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In the News March 11, 2009 – China’s most popular online news, SINA.com, streams a 6 minute video interview on The Railyards and reports on the Chinese history of Yee Fow to 280 million registered users worldwide. Chinese text version or English text version January 2, 2009 – Li Tiejun , Curator for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Beijing (MOCA Beijing) throws his support for the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade. September 26, 2008 – AsianWeek reports on Gordon Chong, renowned architect of the California Academy of Sciences and Yee Fow Museum. August 14, 2008 – Chengdu Municipal Overseas Chinese Affairs Office features article on the development of the Yee Fow center for History, Culture, and Trade. August 6, 2008 – Sacramento Bee reporter Stephen Magagnini reports that Sacramento’s cultural ties to China could bring the region 60 million dollars worth of tourism annually. August 4, 2008 – Sacramento Bee reporter Stephen Magagnini reports on Sacramento’s economic ties to China that brings the city hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business annually. July 16, 2008 – Carmen Lee of Vegetarian News tells of the California Historical Society’s Early Chinese Pioneers of California’s Heartland Tour and the beginnings of the state’s agriculture. July 3, 2008 – Carolyn Gan of AsianWeek reports on the "Following the Golden Rivers Tour" that chronicles the Chinese of the California Valley. June 22, 2008 – World Journal reports on China’s Shandong Bureau of Film, Radio, and Television coming to Yee Fow to prepare for the filming of 40 episodes on the Chinese-California pioneers of Yee Fow. June 22, 2008 – World Journal reports on China’s official film bureau visit to Sacramento’s Chinatown Mall to prepare episodes for an international Chinese audience of 45 million viewers. June 1, 2008 – Sacramento Bee reports on the Yee Fow Center and Philip Choy’s new book "Canton Footprints" tracing the history of Yee Fow. May 25, 2008 – World Journal reports on Yee Fow Center support among Senator Yee, Senator Steinberg, Senator Romero, Assemblymember Eng, Chinese Historical Society of America, and Asian community at State Capitol reception. April 26, 2008 – Woodland Democrat features story on Yee Fow Center supporters as Woodland Community College Multicultural Forum’s keynote speakers. March 15, 2008 – Currents Asian Pacific American Newspaper serving Sacramento and Yolo Counties gives readers an update on the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade. February 17, 2008 – WorldJournal.com the largest Chinese Web site serving overseas Chinese, features article on the award-wining efforts of the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade. February 8, 2008 – AsianWeek the oldest and largest English language Asian newspaper reports on the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade Advisory Board. January 21, 2008 – China’s largest global public affairs network, Chinaqw.com.cn reports on the Yee Fow Center support among government leaders and ethnic groups to promote Sino-US exchanges. January 21, 2008 – China Art Collection Network China's largest arts and culture portal reports on the Chinese-American community actively developing the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade. January 1, 2008 – Chinese Historical Society of Southern California updates Southern California members on the progress of the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade. December 2, 2007 – World Journal's full page report by Vicki Beaton on Stanford Mansion’s support for the Yee Fow Center for History, Culture, and Trade effort. December 1, 2007 – In the City's Julie Foster reports on the Yee Fow Center and the Chinese contribution and sacrifices in building California. November 27, 2007 – The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, China’s overseas policy and philanthropic unit lends their support of the Yee Fow Center to Chinese worldwide. November 27, 2007 – People's Daily, China's most influential and authoritative newspaper and among the world’s top 10 according to UNESCO, gives an update on the progress with the Yee Fow Center. November 26, 2007 – Tongxin, news agency reports on the progress of Yee Fow Center to two million of China's Muslims who live in the province. September 23, 2007 – World Journal's full page report by Vicki Beaton on the Chinese contribution and sacrifices in building the Central Pacific Railroad. September 17, 2007 – Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics reports on the cultural value of a Yee Fow Museum in Sacramento for the Chinese. September 13, 2007 – Sacramento Bee reports on Thomas Enterprises being enthused with the concept of a Yee Fow Museum at the Railyards. September 13, 2007 – Sacramento Bee reports on the Chinatown Mall and the connection to the Yee Fow Museum efforts. September 9, 2007 – Shanghai’s Official News network qwo.sh.gov.cn reports on the importance of a proposed Yee Fow Museum at Sacramento’s Railyards. September 8, 2007 – XinhuaNet China’s top news website (third among the world's news websites behind the BBC and CNN) reports on the Friends of the Yee Fow Museum effort. August 15, 2007 – Cynthia Lau, of APA News&Review reports on the Yee Fow Museum uniting the community. August 3, 2007 – Beijing’s official art and culture portal, jsyrart.com publishes an article on the Yee Fow Museum’s progress. July 25, 2007 – China’s largest global public affairs network, Chinaqw.com.cn reports on the news of a proposed Yee Fow Museum at Sacramento’s Railyards. July 19, 2007 – Lisa Heyamoto of the Sacramento Bee , reports on the growing support for a Yee Fow Museum at Sacramento’s Railyards. July 1, 2007 – North America’s largest Chinese newspaper, World Journal reports on Chinese throughout California united behind a Yee Fow Museum at Sacramento’s Railyards. June 29, 2007 – California State Senator Leland Yee, gives update on Senate Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs hearing. June 29, 2007 – World Journal, the Asian Business Association of San Diego, KTXL FOX40, and the California Channel report on the Yee Fow Museum at the Senate Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs hearing. June 28, 2007 – Sacramento News and Review reports on Sacramento's Chinatown, Friends of the Yee Fow Museum, and upcoming California Legislative hearing. June
24, 2007 – World
Journal
reports on upcoming California Legislative hearing on June 28,
2007. Sacramento's Asian and Pacific Islanders community has a long history of civic participation and cultural respect for their past contributions. Due to the recent business deal between the City of Sacramento, Union Pacific and Thomas Enterprises, Sacramento's Chinese community and a group of concerned citizens gave thought to the long history of the site which is across the street from Sacramento's Chinatown Mall. An organizational base was provided to address these concerns and the Friends of the Yee Fow Museum was formed.
Later on March 4, 2007 the Sacramento Bee published a lengthy editorial titled "Digging Up the Past" in which longtime community activists voiced concern about the history of China Slough that is buried at Railyard site. The article concluded stating that the city and Thomas Enterprises needed to be sensitive to the cultural nature of the area and consider a Chinese museum and education center with links to Chinatown Mall. The editorial helped to rediscover Sacramento's forgotten past and the sensitive nature of the Railyard’s history in respect to the Chinese pioneers, the forefathers of the Asian and Pacific Islanders comunity, who lived on the site and helped settle the Sacramento region. Many letters from as far way as New York and Florida expressing the need to educate and create a public forum that tells the Chinese American story helped crystallize the need for a Yee Fow Museum in Sacramento. The editorial also was also published in Currents, an Asian Pacific newspaper and was titled "Historic Sacramento Chinatown Lies Beneath Railyard".
Another longtime community activist and journalist, Vicki Beaton, ensured the Chinese speaking community did not miss out on the history lesson. The largest Asian newspaper in North America, The World Journal has been instrumental in communicating to the Chinese speaking communities about the growing campaign to resurrect the history of Sacramento's forgotten Yee Fow community of 1850's. There have been several other media opportunities that have helped spread the worthiness of a museum to memorialize our Chinese forefathers that called The Railyards "home," including a public radio interview and media story which focused on Steve Yee's art endeavors that correlates to the people of Sacramento's Yee Fow, and a speech to the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) in Sacramento regarding the ethnic cleasning of Chinese-Americans during the "Driving Out" of the 1800s. The speech was later followed by an editorial titled "We All Should Remember" that was published in OCA's April 2007 Newsletter. Later on May 7, 2007, a Powerpoint presentation was given on the "Driving Out" during the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association's (APAPA) General Member’s Meeting and recieved intense interest. Though the initial working group consisted of a handful of concerned people (Steve Yee, Vicki Beaton, Wai Moy, Jee and Kim Choy, Allison Branscombe, Michelle Lau, and Carlota Gutierrez) the group has been meeting with many individuals and organizations throughout Northern California to help educated the public about Sacramento's rich cultural past as well as to solicit support for the Yee Fow Museum. And, the history of our Chinese pioneer forefathers of the 1800s continues to generate interest and show strong support. The APA News & Review, an Asian Pacific American tabloid that is circulated throughout the greater Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties reran the "Digging Up the Past" article in its May/June 2007 Asian Heritage Month issue.
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On March 1, 2007 the Friends of the Yee Fow Museum
met with Pat Fong-Kushida of the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber
of Commerce and Richard Rich of Thomas Enterprises, the land
developer of The Railyards. That meeting followed with a meeting
with Sacramento Supervisor Jimmy Yee. Though those meetings the
Friends of the Yee Fow Museum gained much needed wisdom on our
proposal to memorialize our Chinese forefathers who are the only
indigenous people of The Railyards.
On March 8, 2007, the Friends of the Yee
Fow Museum was invited to a luncheon sponsored by Sacramento
city officials:
The working group
has also targeted seeking
support from the California Legislature. State Senator Leland
Yee, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs
has expressed an interest, including Senator Darrell Steinberg
and Assemblyman Dave Jones. An informational legislative hearing
is being planned to help educated California about its Chinese
history. Sacramento Supervisor Jimmy Yee has also express interest.