Life, love, food, fashions and families most clearly define the month of February.
At one of his best and most loved seminars, Dr. Adolphus Wong gave a spellbinding speech to a full-capacity audience at the Berkeley Chinese Community Center on Feb. 5. Opening with the heart as the center of life, Dr. Wong delved into his immense medical knowledge, experience of living in an old traditional Chinese family, and knowledge of history, philosophy, language and poetry, to inform the audience of how we renew life through the Year of the Rat.
Good friend Lena Fong helped Franklin Choy celebrate his 85th birthday with an intimate dinner with 26 close friends at a fabulous party at the Nouvelle Bistro in San Leandro. Good food, good friends, music and fun games made for a romantic evening for the young at heart.
For those who enjoy the latest good looks, members of the Chinese Hospital Auxiliary partnered with Nordstrom Stonestown for a fashion seminar on Feb. 3, led by chairperson Beverly Lee. A smart fashion show thrilled the ladies with beautiful spring clothes from Nordstrom.
For collectors of fine art, the annual Arts of Pacific Asia Show took place on Feb. 1 through 3 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Eighty-seven international antiques and Asian art dealers exhibited for sale furniture, antiques and contemporary art in museum-like settings. Chaired by Bob and Lauren Ackerman, Kathy and Paul Bissinger, and Martha Hertelendy, the opulent opening night gala benefited the education programs of the Asian Art Museum and Chong-Moon Lee Center.
Rare historic photos of the early Chinese in California are currently on exhibit at the California Historical Society with the cooperation of the Chinese Historical Society of America and Berkeley’s Bancroft Library. The anti-Chinese hysteria, coupled with newspaper stories stirring up discrimination, is a shocking eye-opener.
Two new exhibits are currently showing at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. A unique contemporary interpretation by Beijing artist Zhan Wang, titled “On Gold Mountain” and utilizing, of all things, thousands of shiny pots, pans and stainless silverware, gives one a puzzling idea of San Francisco.
Second, there is the dramatic exhibition by Japanese artists during a period of “drama and desire.” Nothing short of shocking are some of the fine works painting acts of lovemaking. Only a San Francisco audience could be so blasé about some of these artist’s dreams, while it’s understandable that the Boston Museum kept some of these paintings under lock and key and were never displayed to the public! This comprehensive collection is on exhibit through May 4.