By Victor Chen, bostonese.com
Boston, March 3, 2015, — The New England Chinese Professionals 2015 Lunar New Year Gala and Community Forum were held at Boston Marriott in Newton, Mass. recently. Close to 1,000 members of the 16 professional associations, guests and visitors participated in the day-long event despite snowy weather, and witnessed the confident leadership by women professionals who played leading roles in putting together this year’s event.
Deputy Consul General Zhang Meifang (third from left) with Dr. Tea (left), deputy director of the gala Tian Qin (third from right), violinist Li Lao (second from right) and others pose for a picture(file photo).
Susan Qu and Jian Ni were hostesses for the evening banquet and performances, and they were also co-chairs of this event. The three other co-chairs were Dr. Hongfang Yang, Jackie Yang and Wendy Ho. The all-women co-chair team reflects the rising power of Chinese American professional women. They have made remarkable achievements in their respective fields, and taken leadership roles in professional associations they belong.
Guests at the evening banquet included Deputy Consul General Consulate Zhang Meifang of Chinese Consulate General in New York, Consul Ma Cuihong and Consul Fu Kefei, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Chair Prof. Gang Chen, Cambridge City Councilor Leland Cheung, Bunker Hill Community College President Dr. Pam Y. Eddinger, Boston Biomedical founder and CEO Dr. Chiang Li, UMass Boston Vice Provost Dr. Zongguo Xia, Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York Steve Barclay, CCBA-NE president Hung Goon, world-renowned suona artist Yazhi Guo and etc.
In her speech, Deputy Consul General Zhang Meifang wished guests a very pleasant and peaceful Year of the Goat. She said: “I wish you all having good health, family happiness and good luck in the Lunar New Year.” Other guests also delivered short speeches and a well wishes.
The cultural performances in the evening feature some of the best performers in music, dance and arts locally and internationally. Director Zhenhua Lai Zhenhua recently graduated from Northeastern University with PhD in electrical engineering. He would go to Chicago to start a new job after the gala. Mr. Lai has been director for the gala for the past four years. He thanked all the performers for their hard work, and the organizing committee for putting trust in him.
As in previous years, lovely kids at the party held a charity rose sale during intermission of the performances. This year the proceeds will be donated to American Cancer Society. According Jian Ni, a total of $1,295 was raised at the gala.
Nuo An, a renowned dancer and Choreographer, flew in from New York City that afternoon. Her flight was delayed by three hours and made to the gala just in time for the final performance of the evening as shown in the video above. Nuo An integrates traditional Chinese Tai Chi, Taoism Qi Gong, and Zen philosophy as the root of creativity. Her show “Dream of Beijing Opera” was recently played in the First Ave of Manhattan, New York. She played a role of Dream and also participated in creative process as an assistance director.
There were a variety of activities in the afternoon before the banquet, including community forums, a match-making event called Spring Love, and a photo exhibition by Boston Chinese Photographer Association(BCPA). The topics at the Community Forum covered health care, scientific and technological developments, employment counseling, business exhibition and cultural activities.
American Chinese Medical Association (ACMA) had doctors on hand to provide free health consultation, as in previous years. The Spring Love event started two years ago, and was the idea of Sean Shen, former president of NECINA. “This event provides a great opportunity for single professionals to find the right match while we celebrate the joyful occasion of the Lunar New Year,” said Mr. Shen.
(from left)Susan Qu, Jian Ni and Xin Xiong get ready for raffle drawing(file photo).
The following is list of professional associations that jointed organized the gala.
128 Chinese Union of Technology Enterprises (128 CUTE)
American Chinese Medical Association (ACMA )
Art & Science Educational Association (AASEA)
Ascend New England ( Pan-Asian Leaders in Accounting and Finance)
Boston Chinese Photography Association (BCPA)
Chinese-American BioMedical Association (CABA)
Chinese Actuarial Club (CAC)
Chinese-American IP Law Association (CAIPLA)
Chinese Young Professionals Network (CYPN)
Harvard US-China Economic Interaction Council (HUCEIC)
Hong Kong Association of Massachusetts (HKAMA)
MIT Economic & Talent Forum (MIT-ETF)
The National Association of Asian American Professionals – Boston Chapter (NAAAP Boston)
New England Chinese Information and Networking Association (NECINA)
Overseas Chinese-American Entrepreneurs Association (OCEAN)
The Chinese Finance Association (TCFA)