March 6, 2005 - Chinese New Year Festival

Stockton's public celebration of Chinese New Year, in this Year of the Rooster 4703, takes place Sunday, March 6, at the Stockton Civic Auditorium. Opening with a traditional lion dance at 11 a.m., the festival will continue until 5:30 p.m. Chinese delicacies and comestibles will be served at two food booths plus a food court, and two demonstrations on the art of cooking chicken specialties are scheduled. Featured on the entertainment stage is a performance of Lion Dancers from the Sifu Meng International Kung Fu/WuShu Academy, which have taken top awards in competition. Sifu Meng is himself a three-time world Kung Fu champion and the choreographer and performer in martial arts motion pictures in Hollywood, Hong Kong and China. Other entertainment includes folk dancers, martial arts demonstrations, and chi gong exercises. In addition to the always popular book sales of Chinese cookbooks, literature and storybooks for readers of all ages, Festival planners are bringing in author Rosemary Gong, who will be signing copies of her newly published book, Good Luck Life, which delves into the background and philosophy of many cultural customs and traditions practiced by Chinese Americans. Chinese massage, home décor, arts and crafts, feng shui items, and much more are planned to please the festival guest. Children can enjoy activities in their own special corner, while parents can relax with a cup of specialty tea in the Imperial Tea House. Bring the family for an afternoon of enjoyment and immersion in Chinese culture. Admission to the festival is a $1.00 donation.

January 15, 2005 - Locke: Past, Present & Future

The story of Locke's lengthy struggle over land ownership and civic improvement has entered its next chapter. Locke residents, long legally denied the privilege of land ownership by a series of laws or bureaucratic requirements, finally can now apply to own the land on which their homes sit. Dr. Christina Fa, a Sacramento resident who has been involved in negotiating all the changes, talked to the Chinese Cultural Society of Stockton at a membership potluck on Saturday, January 15, at the Jene Wah Senior Service Agency. The former chairperson of the Locke Community Advisory Committee, Dr. Fa serves on both the Locke Management Association and the Locke Foundation. She is a former board member of the Chinese American Council of Sacramento. The 1987 book, Bitter Melon, chronicles the history of Locke with interviews of some of its last remaining Chinese residents. Sucheng Chan, Professor of Asian American Studies at UC Santa Barbara, in the book's introduction writes, "Locke is not just the last rural Chinese town in America; it has been and will continue to be a testament to the tenacity and courage of Chinese immigrants in California."

April 17, 2005 - Spring Festival Banquet

CCSS held its annual Spring Festival banquet on April 17, honoring County Supervisor Victor Mow as its Citizen of the Year and awarding scholarships to eight students. Three board members--Colleen Lee, Verna Blaine, and Shu Fang Wang--were also installed by retired Superior Court Judge Frank Kim for new terms.e to be a testament to the tenacity and courage of Chinese immigrants in California."

2005 - CCSS Scholarship Recipients

Eight merit-based scholarships for college studies were awarded local students by CCSS recently. The seven high school seniors and one Delta College student were selected from among several dozen applicants for their academic achievement, community service, extracurricular activities, and a written essay explaining the personal meaning of their Chinese heritage.

Scholars and the awards they received are: CCSS/Ronald McDonald House/ASIA Scholarshiop-- Christopher Lee Wihlidahl, son of Ron and Vanetta Wihlidahl, and Michelle Huang, daughter of Tony and Yong Huang; Dr. Henry and Sylvia Wong Scholarship-Cinzy Zhang, daughter of Dr. Kemin Zhang and Mrs. Xioyan Gu; Wong Shee Huey Memorial Scholarship-Jeffrey Chan Plovnick, son of Mark and Daisy Plovnick; Dr. Mary Ni Wang Memorial Scholarrship-Nicolas Hui, son of Bing and Mae Hui and Tiffany Tse, daughter of Edward and Tammy Tse; Mary and Jimmy Lam Scholarship-Kaytie Chow, daughter of Feng and Kwan Chow; and the Ock Sam Huey Memorial Scholarship for a San Joaqun Delta College student transferring to a four year school-Bixian Liao.

July 23, 2005 - Chinese Religion in Modern Life

Did you ever wonder what Confucius really said? And how do the Chinese know "the way" to conduct their lives? What's the rationale for burning incense and having altars in our homes? To paraphrase a famous book title of some years past, "everything you wanted to know about Chinese religions but didn't know who to ask!" will be revealed at the CCSS luncheon meeting on July 23rd.

Dr. Alfred Yee, an adjunct lecturer at California State University, Sacramento is the guest speaker when CCSS comes together for a quarterly membership meeting at China Palace Restaurant in Stockton. His talk will be about popular Chinese beliefs and how they have formed the structure of modern Chinese life. A member of the Sacramento Chinese Culture Foundation, Dr. Yee is a second generation Chinese American and a native of Sacramento. Fifteen years after earning a Bachelor of Science degree from UC Davis, the Sacramento resident returned to college and received a second bachelors degree and a master's degree from California State University, Sacramento. He won a Fulbright Scholarship to study from 1992-1993 in Hong Kong and China, where he researched popular culture and taught English in a small city in Southeast China. His Doctor of Philosophy degree in history was awarded by Ohio State University in 1999. A career in the retail grocery industry led to his doctoral dissertation about Chinese American supermarkets in Northern California. Edited into a book published by the University of Washington Press in 2003, the work, entitled Shopping at Giant Foods, Chinese American Supermarkets in Northern California, includes a history of Stockton's CentrOMart .

The meeting is open tomembers, guests, and the general public. Please come welcome Dr. Yee to Stockton. Lunch is $8.00 for members, $10 for non-members. Reservations for lunch are required by Monday, July 18 and can be made by e-mail to Loreen Huey, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling 209-473-3499.

August 27, 2005 - Delta Dragons Dragon Boat Team

CCSS is participating this year at the The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival, opening at Treasure Island Saturday/Sunday, August 27-28. Spearheaded by the California Dragon Boat  Association for the 10th year, the festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with  cultural performances & entertainment, Asian food, arts & crafts vendors, and Dragon Land, an exciting children's area with fun-filled activities. Taomist monks will conduct the opening ceremonies with lion dancing and the traditional "dotting of the dragon eye." Festival admission is free.

Races involving world-class dragon boat competition with close to 100 teams begins at 8:30 a.m. Among the novice teams entered is CCSS' own Delta Dragons, headed by Francis Lau. Mabel Morodomi, as drummer, will set the pace for the two dozen team members who have been practicing for the past three Saturdays in anticipation of the coming weekend's race

Members of the CCSS family are joined on the team by rowers from the Stockton Rowing Club. Among the CCSS members and friends paddling on the Delta Dragons team are Kan Cheung, Rene & Michael Fong, Rick & Lynette Grippi, Bing Hui, Gladys Ikeda, Kathy Ikeda, Darryl Ko, Patrick Lau, Amy Lau, Francis Lau, Joseph Li, Mabel Morodomi, Ray Tom and Jeri Wong. SRC members are Tracy Almarez, KC Biederman, Eden Crane, Jennifer Faukner, Ashley Lee, Carol McCandless, Bob Oprandy, Paula Sheil, and Pat Tirone.

Come bring the family and cheer on the Delta Dragons to the finish line. Don't blink or you'll lose them...the race over the 500 meter course is over in two minutes, more or less!

But the Delta Dragon paddlers, ranging in age from 18 to 69, call it an exhilarating two minutes. And they'll do it at least three times-four, if they're successful in the early races. For more information, log on to sfdragonboat.com or contact Francis Lau or Gladys Ikeda.

August 29, 2005 - Delta Dragons Emerge As A Team From Competition

The Delta Dragons, with less than a month of training, competed in the 10 th Annual San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival. Our novice team arrived early Saturday morning at Treasure Island for the competition. Soon after warm-ups and stretches, we hit the waters and took 3 rd place in the first seeding race.

Although the next race would be nearly 3 hours later, that wasn't a problem for the team! Not only was there some engaging entertainment, including tai chi demonstrations and Chinese acrobatic performances, but we had a great chance to enjoy each other's company and to discuss strategy for the next race. The wind began to pickup during the second and third races, but the team kept steady and kept paddling right at the other teams, never giving them an easy opportunity.

When the day was done, our team placed 18 th out of 30 novice teams. Not bad for our first professional competition! What stands out most from the day, though, isn't what number we placed in but the team moments we had throughout the day. We all had a great time not only while showing our stuff out in the waves, but also while talking and getting to know one another between races.

For photos of the event, click here. For more information about the race and dragon boat racing in general, check out some of the dragon boat links on our home page. Until next time, Go Delta Delta Delta Dragons!