Two members of my branch, one of three branches in Shanghai, were recently featured on significant television broadcasts. First, here is a link to a recorded TV broadcast about Jeff Olsen, who actually just returned to the US:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTE0MjczMDY0.html. A lengthy story giving positive attention to a foreigner who has made a difference in China. Thank you, Jeff!
More recently, Debra Roundy, here teaching English with her husband at Jiao Tong University through BYU’s Kennedy Center program, was on TV for a long segment, nearly 5 minutes, that highlighted her involvement with local Chinese people as she shares her passion for dance. She works with many local Chinese as they practice and perform group dances. Dance is such a wonderful part of Chinese communities, and a foreigner with the interest, talent, and energy to be involved and influence the community through dance is an unusual and definitely newsworthy story.
I took some photos of the TV when the program aired and show them below. Wish I had just recorded the broadcast. But it was a thrill to see someone I home teach being featured so positively on TV here. I hope millions of others were paying attention, too.
According to my limited understanding of Chinese politics, Mormons would not appear on Chinese television against the active opposition of the Chinese government. Consequently, I interpret this as a sign that the Chinese government is slowly and incrementally inching its way towards permitting unrestricted LDS activity in the near future, at least in the major cities.
This shows the non-confrontational approach by the senior LDS leadership is paying off. Too bad Jon Huntsman didn't remain ambassador; he was a good example for us.
I loved dancing in the park after supper when I was in China. This video is pretty cool. Thanks for posting.
Happy to find your blog. I wrote a China-America novel and in one version the second heroine is a young Mormon woman from Utah who goes to a mission in the LDS place in Shanghai. Hopefully, you will be kind to provide me with some information for my book. Thanks.
Giora, we should talk. Sounds interesting. There are no missionaries proselyting in China. Taiwan and Hong Kong, yes, but not mainland China. But you could have a girl who speaks Mandarin after serving a mission in Taiwan then come back to school in the States and then land an internship or teaching job in China, and have her cope with the tension between wanting to share the Gospel with the people she loves and not being able to, due to the strict rules that Mormons are asked to follow while here to respect the agreement with the government. It leads to some interesting challenges, especially when Chinese people start asking questions ("You're from Utah, tell me about your religion").
Contact me at jeff at jefflindsay dot com.
Oh wow! I know Deb Roundy. I dated her son when I was single and I worked with her when I was a developmental therapist.
Small world!!
Cool! I love to watch the Japanese and Chinese, really any Asian culture, dance. They are very graceful.
Great!