Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 1

The AGM was held on the 7th July and I would

like to thank the members for their support at

the AGM, including those who had sent in their

proxy forms.

At this AGM, we were very pleased to confirm

the appointment of Rita Wong as our new

committee member. Rita is very keen to bring in

more ideas and spend time with our members.

Please join me to offer our warmest welcome to

Rita Wong. We were very pleased to have both

Alex and Eugene re-elected to the committee

after retiring from the committee.

We agreed that without the Wimbledon Guild’s

support, our group would not be able to cover

the costs on renting a venue and hiring a Taiji

teacher so we thank the Guild for their

continuing support. We were very pleased that

our account was balanced and had been audited

accordingly. I’d like to thank Mrs Ruth Cooke

for her help in auditing the accounts, and Ivy

Salvage for preparing the audit.

As proposed previously, now it has been agreed

that the group meeting time will be 2.30-4.30pm

starting in September. Please do help to spread

the word; we hope the change can help people

with child-care commitments.

I urge you to attend our regular group meetings

and hope that our members can achieve a

healthier and happier day after the meeting.

CHINESE CULTURAL GROUP MERTON SUMMER 2015 ISSUE 19th July 2015

Word from the Chair - Sissi Wong

Inside this issue

Red Tape 2

Events Calendar 2

Aubergine with Pork recipe 3

Common Generation Name 4/5

Night Thoughts 5

Acupuncture 6

Chinese Medicinal Plants in Gardens 6

CCGM Programme 7

Tai Chi Sessions in the Summer 7

Sweet Potato - Orange v White Variety 8

夏 Welcome to an exciting Summer 2015 issue. Paul Hider is grappling with an identity crisis in China.

Gabriel Toyos is not only showing us that cooking Chinese food does not have to be complicated or

expensive in Wimbledon, it can be delicious, too. On the food topic, Rita Wong-Kam investigates the health

benefits of orange and white sweet potatoes. Jacques K Lee unravels the complexities of Chinese common

generation names while Eugene Byrne reflects on the importance of the moon in Chinese literature.

Acupuncture is not just about “pins and needles” and if you ever wonder about its origins and uses, and

discover the versatility of the broadleaf plantain in medicine and cooking, read the articles on page 6.

Enjoy the rest of the summer break with tai chi in Morden Hall Park and experience Korean culture in

Trafalgar Square - more details in the CCGM programme and events calendar.

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 2

Red Tape by Paul Hider 海 德

There’s a reason why civil servants world-wide are

often called “mandarins”. Bureaucracy and red tape

have been rampant in China for millennia and even

now show little sign of getting more efficient.

Administrative jobs in local or national Government,

unlike in the West perhaps, are highly sought-after

here for their stability, pensions and - how should I

put it? - “opportunities for additional unofficial

funding”… For a foreigner living in China it is usually

a confusing, frustrating and very opaque process to

get anything official done. Some laws in China are

effectively “ignored” (police don’t bother to enforce

the smoking ban in restaurants or fine when electric

bikes have more than two people on them or make

any effort to deter ubiquitous bus-stop pick-pockets)

whilst others are rigidly applied, regardless of any

common sense.

A case in point. My son, JD, was born in Kunming two

years ago. Registering his birth was tortuous,

involving seven visits to five different offices all over

town, each requiring paperwork from the office

before but none having a simple, “Here’s what you

have to do” checklist. His birth certificate only had

space for a 4 character name, so we had to use his

Chinese name Zhu Pin Xiu (朱 品 修). Later, we

applied for a British passport and, as passports have

to tally with birth certificates, that now bears his

Chinese name too. The tape was only just starting to

get redder! Being born in China with at least one

Chinese parent, JD is considered to be a Chinese

citizen by the authorities here and his British

passport can’t be used for identification as China

does not recognise dual nationalities. So how do we

get JD to the UK for a visit? He can fly within China

using his Birth Certificate but, without a passport, he

can’t travel internationally. If he gets a Chinese

passport the British won’t issue a visa in it (as he’s

already a British citizen as far as Britain is

concerned). And he can’t leave China on an

unrecognised British passport. The solution involves

multiple and lengthy visits to the Public Security

Bureau to apply for an Entry/Exit Certificate which

allows “Chinese” children to leave the country

without a Chinese passport. Getting the Certificate

requires paperwork which took me a week to get

together. I even had to supply the PSB with a hand-

written letter “promising to return JD to China” (not

that anyone there could read English, let alone my

writing). So now JD will fly to Beijing using his Birth

Certificate, leave China with his Entry/Exit Certificate

and enter Britain with his British passport!

Now, what could possibly go wrong?

www.paulinchina.info Life in China - Article #12

Exit and Entry Permit certificate

For a summer of activities and local events, click on the link to Merton Events Calendar:

http://www.merton.gov.uk/news-events/events/eventscalendar.htm

Experience the wonders of Korean culture, food and music at the London Korean Festival in Trafalgar

Square on 9th August 2015:

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/42226448-london-korean-festival-2015

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 3

Aubergine with Pork – A Great Recipe for any Day of the Week!

By Gabriel Toyos

Complicated recipes are quite rightly left aside for

high days and holidays but some of the easiest recipes

go untried in many kitchens.

Here’s a simple cheap meal that anyone can make

quickly. It is healthy, delicious and impressive!

The quality of the dish depends on the aubergine. You

could serve this with white rice and a steamed green

vegetable in season, for example – and it will be

enough for two moderately hungry people.

The recipe has been slightly adapted from Hunan: A

Lifetime of Secrets from Mr Peng's Chinese Kitchen by

Qin Zie and Mr Peng (Preface Publishing).

Inspired by China, made in Wimbledon

Photo by Gabriel Toyos

Ingredients

100g of minced belly of pork. If you don’t have a mincer or food processor dice it as small as you can get it with your sharpest knife.

One aubergine, cut into five cm batons.

200 ml of water.

One teaspoon of cornflour (mixed with a little water first) for thickening the sauce.

One teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

Half a teaspoon of sesame oil.

A little sunflower oil for frying.

Coriander leaves for garnish at the end.

For the sauce

Three tablespoons of chicken stock.

One teaspoon miso paste.

Two garlic cloves, finely chopped

A quarter of a fresh red chilli, finely sliced (I’d add a small dried red bird’s eye chilli too).

Ten coriander stalks, finely chopped.

Salt and sugar to taste.

Method

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste

Heat a little oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the pork mince and cook until it changes colour.

Add the aubergine and gradually add the water (use your discretion) – just enough to soften the aubergine – this will take three to four minutes.

Add the sauce to the wok and stir through before adding the cornflour, the vinegar and the sesame oil. When the sauce has thickened, it is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 4

Common Generation Name by Jacques K. Lee

Continued on Page 5

If you are Chinese, do you have a three-syllable

surname, that is, with three characters? Most Chinese

who have settled outside China have adopted the use

of a single character surname but that doesn’t

necessarily mean they were not registered at birth

with other names.

In China Mao Zedong was responsible for many

people changing their names, but that’s another story.

What we are now seeing is citizens of that country

using names that have nothing to do with our age-old

tradition, such as Lang Lang. In the past only animals

were given such two-character ‘twin’ names, such as

the well-known panda, Chi Chi.

In the UK there are still many Chinese who have not

changed their traditional three-syllable names to just

the clan name, and may be known as, say, Lam Kee

Tang, instead of just Lam. So what is a Chinese

common generation name? In the case of this

fictitious name: Lam is the surname or clan name, Kee

is the given or middle name, in the West increasingly

referred to as your first name with the surname as

your last name. In Chinese, whether when spoken or

written, this last name is always given first, followed

by the other two names to complete the system of

three-character names.

So is Tang just another given name like a British baby

may be christened John Peter Michael? No, Tang is

your common generation name chosen by your

elders. All your siblings, also your cousins of the same

generation, will have this same name. In my case, for

example, my common generation name is Chen. All

my brothers also have Chen as part of their names. So

have all my cousins in China, sons of my father’s

brothers. The name Chen therefore denotes that

we’re all Lees of the 22nd generation. My children,

the 23rd generation, and their cousins have their own

generation name, Sen.

Exceptions to the rule

But there are exceptions to the general rules and this

is where the fun begins! In some families the

generation name is shown as the second name and

not the third. Some lineage alternates the position

from generation to generation. Now when Chinese

names are written in Pinyin, the second and third

characters are often merged as one word, eg Lam

Keetang. Daughters may have different generation

names from their brothers but not always as there

are local variations in the creation of these names.

Cousins on your aunts’ side have the generation name

of their fathers and therefore different from yours.

One thing which you will not find in Chinese names is

a person with a long name consisting of several

syllables, such as Ravensbotham. In short this is

because each Chinese character is one complete

‘word’ with just one meaning. But as I said above,

things are changing even in China.

Advantages and disadvantages

Why hang on to this old system if you now live

outside China? Is it to do with when in Rome, do as

the Romans? The main disadvantage is it makes it

more difficult on a daily basis for the bureaucrats and

foreign friends to deal with your names but it still has

some advantages.

I will use Mauritius to give you an example. This is a

country with a small, mainly Hakka-speaking Chinese

population. Let’s say our Mr Lam Kee Tang has been

in the news and is reported in the newspapers only as

Mr Joseph Lam (most Mauritian Chinese are now

Christians). There are hundreds of Lams on this

island and people reading about a Joseph Lam will

not be sure whether they know this one. But with all

three names being mentioned, you may remember a

school friend or an acquaintance called Lam with the

generation Tang. This will instantly inform you that

this person in the news may be a brother or cousin of

someone you know.

In the old days in China, when two men met for the

first time, it was important to know how to address

each other correctly and respectfully. Once

introduced, they would have known straightaway if

they were cousins or which one was of a senior

generation, peeh (輩), and therefore to be addressed

as ‘uncle’.

If you are Chinese and are expecting a baby, you

should seriously consider whether to give it a

common generation name. Your child may not use

this name in their daily life but at least they would

have it on paper. Ask your elders what the current

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 5

Night Thoughts by Eugene Byrne

I've recently become interested in the importance of

the moon in Chinese thought and literature. Classical

literature is full of this. The best examples are found

in the poets of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), who

wrote many poems in which their wives were gazing

at the moon and thinking that their husbands were

perhaps also gazing at the same time, so that in a

sense they were united. An English woman academic

once dryly pointed out to me that that was because

the poems were all written by men. But I suggest that

there was a reason for that: in those days the only

people who could write were the literary class, the

educated mandarin officials, and they were usually

posted to some province away from home so as not to

interfere with their administrative allegiance to

Peking.

The greatest Tang poet is considered by many to be Li

Bo (or Li Bai; 701 -762), who was not an official but a

writer, together with his great contemporary Du Fu.

Li Bai liked a drink, and is said to have died when,

crossing over a river in a small boat, he leant over the

side to embrace the reflection of the moon in the

water, and fell in. He had been composing a poem so

no doubt he died in a good cause. He is the author of

perhaps the most famous classical poem, the four-line

Night Thoughts:

generation name is or if it’s your first and the start of a new generation, then you will be advised of an

appropriate name in accordance with the Chinese ‘bible’, the almanac that Chinese elders consult on such

occasions. In some families the chosen name may be taken from a well-known poem and the name of each

generation is taken from another word in that poem. That’s why some generation names may have no

connection at all with your family, such as Star or Soldier.

I would like to end this article by saying that I am not an expert on Chinese common generation names. What

I have written is what I have heard and understood from my parents and relatives from China. These China-

born Chinese in Mauritius had a habit of asking ‘What is your peeh?’ after you had told them your name.

The bright moon shone before my bed,

I wondered – was it frost upon the ground?

I raised my head to gaze at the clear moon,

Bowed my head remembering my old home.

Here translated by Innes Herdan. More of this in our

next issue. Comments by our Chinese readers are

welcome.

Continued from Page 4

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 6

Acupuncture by Alex Roney

We all know about Acupuncture – but what exactly is it and when did it originate?

Traditional acupuncture started in China about 5,000 years ago. It is a system of healing, and can also be used

to provide pain relief, and even anaesthetic effects.

Chi energy is at its core – using the energy which flows around the body to diagnose problems, and promote

healing where necessary. Some people would call chi the life force, and it is easy to see that where things are

out of balance in either the mind or the body, then imbalances result in illness or malfunction. Symptoms

signal the imbalance.

Acupuncture and the use of fine needles taps in to the chi flow to help to restore balance by using the

traditionally identified acupuncture points on the body.

An examination prior to using acupuncture will incorporate asking questions, listening and looking and

feeling to identify problems.

In Chinese medicine, the whole body and its environment are looked at to establish causes of symptoms.

10 Chinese Medicinal Plants You Can Find in Your Garden by Sissi Wong

4/10 Plantago major (broadleaf plantain or

greater plantain) 寬葉車前 "roadweed"

A species of plantago, family Plantaginaceae, the

broadleaf plantain is native to most of Europe and

northern and central Asia but is found all over the

world. It is one of the most abundant and

accessible medicinal herbs. A poultice of the leaves

can be applied to wounds, stings, and sores in order

to facilitate healing and prevent infection. The active

chemical constituents are aucubin (an anti-microbial

agent), allantoin (which stimulates cellular growth

and tissue regeneration), and mucilage (which

reduces pain and discomfort). Plantain has

astringent properties, and a tea made from the leaves

can be drunk to treat diarrhoea and soothe raw

internal membranes.

Broadleaf plantain is also a highly nutritious wild,

edible plant, that is high in calcium and vitamins A, C,

and K. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw, and

the older, stringier leaves can be boiled in stews and

eaten.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major

It is well known that the Chinese use almost everything on our planet for their medicines. This information

is provided to you mainly for your interest and is not intended to encourage you to try.

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 7

All meetings are conducted in English for anyone interested in Chinese culture at Drake House, 44 St

George’s Road, London SW19 4ED on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, beginning with 45 minutes of Taiji Qigong

Shibashi exercises followed by a talk or activity. £3.00 per session (Tea & refreshments included).

Leonie Tarratt will continue with Taiji Qigong exercises once a month for an hour session, and lead a specific

type of Taiji for treatment or prevention of arthritis, back pain, diabetes with a special variation for over

55's. The programme is subject to change.

£5.00 for annual membership from 1st April to 31st March.

Please note that from September 2015, the meetings will start at a new time from 2.30-4.30 pm.

CCGM Programme: July to December 2015

Date Programme Speaker

21st July 3.00-5.00 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Russian Boxes

Leonie Tarratt Alex Roney

August: Closed for the Summer break

1st September 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Treasurer’s birthday celebration/Wild China DVD

Alex Roney Eugene Byrne

15th September 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Mid-Autumn Festival

Leonie Tarratt Sissi Wong

6th October 2.00-3.00 pm

Visit to the Thai Buddhist temple:

Meet at: 14 Calonne Rd, London SW19 5HJ at 1.30 pm.

Bus 93 going towards Putney and alight at Calonne

Road bus stop, before Parkside Hospital.

£3.00 paid in advance by 15th September 2015

http://www.buddhapadipa.org/contact-us/

Rita Wong-Kam

20th October 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Chung Yeung Festival– Speaker TBC

Leonie Tarratt

3rd November 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Chinese Film Part 1

Alex Roney Eugene Byrne/Rita Wong-

Kam

17th November 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Chinese Film Part 2

Leonie Tarratt Eugene Byrne/Rita Wong-

Kam

1st December 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Chinese immigration in Mauritius

Alex Roney Rita Wong-Kam

15th December 2.30-4.30 pm

Taiji Qigong Shibashi Christmas party

Leonie Tarratt Alex Roney/Helen Chiew/

Sissi Wong

Leonie Tarratt will run Tai Chi and Qigong sessions in Morden Hall Park on Thursday 30th July & Thursday

6th August. We will meet at the cafe near the main car park at 11 a.m. and these free sessions normally last

for 1½ - 2hrs.

Leonie will also run 3 sessions at St Mary’s Church Hall, Church Lane, London SW19 3HJ on Wednesdays

12th, 19th and 26th August at 10.30a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at a charge of £6.50 per session. Tea and biscuits will be

provided. The sessions will focus on Tai Chi for Arthritis programme, 32 Sun Style Form, Qigong Shibashi

and 24 Form Yang Style Tai Chi.

Chinese Cultural Group Merton Summer 2015 Issue – Edited by Helen Marti Page 8

Sweet Potato- The orange versus the white variety by Rita Wong-Kam

Chinese Cultural Group Merton

Growing up in Mauritius I was always aware of the

health benefits of the sweet potato and ginger dessert

soup (番薯姜汤糖水- fan shu jiang tang tang shui).

The soup is believed to warm our constitution and

expel toxins. With a hint of sweetness and strong

ginger kick, it’s like a warm hug in a bowl. It never

dawned on me then that there was more than one

variety other than the white one grown and

consumed in my native land. As a matter of fact there

are over 400 varieties of sweet potatoes available

today and they come in different textures and colours

- white, orange, purple, copper skin, yellow, light rose

etc…

Here in the UK one can still buy the white variety in

Chinese shops or other shops selling exotic crops.

However, the sweet potato widely sold in

supermarkets is of the orange variety which is more

powdery and softer in texture. Sales here have

rocketed as consumers are more aware of the health

benefits of this new superfood.

I personally buy the orange variety for roasting and

preparing my sweet potato and ginger soup but I find

the white variety ideal for making the fried sweet

potato and sesame balls, a popular snack made

during Chinese New Year. I had never delved deeper

into the matter until I watched a documentary on

Channel 4 last week (Superfoods: the real story- part

2/4) comparing the orange to the white variety of the

sweet potato.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/superfoods-

the-real-story

The programme tackled the health properties of the

orange over the white variety of sweet potatoes and

talked about the successful results of researches and

subsequent cross-breeding in Uganda where the

white variety was previously grown. Although

Uganda produces 3 million tons of sweet potatoes per

year (2nd biggest exporter after China), it was found

that malnutrition amongst the children was rife and

was even resulting in death. Children were becoming

blind and were in terrible pain because of lack of

micronutrients (e.g. vitamin A).

Scientific research has proved that the white variety

of sweet potato consisted purely of carbohydrate.

The orange variety on the other hand, is packed with

beta carotene which turns into vitamin A. After eight

years of research and crossbreeding the white and

the orange potato, Vitamin A deficiency in Uganda has

now been reduced by 40%. Whilst parents used to

take their children to hospital every week before the

project they now go every three months. Results have

therefore been truly positive.

Finally the next time I tuck into my orange sweet

potato with ginger soup, I shall be fully aware of the

fact that it does not just contain heart-warming and

revitalising properties, but is also good for my

eyesight!

Guild House, 30/32 Worple Road

Wimbledon, London SW19 4EF

For more information, contact

Helen Marti, CCGM secretary

on 0208 946 0735 (Tues/Thurs)

We welcome your contributions and feedback, and

would love to hear from you about Chinese culture,

history, food and contemporary events. Please email to

chineseculturalgroup@gmail.com or contact Helen

Marti relating to any queries on Chinese activities and

programme updates.

Check http://issuu.com/ccgm/docs for our archive file.