The Chinese Culture Club (CCC) at the University of Arizona has only been on campus for one year but is here to stay. East Asian Studies senior, Raymond Fong is the founder of the CCC and served as the President last year.
“I noticed that the university offered a variety of resources for a number of ethnicities and cultures, but was lacking Chinese.” Said Fong. “With the now booming population of Chinese Americans, as well as international students from ethnically Chinese countries, it only seemed logical to make this club.”
Fong is originally from San Fransisco, CA but decided to attend the home of the Wildcats “simply because the university offered me not only a high diversified campus, but also exposure to southwestern Asia.” Explained Fong. He initially founded the CCC “to provide a comfortable environment to discuss, enjoy and learn about Chinese culture, history and influence”. However, the club would be nothing without its members and volunteers.
Fong could not have done it without last year’s Executive board, which included Matt and Jacob Russell-Cheung, Evon Sai, Jason Lu, Katie Tam, Hillary Chen, Alan Dang, Grace Lo and Shiue Yin. They each had specific chairs like Treasurer, Vice President and Secretary. The club held meetings once a month, which Fong and the E-board ran. The CCC was also involved in last year’s Wildcat World Fair but its biggest student run events were the Asian-American Cultural Association’s Scholarship Formal and the first ever Lunar New Year Celebration. “There was always a purpose for everything we did.” Explained Fong.
The CCC consists of about 30 members that paid and around 50 people that attend meetings and events constantly.
“Our members and volunteers are why we are doing this club.” Stated Fong. “The members and volunteers offer support not only in volunteering and attendance but also offering a diverse environment to approach Chinese, and or Chinese related subjects.”
He quoted a Chinese saying, “To walk 10 miles is better than reading 1,000 books” to emphasize the importance of experience.
“Last year we were practically in the dark and didn’t know what to do,” stated Fong, “but this year is completely different. It will definitely be easier accomplishing our goals this year with last year’s successes and failures.”