Projects
Wellington Xiamen Association Projects
Wellington Xiamen Association completed possibly the busiest year in its entire history with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Xiamen in 2012. The 25th anniversary programme of events was submitted for an Air New Zealand Award at the 2013 Sister Cities NZ Conference at Tauranga. Although the programme did not win an award, committee members and supporters can be justifiably proud of their achievements over the year.
Download the full programme as two PDF fles:
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Wellington Xiamen Association won an Air New Zealand Award for best youth, education or school project at the 2012 Sister Cities NZ Conference at Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. Thanks to Mary Busch, Dr Thorsten Stanley, and our partners Wellington City Council, University of Otago (Wellington), and Capital & Coast DHB.
Download our winning application as three PDF files:
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Some other project highlights are —
- 2013 – Fourth Xiamen Doctors’ Exchange programme (beginning a new three-year cycle).
- 2013 – Xiamen Families attend Chinese New Year celebrations in Wellington.
- 2012 – 2nd WXA Members’ BBQ, addressed by Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown.
- 2012 – Third Xiamen Doctors’ Exchange programme.
- 2012 – Xiamen Song and Dance Group participates in Chinese New Year celebrations in Wellington
- 2012 – WXA celebrates 25 years Sister City relationship.
- 2011 – Artists’ delegation to Xiamen, hosted by Jimei Art College.
- 2011 – Inaugural WXA Members’ BBQ, addressed by Wellington Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon.
- 2010 – Second Xiamen Doctors’ Exchange programme.
- 2010 WXA supports Chinese language students from Samuel Marsden Collegiate School to visit Xiamen No. 1 Middle School for ten days.
- 2009 – Inaugural Xiamen Doctors’ Exchange programme, with two doctors from Xiamen First Hospital working for three months in Wellington Regional Hospital under the supervision of Otago University School of Medicine.
- 2008 – Ten students from Xiamen secondary schools visits Wellington and are placed in local schools who provide homestays and education for three weeks.
- 2007 — WXA celebrates 20 years Sister City relationship.
- 2007 — WXA along with WCC organises children’s artwork competition and exhibition plus hosts prominent artists from Xiamen. Read more about the art competition and celebrations…
- 2006 – WXA comes third in the Wellington Dragon Boat races.
- 2006 – WXA wins Air New Zealand Sister Cities Award in Youth, Education and Schools category for the Sister Cities social studies resource.
- 2003 – WXA launches Sister Cities, a teachers’ resource supporting Level 5 Social Studies in the NZ Curriculum.
- 2003 – Exhibition of Wellington City images showcasing the work of Wellingtonian photographers leaves for its permanent home in Xiamen.
- 2002 – WXA along with WCC hosted a 60-strong Xiamen delegation to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the relationship. During Xiamen Day Wellingtonians were able to taste delicacies cooked by leading Xiamenese chefs, view art work by Mr Xu Li, and watch the Little Egrets.
- 2001 – WXA hosted an exhibition of Xiamen canvas art curated by internationally famous artist Mr Xu Li, Vice Chairman of the Xiamen Literary and Art circles.
- Since 2000 the Xiamen Business Council (under the umbrella of WXA) has encouraged and helped Wellington businesses to participate in the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), the second largest trade fair held each year in China.
- 2000 – WXA sent a Wellington teacher to Xiamen to take part in a summer programme tutoring middle school teachers of English.
- 1999 – WXA hosted a Xiamenese teacher of English for one month and mounted an exhibition of children’s art painted by Xiamen pupils.
- 1999 – WXA won the Air New Zealand Sister City Award for the Best Cultural Exchange.
- Since 1998 Xiamen’s internationally famous dance troupe “The Little Egrets” has visited Wellington three times.
Xiamen Medical Doctors Exchange Programme
Mr Li Nanzhu and Mr Liu Mingxue both from the Xiamen First Hospital, Fujian Province.
Mr Li Nanzhu (Head of the Medical Department) and Mr Liu Mingxue (Pediatrics, Doctor of Medicine) are both from the Xiamen First Hospital, Fujian Province, China. They are the second batch of visiting doctors on exchange from Xiamen.
If you would like to read the full article as published in Home Voice Newspaper 29th Oct 2010, you can download the article in either English or Chinese from these two locations:
The Wellington City Exhibition of Images to Xiamen
During Xiamen Day celebrations in Wellington in September 2002, the Chairman of the Xiamen Federation of Literary and Art Circles issued an invitation to the Wellington Xiamen Association to take an exhibition of photographic images to Xiamen.
Photo from Wellington City Exhibition 2003.
Less than a year later this exhibition has been put together and is ready to go. The majority of funding to support the cost and organisation of printing and mounting the images has come from the Wellington Xiamen Association and the Wellington City Council and, in keeping with Council’s new Creative Capital concept, the exhibition is to remain on permanent display in Xiamen.
This exhibition has provided a wonderful opportunity for Wellington photographers to be showcased in an international forum. Approximately one hundred images have been assembled to capture the essence of Wellington and New Zealand — where we work and play, our cultural diversity, the colours, landscapes, native flora and fauna, summer activities such as BBQ’s, children in action, sport, architecture, kiwi baches and letterboxes. All those things that New Zealanders take for granted but are fascinated by when visiting other countries.
Photo from Wellington City Exhibition 2003.
As a result of the Association’s hard work there has been an increase in community awareness of the sister-city bond and this exhibition will be further evidence of the cementing of the close relationship the two cities already enjoy.
This is another fantastic opportunity for us to showcase Wellington’s exceptional creative talent and boost the reputation of Wellington as a centre of creativity. It is also an important opportunity to continue to strengthen our ties with the people of Xiamen,
Mayor Prendergast said.
Ideally the Xiamen audience will be captivated by the essence of what makes us tick, where we work and play, our cultural diversity, the colours of New Zealand and much, much more,
said Jenny Dey, President of Wellington Xiamen Association.
Photo from Wellington City Exhibition 2003.
The images shown here help make up the 100 images that will go to Xiamen in early September and are examples of similarities and diversities between Xiamen and Wellington or New Zealand. Michal Pinkertons’ Fun with Bubblesimage shows that children everywhere have fun blowing bubbles. And, Tim Beverstocks’ image of a country church shows differences in Architecture.
WCC and WXA would especially like to thank
- Wellington Photographic Supplies — for the printing of images
- Arts OK for the matting of images
- Amy Zeng — for interpreting captions
- Woolf Photography — for supplying prints
- Chris Coad Photography — for supplying prints
- Weta Workshop — for supplying a print
- Singapore Airlines for transportation of images to Xiamen
And of course thank you to all the photographers who have put forward their images to be part of this wonderful exhibition.
