Book details

  • Genre:history
  • Sub-genre:Essays
  • Language:English
  • Pages:148
  • Paperback ISBN:9798317802578

Passing the Torch--My Chinese American Journey

By Winny Lin

Overview


This book of 22 short essays and colorful photos includes 3 sections: her quest for Chinese American stories in California, teaching Chinese American contributions to the next generation, and her world travel experiences.
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Description


Winny Lin, a columnist for Southern Chinese Daily News, includes 22 short essays and a plethora of colorful photos about her discoveries and explorations of Chinese American history sites and stories in California (like the China Camp California State Park and Official Apologies of a small town to the Chinese Americans), her teaching the next generation about China in the last 50 years (like the 150th anniversary of "Golden Spike" in a California 4th grade classroom), and her world travel experiences (like Christmas in Paris, and Wuxi, China). First she wrote all pieces in English, then she had enlisted friends from Kentucky and California, to edit and revise them. It's truly a book of happiness! Enjoy.
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About The Author


Winny Lin, a columnist for Southern Chinese Daily News of Houston, Texas, has written many articles about: the contributions of Chinese Americans in the United States, historical sites where Chinese immigrants have settled in California, teaching Chinese culture and history to public school students, and her travel experiences around the world. Winny was born in Guilin, Guangxi, China, grew up in Taipei, Taiwan. She attended Taipei Air Force Affiliated Elementary School, Taiwan Provincial First Girls' Middle and High Schools in Taipei, National Chengchi University, and graduated from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, USA with a master's degree in special education. Winny taught in Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro, Kentucky, USA for 40 years before moving with her husband, Kenny Lin, to California in 2014. Now, she is teaching Mandarin Chinese online on Outschool. Other than the United States, she has taught students from Russia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Israel, and Australia. Winny worked as a journalist for the Central News Agency in Taipei, Taiwan before she became a teacher. Her two careers give her articles the keen perspective of both a reporter and an educator. Please follow Winny and her articles to explore the world.
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Book Reviews

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Teresa D
Learn to love China more! 22 journalistic personal memoir essays illustrate the travels and impact of a Chinese American teacher on promoting international cultural exchange in her community while also teaching the history of Chinese Americans in California. Winny Lin has been a teacher in Owensboro, KY before moving out to California with her husband in retirement. Passing the Torch: My Chinese American Journey tells mostly her recent history with her exploration of historical sites relevant to Chinese American history in California, her education projects both in California classrooms and online during COVID, and her travel stories even include a cultural exchange between educators in Wuxi, China and Daviess County, Kentucky. Especially interesting were essays about the Chinese fishing village that became a state park and the agricultural community where Chinese farmers made swamp land become productive farm land in California. Also good are the account and explanation of the opera The Dream of the Red Chamber and the more personal 5th grade field trip to Chinatown in San Francisco. Mrs. Lin is an enthusiastic teacher who is passionate about being a friendly and inviting first point of contact so that children may have positive memories about Chinese people and Chinese culture. Her classroom examples, penpal exchange, and her festival events are vitally important to make China less surprising and more familiar in our current time of growing tension between the governments of China and the United States. It is possible with this book to learn how to start a successful multicultural festival to teach Chinese culture. These essays are a friendly introduction to Chinese culture and provide many phrases to search for to find books and read more deeply. There are also many Chinese names and words with their translated meanings, and using Google Translate on your phone to photograph the text in the book also shows pronunciations and sometimes adds a little more information. An entertaining memoir to introduce you to your first Chinese teacher and make Chinese culture less Other and more Friend. Read more