Chinese culture arrives in Schaumburg with mementos

Runhua Wang doesn't let little things like a lack of English skills interfere with her desire to make American friends and teach people about her rich Chinese culture.

Wang and her husband, Kai Yang, left Beijing two years ago and moved to Schaumburg to be near their daughter, Yijun Yang, who works for United Airlines and lives in Palatine.

And now Wang, a fierce entrepreneur and owner of a private college in Beijing that taught English and computer skills, turns to teaching to make friends, and eventually she could offer lessons and tutoring on how to navigate Chinese language such as her own Mandarin and culture.

The couple's home is decorated with the traditional style elm and rosewood furniture and bright yellow cushions that they brought from China.

They don traditional clothing and sit on the lohan or daybed to demonstrate tea ceremonies.

And when the family talks through interpreters about moving to the suburbs from the ancient, communist land racked by such turmoil in the 20th Century, it sounds almost like transferring from Montana or some other faraway state.

In fact, when they lived in Beijing, daughter Yijun Yang would fly over for a long weekend-maybe to celebrate a parent's birthday. Flight privileges as a United employee made that easier.

Wang and Yang purchased this particular house because she knew her furniture would fit and could be arranged the way she wanted it in the L-shaped living and dining room.

"She shipped 155 boxes in a 40-foot container," said Yijun Yang, their daughter. "She's really well organized. Nothing broke. She labeled all those boxes-living room, dining room, upstairs, downstairs."

While the furniture is reproduction, the china cabinet holds a few porcelain bowls and a mold used for making money that are family antiques.

One lucky break is that the Yangs live in Schaumburg, which is also home to Friendship Village, a senior community just full of potential friends and students. Wang made a few well-received presentations, including one on Chinese New Year, said Jeannette Magdaleon, life long learning coordinator at Friendship Village.

Both Wang and Yang come from distinguished families, and their stories make the dynasty whose centuries-long reign ended almost 100 years ago seem like yesterday.

Yijun Yang told of her grandfather, Qianli Yang, who lived near Shanghai and was famous for his calligraphy, art and poetry. After World War I, he visited the United States with a Chinese delegation. She said he made friends with westerners and was even prime minister of China for a few months. After the communists gained control, he retired from politics and concentrated on art until his death in 1958, she said.

The family proudly displays a photo of Wang's mother and grandmother with a dog that was a gift from the emperor. Members of the family worked in the emperor's palace, said Yijun Yang.

Kai Yang is a retired engineer who works with computers and has made a real one with a cardboard box as a case. His other hobbies include flying Chinese kites and making large models of boats and helicopters.

Yang likes Schaumburg, but Chinese immigrants are scattered throughout the suburbs, so his lack of English means the couple have few friends, and he finds that lonely. "When they first moved here they were so bored," said Yijun Yang. "They had no friends and they didn't speak English."

But things are looking up, said Sharon Xiong, who lives in Elgin and translates for Wang.

"They make some friends, and everybody tries to help them, but they don't have many compared to China," she said.

While Chinese seniors have healthy habits such as exercising and practicing tai chi every morning in the park, Wang has learned that America provides more services for its elders. For example, they might live in areas like Friendship Village rather than with their sons or daughters.

She would like to bridge the gap, educating each group to the strengths of the other and perhaps promoting exchange programs.