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We hope you enjoy the programs at eClub One
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ROTARY IN CHINA Rotary is alive and thriving in at least one corner of China, Shanghai. This program is devoted to an interview with Christian Brutzer, a member of the Shanghae RC, telling about the club and its activities.
After meeting PP Percy Chu (the only surviving member of the original RC Shanghai, PP Percy Chu - who was then in his late 90's) in Shanghai in November 1998, the expatriate Rotarians established the Expatriate Rotarians & Friends Shanghai (the "ERAFS"). Initially the ERAFS only met twice a month. Over time, however, the ERAFS developed into the regular weekly meeting place for expatriate Rotarians living in Shanghai. In 2000, RI President Frank Devlyn, and Presidents Elect Rick King and Bhichai Rattakul visited China to explore the return of Rotary to China. This positive development encouraged the ERAFS to seek provisional status club status from RI.
With the support of many friends in the Rotary world, the RI Board provisionally chartered the Rotary Clubs of Shanghai and Beijing on 16 June 2001. Unfortunately PP Percy Chu, then a 103 years old, did not witness the return of the RC Shanghai as he passed away just weeks before the RI Board's decision.
Further support was received by the visit of RI President Rick King and his delegation in March 2002.
Our further development into a fully chartered club is currently on hold pending new NGO legislation by the Chinese government. However we were pleased to further advance our position within the RI world in the 2002-3 Rotary year when we joined district 3450 (Hong Kong, Macau, and Mongolia) in the last Rotary Year and became the first provisional club in RI history to become a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club with our name now proudly emblazoned with all other RI Clubs on the walls at RI Headquarters in Evanston.
eClub: How large is your club and how would you summarize the demographics of its members?
Brutzer: We are now 30 members, from some 10 different countries – all foreign passport holders as pursuant to current Chinese laws we cannot allow Chinese nationals into our Club.
eClub: How do you assess the restraints, the opportunities, for Rotary in your region, in China?
Brutzer: The Chinese government is currently considering new NGO legislation. This new law, once implemented, should give Rotary fair and additional possibilities to develop in the PRC. Pending this legislation, the RC Shanghai (provisional) remains purely private and low key, preferring to lend a hand to those in need in China and to prove that there are many benefits for a community in having Rotarians.
eClub: Please describe a typical meeting of your club.
Brutzer: The RC Shanghai (Provisional) meets every Tuesday at 18:30 for 19:00 start (ending at 20:30). The meeting is a dinner meeting and opens with members reciting the 4-Way-Test.
Fellowship time and committee reports follow. During dinner, the S-A-A makes his appearance by performing a great fine session that normally collects about US$ 2-300 in fines form all attendees. These fines can be for anything (e.g., being late, not wearing Rotary pin, inadequately dressed, being quoted in the local press, or having read the Club Bulletin). It is all in fun and the fines are used to support various club activities, such as our Gift of Life program (see below).
A speaker will address the group every week. Sometimes from outside, sometimes a member. If a member speaks it is most probably a "Behind the badge" talk (i.e., the member introduces what he does in his professional and private life).
The meeting normally closes at around 9PM.
(Please see enclosed our Club Bulletin for more information)
Please describe your principal Community Service projects.
Our principal CSP is "Gift of Life Shanghai" (the "GOL" - for detailed information please see our Website at http://www.giftoflifeshanghai.com/about/gol_shanghai). The GOL, which we initiated in Shanghai in the 2001-2 Rotary year, has found the support of many Rotary Clubs from around the world. For example, Rotarians in Canada, Australia, Belgium, and the USA (including GOL Inc. in New York) have given our program great support (e.g., in the 2002-3 Rotary year donations, matching grants, and other moneys for our GOL raised more than US $100,000, which, at a cost of US $3,000 / surgery, works out to approximately 33 lives saved).
eClub: Does your club support a World Community Service project?
Brutzer: In the 2002-3 Rotary year, we did a Helping Grant project in North Korea delivering a solar powered oven to an orphanage in Pyongyang. This was a joint project with the RCs Makati and Taipei and the Temple Solar project of D 6450.
This project provided life sustaining water, food, and medical sterilization equipment to the children of the Pyongyang orphanage.
eClub: Thank you, Rtn Brutzer, for bringing us up-to-date on Rotary in China. We wish you the Rotary Best.
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