【時報訊】聖路易地區一年一度中華文化盛會中華日，五月十七、十八兩天在密蘇里植物園舉行，中國四川省汶川縣五月十二日(周一)下午二時二十八分突然發生8級地震，為中國最大、破壞力最嚴重之地震，死亡人數超過三萬，災情不斷擴大，震驚世界。聖路易華人社區僑學同胞、社團、宗教團體感受悲凔，於13日地震救災第一時間內即決定以中華日為活動主體，發起賑災捐款活動，獲得各社團積極響應。在17日中華日開幕式中，召集人陳慧靈及植物園園長Peter Raven博士同時呼籲社區各界關懷大陸震災災民，捐輸愛心 。各社團則在中華日會場及各社團攤位擺設捐款箱，接受各方捐款。聖路易各社團將於本周六(五月二十四日)召開社團聯席會議，決定捐款管道，將以最快、最有效率方式將各界愛心捐款送達中國四川災區。
17日中華日開幕式在中華巨龍、腰鼓舞等表演後正式揭開序幕。今年中華日召集人、聖路易中文學校副校長陳慧靈在開幕式中特別向參與此次籌備工作之各社團義務工作人員致謝，由於大家的齊心努力才能呈現這兩天豐富精彩的中華文化盛宴。植物園園長PeterRaven博士在致詞中說明了植物園與中國之密切關係及中國植物誌編輯進度，這部25冊之巨作將於四年後完成，將是一部記載中國植物誌最完善之學術著作。
聖路易郡郡長Charlie Dooley應邀在開幕式中講話，他表示今年三月曾與團訪問中國大陸，商談聖路易成為美國中部地區中國空港計劃，收獲豐富，如果這項計劃能夠實現，對大聖路易地區將有著超過百年之經貿發展積極正面影響，其遠景不可限量。Dooley郡長並讚譽中華日之舉辦豐富了聖路易多元文化風采，他特別頒訂五月十七日為聖路易「中華文化日」，文告則由召集人陳慧靈代表接受。
聖路易市市長由聖市公共安全局局長Charles Bryson代表出席，他特別帶著他的女兒一起出席中華日盛會。Charles Bryson鼓勵每一位來賓在二天的中華日活動裏，都能多加一份瞭解中華文化、多加一份對不同族裔文化之認識和欣賞。今年的與會貴賓還有由聖路易華埠選出之州議員Maria Chappelle-Nadal及植物園園長夫人Kate Raven。
開幕式後熱鬧的中華日隨即展開，今年中華日節目豐富精彩，有來自密蘇里州Branson之上海雜技團精彩雜技演出及各項舞蹈、舞龍、舞獅、舞臺劇、太極、功夫，中國花園遊、兒童遊藝，中華美食等，展我中華文化，琳琅滿目，美不勝收。17日中午同時舉行有中華日圖案設計、繪畫比賽頒獎典禮。
2008 St. Louis Chinese Culture Day Celebration at the Missouri Botanical Garden
More than 10, 000 audiences visited the Missouri Botanical Garden on weekend, 17 percent higher than last year, celebrating the 2008 St. Louis Chinese Culture Day (CCD) and experiencing the variety of traditional Chinese culture elements during the two-day performances.The indoor and outdoor shows included lion and dragon dancing, Peking opera, acrobatics, stage performance of Chinese dance and Chinese music presented by students from local Chinese language schools, Chinese waist drum, and Tai Chi show etc.
The event, co-sponsored by four local Chinese cultural organizations and the Botanical Garden, has been set at the third weekend in May every year since 1999. The organizers said in the opening session that they would be satisfied only if the visitors could learn "a little bit more about Chinese culture" or had more interest on China."
"It is my first time (to visit the CCD) but I will come next year," said Vicky Hasty, a local resident with her 2-year-old son, "(because) it improves my knowledge and now I want to know more about the culture."
During the CCD, local Chinese organizations such as the St. Louis Chinese Association, Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA St. Louis), St. Louis Modern Chinese School, St. Louis Chinese Language School, and Fo Guang Shan St. Louis Buddhist Center also launched a fundraising campaign for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. A staff with the Buddhist Center said on Monday that the Buddha's Light International Association World Headquarters had promised to donate totally RMB 40 million yuan for the disaster areas.
Charlie A. Dooley, the St. Louis County Executive, said the CCD was one of the most important culture events in the region that introduced St. Louis residents the diversity of the different cultures.
"It was amazing to see China's great progress when I visited the Great Wall and the Great Hall (in Beijing) last month," Dooley said, adding that St. Louis is pushing forward a "big idea" of making the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport the passenger and cargo hub between Midwest and China that might influence the city significantly for "one hundred years."
A group consisted of most of Missouri's and the region's top political leaders, state's two U.S. Senators, the governor, Dooley and St. Louis Mayor, met with the deputy minister of China's Ministry of Commerce and other senior officials in Beijing in March.
The long-term project to expand the trade and promote educational and cultural links between Missouri and China is being carried out step by step. The Ministry of Commerce and the Civil Aviation Administration of China agreed to visit the state and St. Louis, probably after the Olympic Games, and jointly commission a formal study of the feasibility of designation St. Louis as the location for a new air freight hub serving the American Heartland.
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