Hundreds of people celebrate the first anniversary of the founding of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association in the American province of Alberta (photo)

Hundreds of people celebrated the first anniversary of the founding of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association in the U.S. Province of Alberta (Photo) Two giant cakes, eight roast pigs, nearly ten kinds of delicacies, countless...

Hundreds of people celebrate the first anniversary of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association in the U.S. Province of Alberta (photo) Two giant cakes, eight roast pigs, nearly ten kinds of delicacies, countless exciting programs Hundreds of people celebrate the first anniversary of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association in the U.S. Province of Alberta (Alberta Times) At 1 p.m. on April 1, hundreds of members and friends of the Kaiping Association came to the Phoenix Senior Citizens Association to celebrate the first anniversary of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association of Alberta and the 2012 Kaiping Association Spring Banquet. Senior overseas Chinese leader Yu Wenjin, honorary president of the Kaiping Association Guan Zongren, president Zhen Shuoqin, Chinese-American female member of the House of Representatives Yu Yanfen, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, Director Gao Jiafu, former president of the Chinese Overseas Chinese Association of Greater Phoenix City Deng Chaoju, president Zhang Huafang, standing committee member of the Arizona branch of the Kuomintang Wang Wei Wangting, Mesa Kaiping sister city chairman Huang Zhijie, and the president of the Chinese Restaurant Association of Alberta Yang Zhengang and other guests attended the event. Everyone spent a pleasant afternoon with delicious food and exciting programs, which also brought good omens for 2012. The majestic lion dance kicked off the event. Hosts Zhang Huafang and Guan Zhaofeng invited senior overseas Chinese leader Yu Wenjin to give a speech. Yu Wenjin said that this was the first spring banquet in the overseas Chinese community where eight roast pigs were entertained for the guests. It was a great gift and very rare. He also wished the one-year-old Kaiping Association a long life like the elders of the Senior Citizens Association. Yu Yanfen, a Chinese-American female member of the House of Representatives, also expressed her gratitude to everyone for inviting her to participate in such a traditional event. President Zhen Shuoqin thanked the guests for their support of the Kaiping Association. This is a very young organization, and he also hopes that everyone can provide more valuable opinions to help these associations grow more healthily. Chairman Zhen said that in the past, when clan gatherings were held, pigs were roasted to worship ancestors. Now that times have changed, it is commendable that the tradition of roasting pigs to celebrate festivals can still be maintained. Eight roast pigs were divided into small pieces so that every household can taste this Cantonese specialty. Yu Jiangying, secretary-general of the Kaiping Association, and Donazhi Pastry Shop sent two large birthday cakes that could be eaten by a hundred people. The beauties from the Taiwan Horse Racing Support Group sang "Girls from Alishan" to the venue. They were neatly dressed, sang and danced, and took photos with the guests. It was very lively. Kaiping's characteristic ditty "Welcome to Kaiping" combines dialect and music, allowing guests to listen to the eight-tone local ditty. During the gathering, the Kaiping Association also selected five outstanding young people from Kaiping who received scholarships from the Kaiping Association. At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the guests were still immersed in the wonderful Cantonese opera, reluctant to leave each other, and still wanted to say goodbye to each other and meet again during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Kaiping Mutual Aid Association of the United States is a Phoenix society established in April last year. The founder of the Kaiping Mutual Aid Association is Zhen Shuoqin, the current chairman of the Kaiping Association. During last year's Mid-Autumn Festival, a Mid-Autumn Festival party for nearly 400 people was held, which was very popular in the community. The Kaiping Association is dedicated to helping fellow villagers and exchanging friendships. It is a very active group in the community.