. It is traditional to serve jiaozi at Chinese New Year. Join our celebration the end of the Year of the Horse and the beginning of the Year of the Goat (or Ram, or Sheep). The actual date of the New Year is February 19, the new moon; we start early. Jiaozi is the Chinese word for dumpling(s). Our recipe includes ground pork, ginger, cabbage, scallions and spices. A spoonful is wrapped in rolled noodle dough, many spoonsful in many wrappers, sometimes artfully, sometimes not quite so nice. Boil until just tender. And serve steaming hot with a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and optional hot bean sauce (toban djian). 
 
JAMAICA/CHINA/PANAMA 1854-2015 Sunday, January 18, 2015 - 2:00 P.M. OISE, 252 Bloor St. W.(at St. George), Room 5150 In 1854 the first Chinese indentured workers (coolies) arrived in Jamaica and Panama. The Panama group were brought by an American company to work on the completion of the Panama Railroad; the Jamaican group were brought by the British Crown to work on sugar cane plantations. The Panama group suffered greatly from the tropical heat, cholera, malaria and yellow fever. Many of them left to for Jamaica to work on plantations there. Begun in 1850, the Panama Railroad (now the Panama Canal Railroad) was completed in 1855, shortening the routes from both Asia and California to the East Coast of the United States. After building the Suez Canal, a French company undertook to build a canal to replace the rail line. They were unable to complete the project. An American company took over the project and eventually completed the Canal in 1914. The current expansion of the Canal will allow more ships to pass through; in particular it will accommodate the new standard container ships. Harbours along the Gulf of Mexico and the American East Coast are being redeveloped to handle the anticipated increase in shipping. Jamaica is bidding to be a logistics hub for manufactured goods from China to headed for North and South American countries. Throughout history, ever lower transportation costs bring greatly increased international trade, as well as economic and political changes. While Panama, with US support, is expanding the Canal, China is opening or expanding two other trade routes on its own. The first is the so called New Silk Road, a high-speed rail line to (and across) Europe to Spain that will move passengers as well as cargo. And they are expanding ports and navigation systems to allow larger ships in in South and East Asia. The New Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road will greatly increase trade and travel and will have impact on China’s political and economic relations with many countries. This was a most interesting talk and we thank Dr. Lowe for a wonderful presentation. Our speaker, Keith Delroy Lowe was born in Jamaican into a Hakka Chinese family. His university education was in the United States, with a B.A. from Harvard and Ph.D. from Stanford. In 2000, he co-founded the quadrennial Toronto Hakka Conference, which will convene for the fifth time in 2016, July 1-3. He is a long-time member of TCCFA.  
  
DR. JOHN HAGEN ON SURGERY IN CHINA Sunday, October 19, 2014 Medical Sciences Bldg, Room 4171 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto We thank everyone who came to Dr. Hagen's talk! Dr. Hagen teaches in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, and is an attending surgeon at Humber River Regional Hospital. His medical degree is from the University of Alberta and he did his Surgery Residency at U. of T. He has done specialty training in New Zealand, Japan and England. Dr Hagen visited China in 2012 (Heilongjiang, Shaanxi, Hunan, Guangdong), 2013 (Guangdong, Fujian) and 2014 (Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang). These were short trips packed with activity, participation in medical conferences, giving talks on a number of topics, live demonstrations of surgical techniques, and even performing surgery. The old London show-tune proclaims It’s a Long Way to Tipperary (from London to Ireland). From a childhood in the Northwest Territories to Chief of Surgery at Humber River Hospital, to lecturing about, and performing, surgery in Manchuria near the Inner Mongolian and Russian borders, with many stops along the way, Dr Hagen has travelled much, much further.  
ANNUAL FALL BANQUET Monday, September 22, 2014 6:30 pm cash bar; 7:00 pm dinner This year’s opening banquet was held once again at the Sky Dragon Restaurant, 280 Spadina Avenue. The dinner marked the opening of the 7th year of TCCFA, and celebrates the Chinese National Day, October 1, the 65rd anniversary of the founding of modern China. Members of the Chinese Consulate including Deputy Consul-General Xu Wei were our special guests. Thanks to all who joined us for an evening of good food and better conversation! The menu included: Peking Duck (Roast Duck Slices on Crepe) Phoenix Tail (Fried Light-Battered Shrimp) Rainbow Wrap (DIY dish: Duck Meat & Multi-coloured Veggies in a Lettuce Leaf) Seasons of the Sea (Sweet & Sour Seasons of the Sea Soup) Gung-Bao Meat Bits (Stir Fried Nuts and Pork, Spicy) Crimson Bird (Plump Chicken Fried to Superb Tenderness & Crispiness) Lobster Duo (Twin Lobsters Sautéed in Ginger and Green Onions) Five Treasure Poisson (Pickerel Topped with Sweet and Sour Relish) Fried Rice Magnificence (Fried Rice Embellished with Lentils, Shrimp and BBQ Pork) Bobbing Jiaozi (Dumplings in Soup with Hints of Leek) Dessert Fish (Patterned Mango pudding). 
  
KYLE JOLLIFFE & ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Sunday, June 1, 2014 - 2:00 PM We thank everyone who attended this event and came to hear Kyle's presentation. Long-time Association member Kyle Jolliffe spoke about his visit to Chengdu from September 2013 to January this year. He studied Mandarin Chinese at Sichuan University in Chengdu. This was something of a Roots experience for him; both his parents were missionaries born in China, themselves children of United Church missionaries in Sichuan. His uncle, Ted Jolliffe, was also born in China. Ted was the wartime leader of the Ontario CCF (now NDP). Kyle has an MA in History from Queen’s, has written a number of books and articles. He works as a paralegal.   
OLIVIA CHOW: HER JOURNEY OISE Building Bloor & St. George We thank Olivia Chow who came out as our guest speaker and spoke about her service as a City Councillor and as a Member of Parliament, and about serving the Chinese and other ethnic communities. Olivia Chow has been a Member of Parliament, city councillor and school trustee. She’s a grandmother and daughter. She moved to Toronto from Hong Kong in 1970 when she was 13, working two jobs to help her family make ends meet. After graduating university, Olivia taught English as a second language and worked to help newcomers settle in the city. In 1985, she was elected to the school board. She married Jack Layton in 1988, and helped raise Mike and Sarah Layton. She was elected to the former Metro Council in 1991 and 1994, and to the new city of Toronto’s council in 1997, 2000 and 2003. Former Mayor Mel Lastman appointed her to the budget committee and also named her the city’s first child and youth advocate. She was key in getting the 911 service to work in 140 languages. In 2006, Olivia was elected as an MP. A strong voice for federal investment in our infrastructure, she earned a reputation for working with MPs from all parties. She was re-elected in 2008 and 2011. Olivia lives with her mother, Ho Sze, and helps care for her father, Wilson Wai Sun. She has two granddaughters, Beatrice and Solace. In 2014, her best-selling memoir, My Journey, was published.    
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