The South Coast Chinese Cultural Center hosted its 18th anniversary celebration and a book launch on the afternoon of June 11th. At the event, a bilingual picture book titled "The Story of Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building" was released to commemorate the centenary of Ms. Tai's birth. More than 300 guests attended this heartwarming gathering.
The Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building was built largely through the generosity of Tai's son, and has been in use since 2005. Tai's granddaughter delivered a speech on behalf of the Sun Family. Ms. Sun who grew up in Irvine with her grandma Tai, stated that Ms. Tai was born in Anhui Province, China in 1923. She was displaced by World War II and raised a son and two daughters in Taiwan as a single mom, where she worked as a high school biology teacher for nearly 30 years. After retiring, Ms. Tai moved to Irvine, where friends and family often visited her apartment and enjoyed homemade Chinese delicacies such as dumplings, scallion pancakes, and steamed buns. At that time, Grandma Tai always reminded her grandchildren to learn how to cook Chinese meals on their own, but the children never expected that Grandma would leave one day. Now, Ms. Sun often laments that she can't find delicious dumplings at Trader Joe's and regrets not learning her grandmother's culinary skills.
Ms. Sun, who attended Irvine Chinese School for 12 years, said that she made many good friends there. During that time, the Chinese school rented classrooms from University High School in the Irvine school district for weekend classes. The classrooms were always filled with English, math, and other subject materials and decorations. Sometimes, the whiteboard was filled with incomprehensible key points, but the Chinese school teachers couldn't erase them. Sometimes, the classrooms were locked when it was time for class and the teachers and students had to wait for the custodians to come and unlock the doors. Eighteen years ago, thanks to the unremitting efforts of many parents and volunteers, Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building was finally completed and put into use, giving the Irvine Chinese School its own home. Ms. Sun invited everyone to view the Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building as an extension of her grandma Tai’s place. Just like when Ms. Tai was alive, her door was always open to students and parents, everyone is welcome at the Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building.
The celebration also featured speeches by invited guests, including California State Senator Dave Min, Irvine Mayor Ferrah Khan, IUSD Board of Education President Lauren Brooks, Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi, and Associate Dean Dr. Judy Wu of the School of Humanities at UC Irvine.
Yulan Chung, the CEO of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center and Principal of Irvine Chinese School, emphasized that she has always believed in the power of culture to promote communication and unite people's hearts. The 18th anniversary celebration program was produced in-house by the clubs of Irvine Chinese School and the Cultural Center, showcasing their diverse and innovative talents. This year, coinciding with the centenary of Ms. Tai's birth, the Cultural Center decided to publish "The Story of Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building" with the hope that young students growing up in America can appreciate the enduring humanistic spirit from Ms. Tai's life stories.
The program was MCed by Cheer Pan. The South Coast Chinese Orchestra & Drum Team, South Coast Taichi Club, the Southern California Chinese Dance Company, and the Irvine Chinese Chorus presented a variety of wonderful performances. The event also featured an exhibition of photographs from the Asian American Youth Leaders (AAYL) project, a collaboration between the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center and the School of Humanities at UC Irvine.
"The Story of Kuan-Yuan Tai Educational Building" was narrated by Ms. Tai's daughter Diana Kong, illustrated by Siwei Liu, translated into English by Diana Sun, and written by Esther Hsiao. It includes memories and anecdotes from Ms. Tai’s daughter, accompanied by delightful illustrations, allowing readers to have a better understanding of the origin of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. It also serves as a commemorative gift for the center's supporters and volunteers.
南海岸中華文化中心6月11日下午舉行慶祝戴廣源文教大樓落成啟用18週年茶會，並發表中英雙語繪本《戴廣源文教大樓的故事》，以紀念戴老師百歲冥誕，300多位中外嘉賓出席這場溫馨感人的活動。
為紀念母親一生對教育的奉獻，戴廣源老師的長公子孫大衛當年得知孩子所就讀的爾灣中文學校正面臨籌建永久校舍經費不足的困境， 熱心慷慨捐款挹注，建校工程乃得以順利進行，校方感念戴老師恩澤及其長公子善心，特別將校舍大樓命名為「戴廣源文教大樓」。「戴廣源文教大樓」除了是爾灣中文學校的教學大樓，也是南海岸中華文化中心之社區活動場所，更是南加州華人最溫暖的人文地標。2023年適逢戴老師百歲冥誕，「戴廣源文教大樓」落成啟用十八周年 ，出版此一中英雙語的繪本故事書讓更多人認識這位蕙質蘭心的教育家 ， 意義非凡。 戴廣源的孫女代表致詞說，戴老師於1923年出生在中國安徽省，經歷過二次大戰，在台灣獨力撫養一子二女，擔任中學生物老師近30年。戴老師退休後遷居爾灣市，親朋好友經常進出她定居的公寓，享用餃子、烙餅、饅頭等家常美味。那時候戴老師總提醒孫子女們要學會自己做中式餐點，但是小孩子不懂事，沒想到奶奶有一天也會離開。現在孫女士常感嘆在Trader Joe’s買不到好吃的水餃，後悔當年沒有認真學習奶奶的廚藝。
曾就讀爾灣中文學校12年的孫女士說，在爾灣中文學校結識許多好友，當年中文學校週末租用爾灣學區的大學高中上課，教室裡總是看到英文、數學或其他學科的教材與佈置，有時候白板上寫滿看不懂的重點，中文學校的老師卻不能擦掉，有時候上課時間到了，教室卻還是鎖著，師生們只能坐等工友來開門。18年前，在家長及義工不懈努力下，戴廣源文教大樓終於落成啟用，爾灣中文學校有了屬於自己的家。就像戴廣源老師在世時，家門永遠為學生敞開一樣，戴廣源文教大樓也是屬於大家的文化中心。
應邀在茶會中致詞的還有加州州議員閔大衛（Dave Min）、爾灣市長Ferrah Khan、爾灣學區委員會主席Lauren Brooks 、爾灣市經理祁志豪(Oliver Chi)及爾灣加大人文學院副院長吳字君(Judy Wu)。
南海岸中華文化中心執行長暨爾灣中文學校校長鍾幼蘭也強調，她一直相信文化具有促進交流、凝聚人心的力量，18週年慶節目全部由爾灣中文學校及文化中心的社團策畫演出，展現文化創新的多元風貌。今年適逢戴廣源老師100歲冥誕，文化中心決定出版中英雙語繪本《戴廣源文教大樓的故事》，希望在美國生長的年輕學子，從戴老師的生活小故事中，體會到值得傳承的人文精神。
當日節目由潘琪兒主持，南海岸中華樂團、南加中華舞團、南海岸太極拳友會、南海岸中華鼓團、爾灣華聲合唱團先後推出多元精采的演出，現場並展出南海岸中華文化中心與爾灣加大人文學院合作的亞裔青少年領袖項目（AAYL）攝影作品。
《戴廣源文教大樓的故事》由戴廣源的女兒孫玉華口述、劉思薇插畫、古怡薇英譯，蕭迪玉撰寫，描述戴廣源老師生活中的小故事，搭配充滿童趣的插畫，讓讀者更加了解南海岸中華文化中心的由來，也是中心慶祝18週年送給贊助人及義工的紀念品。
