South Pasadena Welcomes Group from China

Delegates representing the government of Anhui Province in China visited South Pasadena on Monday morning, meeting with the mayor, getting a tour of the police and fire departments and also getting a general feel of how government in a smaller community works.

After the group snapped pictures and exchanged business cards, Mayor Mike Ten met the group in City Council chambers and provided an overview of the city's workings with the help of Betty Wang, a member of the South Pasadena Chinese-American Club. Wang stepped in to serve as impromptu interpreter at the request of Bill Lee, the group's translator, since Wang was a resident of the city.

Ten, a third-generation Chinese-American, told the group about how South Pasadena and other small communities like it benefit from it's relatively small size.

"In a way, our smallness helps us better connect with residents," he said. "It helps us work closer with the people so we can hear their problems."

Ten also talked about the city's natural resources, and also about trying to protect the city's environment. Along those lines, Wang shared some of her personal experiences as a resident, such the 300-year-old oak tree she has in her back yard.

Another highlight of the city Ten mentioned was the school district, saying the reason many people choose to live in South Pasadena is the quality of the schools, which regularly record extremely high API scores.

"This community prides itself on what our school districts provide for our children," he said.

Ten also told the group about his life outside of city government. He mentioned his job as an engineering supervisor for UPS along with his earlier training in adaptive physical education, working with mentally challenged people and coaching in the Special Olympics in the San Gabriel Valley.

Li Chang Hua, counsel from the General Office of Anhui Provincial Government, mentioned to Ten that Anhui Province was quite different population-wise from South Pasadena. While South Pasadena has a little more than 25,000 residents (31 percent of them being Asian, according to the latest Census numbers), Anhui has more than 60 million people in it. He also offered an invitation to everyone to visit any time they wanted.

Among others who welcomed the Chinese delegates were Joseph Loo, a member of the school board; Melissa Cheng, who teaches Chinese at South Pasadena High School; Police Chief Joe Payne and City Clerk Sally Kilby.