Meeting Minutes - Growing up in China

November 8, 2005

League of Women Voters Meeting

Today we met at the home of member Penny Ning Pan. She was also our featured speaker for today on the subject entitled Growing up in China. Thank you for hosting us in your home and providing a great program. For pictures from this event (and others) please go to this link: LWV Photos.

President Beth Hall welcomed all the members present and also our newest members and guests attending today. She introduced the board members to the group today. Our next meeting will be December 13th -a Christmas luncheon at the Verandah restaurant in Repulse Bay. An email with details will be forthcoming.

Please see our treasurer, Nancy Ryback, if you would like to pay your dues for the 2005-2006 membership term. The dues are $200HK. Also, please view our Hong Kong league blog site!
http://lwvhk.blogspot.com/. Thanks to Cindy Carver, our membership person for her excellent work and dedication to this project. The blog has lots of good information!

Penny gave an interesting and heartfelt talk about being born in mainland China during the middle of the Cultural Revolution. She was raised by her grandparents and neighbors while her parents went to work. They were privileged to get the first TV in their community- a black and white in the late 70’s on which they enjoyed two government channels and a few entertainment shows from Hong Kong and America. Penny succeeded to attend college in the U.S. (Washington D.C.) where she met her husband-to-be Mark. She runs her own consulting business in Hong Kong. She remains the main window to the rest of the world for her family who still resides in China. She gave an overview of being born into poverty at a time when China was isolated from the rest of the world to her present day life living and working in Hong Kong.