Events of The Society For Friendship With China, Inc.

EVENTS

Below is information on past events.

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KC World Citizen of the Year Award: Bob Chien
Joyce and China
Mayor Mark Funkhouser Present Robert Chien the Key to Kansas City
with Proclamation for His Service to the City

Past Events

KC World Citizen of the Year Award: Bob Chien

Kansas City Mayor Sylvester James Jr. hosted Kristin Hetle of Norway, director of strategic partnerships at UN Women, who addressed the 43rd annual Mayor's United Nations Day Dinner on worldwide efforts to protect, advance and empower women and girls. Mayor James also presented the 2013 Kansas City World Citizen of the Year Award to Robert (Bob) Chien, long-time advocate of closer China-U.S. relations, chairman of the Kansas City-Xi’an Sister City Committee and President of the Society for Friendship with China.

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013
InterContinental Hotel Ballroom
401 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64112
7:00 p.m. dinner, with 6:30 p.m. cash bar reception

Joyce and China

Joyce Cox has always been fascinated by China. After her first trip there, she joined US-China Peoples Friendship Association and soon was invited to the Signing Ceremony for the Kansas City-Xi’an Sister Cities Committee. That day she received a promise from Bob Chien to find her a teaching position in China when she retired. With the help of An Wei, the Xi’an representative to the Sister Cities Signing Ceremony, she immediately established a Sister School relationship and a pen pal program between Center High School and Fu Feng School in China. When she retired from teaching, just as he had promised, Bob Chien found her a position teaching English at Northwest University in Xi’an, China. She taught English and her students taught her Chinese history and culture. They escorted her on many excursions including a trip over the Silk Road to Kashgar and a visit to Yan’an, where Edgar Snow first met and interviewed Mao.

Upon her return, she became very involved in the Kansas City-Xi’an Sister City committee, representing them for several years on the Association Board. She was instrumental in the campaign to buy adjustable desks with the purchaser’s name on the desk for An Shang School and helped with the establishment of scholarships for students in three schools near Xi’an. She also joined the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation and served as President of the Kansas City chapter of US-China Peoples Friendship Association for 13 Years. She also served on the Midwest Region USCPFA Board both as member and President. Joyce has been a frequent visitor to China and has helped other teachers find positions there. She helped found The Society for Friendship with China, Inc. and has served on the board, first as Secretary and then as Vice President for Grants. She has been influential in promoting The Society’s New Year Celebrations and exchange programs and worked from the very beginning in developing the Kansas City International Dragon Boat Festival. At the 2013 Chinese New Year Celebration, Joyce was presented with The Society’s Bridge of Friendship Award for twenty years of service.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser Present Robert Chien the Key to Kansas City with Proclamation for His Service to the City

Photography by Dan Gilbert		Photography by David Hayes
On Thursday, April 21, 2011 Kansas City Missouri Mayor Mark Funkhouser awarded the Key to the City to Robert Chien with a proclamation for his service to the City of Kansas City. Chien founded the Society for Friendship with China and has long been active in international relations for Kansas City, particularly with our Sister City Xi’an in the Peoples Republic of China. Kansas City owes its colorful annual Dragon Boat Festival and the lifesize reproductions of Xi’an's famous clay soldiers on the Plaza and so much more to Bob Chien. Bob thanked the mayor for this recognition, as well as the city of Kansas City Missouri and all ethnic Chinese and American friends in the greater Kansas City, without whose "support and encouragement, I cannot accomplish one single thing." Congratulations, Bob!