Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 3, 1 Malaki 1985 — China Delegation Views OHACeded Lands Show [ARTICLE]

China Delegation Views OHACeded Lands Show

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs hostedasix-martdelegation from Hainan early last month. Hainan is an island about 14 miles from mainland China near Vietnam. The Chinese visit to Hawaii eame in response to one made to Hainan last October by a group of about 20 Oahu businessmen and City and County of Honolulu Council members. The Oahu group was invited by the Hainan govemment to discuss the j>ossibility of working together in the areas of tourism and eeonomie development. Hainan's climate and topography are similar to Hawaii and its crops include coffee, sugar and other semi-tropical agricultural products. The Hainan team was especially interested in learning about some of the issues confronting us in Hawaii and how those issues are resolved. OHA was included in their agenda primarily because of the presence of Hainan minority groups among the delegation members. Reportedly, it is the current policy of the Chinese government to encourage minorities to follow traditional practices, preserve their cultures and maintain their individual languages. The government, according to recent visitors, accords automonous status to many of China's minority groups. The "number two" member of the delegation whieh visited OHA, Wung Xueping, is prefecture head of the "Li and Miao Nationality Autonomous Prefecture." Its members live mainly in the mountains of Hainan. The.delegation, accompanied by Honolulu Councilman David Kahanu and special Council advisor Hal Meinheit, was greeted by OHA Chairman Joseph Kealoha, Oahu Trustee Gard Kealoha and several members of the OHA staff. After light refreshments, the group was shown the OHA ceded land slide show whieh traces the history of Hawaii's crown and government lands from the time Hawaii was an independent nation to the present. The group's interpreter at first attempted to provide a simultaneous translation of the narration, but gave that up in favor of a later explanation of the issues depicted in the slide show. Before leaving Hawaii, the Hainan visitors told one of their City Council guides that the OHA visit added a vital element to their understanding of Hawaii.