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In addition to current U.S. President Barack Obama’s boyhood roots in Hawaii, the “father” of modern-day China had long-term ties to Hawaii residents as a result of his educational experiences in Hawaii.

Honolulu residents can view this special photo exhibit - flown in from Beijing to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 1911 Revolution - during October at the Hawaii Heritage Center in Chinatown, culminating with the Splendor of China event on Saturday, October 29^th (in conjunction with the 63^rd Narcissus Festival).  After that date, the exhibit will be sent to other U.S. cities.

Part of the exhibition focuses on Dr. Sun’s education at Iolani and Punahou Schools in Honolulu, which he credited as helping form his democratic ideals and which provided him with lifelong relationships to support his political efforts.

Sponsored by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles, this exhibition revisits the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty by Dr. Sun Yat Sen in 1911 through historical photographs, and celebrates the rejuvenation of Chinese society by the country’s new leadership through stunning images of the transformed, modern capital, Beijing.

Of special interest to our state is the unique role that Hawaii residents played in helping Dr. Sun Yat Sen found the modern Chinese Republic. Speaking on behalf of the earlier generations, City Mill executive Steven Ai proudly recalled his grandfather’s (Chung Kun Ai) direct involvement in helping to finance the revolution and the role his grandfather and other Hawaii residents played in building today’s China.

With support from a group of Healthy School Lunch advocacy organizations, Senator Carol Fukunaga launched a Sustainability Zone during this year's Children & Youth Day (CYD), held on October 2^nd at the State Capitol grounds. The Sustainability Zone offered a variety of activities aimed at inspiring and educating young people at all levels about sustainable practices they can incorporate into their daily lives – from caring for the land, to eating healthy fruits and vegetables, to growing their own gardens of herbs, vegetables and flowers, to growing lettuce hydroponically.

CYD volunteers assisted H-5 (Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope) and the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to distribute “Lettuce Kits”, which included a hydroponic lettuce gardening brochure, complete with a small packet of Manoa lettuce seeds and simple instructions for setting up and growing lettuce “in a bucket”. Gallon bottles and 5-gallon buckets with lettuces growing hydroponically (basically, in water, without soil) and a demonstration by Charles Struwe of H-5’s Next Step shelter, showed the simple efficiency of hydroponic gardening .

The remaining Lettuce Kits were distributed to urban Honolulu and other schools and pre-schools, to help jump start the establishment of school garden projects in conjunction with the School Garden/Farm to School program this fall.

Children also had the chance to get their hands “dirty” by digging to discover critters living in healthy, fertile soil brought by the Kokua Hawaii Foundation/AINA in the Schools and to observe the beautiful truck garden of thriving vegetables, herbs and flowers brought by the Windward Nazarene Academy. Many had their pictures taken with large cut-outs of colorful vegetables and fruits grown in Hawaii and spun for prizes while learning about sustainability.