themeridiansociety.org.uk

We have had a number of enquiries asking if payment for our Chinese New Year banquet lunch and film event (Two Stage Sisters) on 21st February can be made by bank transfer. If this is the method you prefer, please send the correct amount to our HSBC's account. Account Name:The Meridian Society, Account Number: 81717413, Sortcode: 40-03-27, stating the reference CNY followed by your name (e.g. CNYJohnWong or CNYMRobinson) and email us your reference.

For this reason, we have now extended our deadline for booking to 10th February. Do encourage family and friends to come along!

Please note: Tickets for The Road Home on 4th February have now been sold out! Tickets for the other films are still available.

Please see attchments for updated introduction and booking form.

The Meridian Society invites you to welcome in the Year of the Tiger with us on Sunday 21st February. Programme will start 11:30am with a sumptuous lunch, traditional Chinese music and a film classic. This event starts the society’s year-long celebration of Shanghai.

Time: 11.30 am
Programme: Lunch meal with traditional Chinese music
Venue: New Loon Fung, China Town
(A fabulous Cantonese-style meal)

Special guest performer: Zhu Xiaomeng
Musical interludes on the guzheng (Chinese zither) of well-known pieces with a Shanghai flavour.

Time: 3.30 pm
Programme: Two Stage Sisters (Film)
Venue: National Film Theatre

This year, Shanghai will take centre stage, as it hosts the International Expo. Taking inspiration from this grand event, The Meridian Society will be bringing this great cosmopolitan city to London, as we feature Shanghai, its people and its culture in our events over the next 12 months.

Please see attachment for more information.

The Meridian Society/BBCN will be hosting a forum on Friday 22nd January, 2010 in association with the CSSA of The School of Oriental and African Studies. The lectures will be delivered by Mr Neil Taylor and Ms Elizabeth Morrell.

Time and Venue
Date: Friday, 22nd January, 2010
Time: 6:00pm–8:00 pm
Venue: Room G3, SOAS Main Building, SOAS, University of London
Location: Russell Square, Thornhaugh Street, London WCH 0XG
Transport: The nearest tube stations are Russell Square and Goodge Street.

With the festive season drawing near, may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

There will be no more events for December, but 2010 will start off with a big bang. We're organising a long weekend tour to Brussels on January 29/30/31 to take part in a huge celebration of Chinese culture currently being hosted by Europalia International, one of the leading arts festivals in Europe.

We had to arrange our own flights to Beijing and met in the airport there on 1st September. We flew to Yanji in Jilin Province, where we were taken to a Korean restaurant and were served a typical Korean meal, sitting on the floor round a very low table. From Yanji we visited Tumen on the North Korean border. Not surprisingly, there were restrictions on the photos allowed, and we were able to walk half way across the bridge over the boundary river. The Korean influence was very strong, with all advertisements and signs in both Chinese and Korean.

Wednesday, 28 September at The Highbury Centre

Wang Liwei was in a good position to present to the Society a talk on his experiences in the voluntary sector and social responsibility in China today. As Vice-mayor in Guan County, Shandong Province, editor of the philanthropy magazine, Charitarian, and running his own vocational school in Shandong, and manager of several companies, he was well-placed to cover the subject: National Growth, Corporate Development and Social Responsibility.

Mr Wang introduced the topic by summing up past experience of social policies from the Socialist period, when social services, such as medical care and education, were provided free or at a minimum cost to the public - to the Reform Period, when such provisions have to be paid for by individuals and their families. Nowadays, although the standard of such social welfare facilities has improved, many people have not been able to afford them.

The Meridian Society elects new Board of Directors

At this year's AGM, held on January 30th at Ah King Restaurant, London WC1A, a new Board of Directors was elected, as follows:

Chair:Ms Peng Wenlan

Directors: Ms Li Chungwen, Ms Jo Hirst, Mr Michael Sheringham, Mr Danny Tsang.

Ms Wong Lai Sheung continues as our Administrator. Mr Hi Ching has generously volunteered his services as Cultural Coordinator (non-Board director) and will assist the society in its artistic and heritage-related endeavours. Mr Daniel Wang will act as Coordinator for Origin Eight, a newly formed club under the auspices of BBCN. Ms Jenny Hao will be his deputy.