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19th World Chinese Banking Amity Conference

10/25-10/27 Held in Houston @ Intercontinental Houston Hotel

中國服飾

Tuesday, 10/25/05 marked the start of the 19th World Chinese Banking Amity Conference held at the Intercontinental Houston Hotel. The conference is a biennial gathering of bankers devoted to promoting Chinese commerce and finance worldwide. Over 150 people will attend this years conference representing countries like Australia, Canada, Indonesia, and U.S.

Houston Asian Banking Community including Metro Bank, Texas First National Bank, American First National Bank, Central United Bank, Southwestern National Bank sponsored the event.

Established in 1967, the World Chinese Banking Amity Conference promotes interchange and networking among Chinese bankers from around the world in regional development and for building economic cooperation. Major achievements include establishment of United World Chinese Commercial Bank and the Overseas Chinese Credit Guarantee Fund. Please visit Chinatown Houston to learn more.

Houston Chinatown Web Portal

Our Purpose
The 5 main goals of www.ChinatownConnection.com is:
To provide convergence of Asian restaurants and businesses and opening it up to the people of Houston.
To provide the most up-to-date information on Asian businesses, from restaurants to retail to travel and professional services.
To provide Asian restaurants and businesses a new channel of advertising and marketing that could reach millions of people.
To provide news, articles, events, and marketplace for fellow Houstonians.
To promote tourism for Houston Chinatown.
Our vision is to open up the Asian-Chinese culture and share it with everyone. From delicious, original cooking to shopping for items unique to the Asian culture, we are determined to bring out the best in Chinatown and Asian businesses in Houston. By doing so, people can make informed decisions to where to go and spend time and money with the click of a mouse.

Houston Chinese Community News

10/22/2005

City of Sugar Land hosted the first annual Houston Chinese festival today, 10/22 in front of Sugar Land City Hall. Sugar Land Mayor David G. Wallace kicked off the festivities.
There were lots of activities including Dragon Dance, Chinese harp performances, acrobatics, fashion show, and a salute to Chinese Veterans of Houston.
Visit Houston Chinatown to see pictures of this awesome event.

Chinatown Houston

The first annual Houston Chinese Festival was held in Sugar Land, Texas today 10/22/05. Read all about it at http://www.chinatownconnection.com/houston_chinese_festival.htm.

Chinatown Houston Web Dairy

Chinese Zodiac Background and Concept
The Chinese animal signs (Chinese Zodiac) are a 12-year cycle used for dating the years. They represent a cyclical concept of time, rather than the Western linear concept of time. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and is constructed in a different fashion than the Western solar calendar. In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the year falls somewhere between late January and early February. The Chinese have adopted the Western calendar since 1911, but the lunar calendar is still used for festive occasions such as the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese calendars will print both the solar dates and the Chinese lunar dates.

Chinese Zodiac Sign Background
In the United States, the years are dated from the birth of Jesus Christ, for example, 1977 means 1,977 years after the birth of Christ. This represents a linear perception of time, with time proceeding in a straight line from the past to the present and the future. In traditional China, dating methods were cyclical, cyclical meaning something that is repeated time after time according to a pattern. A popular folk method which reflected this cyclical method of recording years are the Twelve Animal Signs. Every year is assigned an animal name or "sign" according to a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Therefore, every twelve years the same animal name or "sign" would reappear.
A cultural sidelight of the animal signs in Chinese folklore is that horoscopes have developed around the animal signs, much like monthly horoscopes in the West have been developed for the different moon signs, Pisces, Aries, etc. For example, a Chinese horoscope may predict that a person born in the Year of the Horse would be, "cheerful, popular, and loves to compliment others". These horoscopes are amusing, but not regarded seriously by the Chinese people.
The animal signs also serve a useful social function for finding out people’s ages. Instead of asking directly how old a person is, people often ask what is his or her animal sign. This would place that person’s age within a cycle of 12 years, and with a bit of common sense, we can deduce the exact age. More often, though, people ask for animal signs not to compute a person’s exact numerical age, but to simply know who is older among friends and acquaintances. Visit www.chinatownconnection.com for more information on Chinese community.

Chinatown Houston : Asian Heritage Tour

Houston Asian Heritage Guided tours will be held Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10 AM to 2:30 PM. The route will begin at the Chinese Community Center, 9800 Town Park and continue to Hong Kong City Mall. Then, a dim-sum lunch will be provided at Ocean Palace Restaurant followed by a visit to the Buddhist Temple. Finally, the tour ends at the Chinese Community Center with a tea ceremony. Other featured events may be customized for your tour. It is a perfect opportunity to explore the Asian Culture without having to travel to Asia. Visit www.chinatownconnection.com/asian_heritage_tour.htm for more information.