In 1941, the United States and China were allies. Americans held Chinese fashion shows across the nation, including in the Catskills, to raise funds for civilian relief from the war with Japan.

Li Ling-Ai, producer of the Oscar-winning documentary “Kukan: The Battle Cry of China,” appeared in Life magazine walking the United China Relief makeshift runway at Hotel Pierre.

Vogue printed an excerpt about Chinese women by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States formally entered World War II.

The Cobleskill Index, November 13, 1941

LOCAL NEWS ITEMS OF THE WEEK

Approximately 200 persons attended the Chinese fashion show at the Cobleskill Central school auditorium last Friday night, for the benefit of the Chinese relief. Both modern and ancient Chinese costumes were modeled by Mrs. T.Y. Shen and Mrs. Calvin D. MacCracken of Scotia. Chinese classical music was presented and Chinese cakes and tea served. The program was arranged by Mrs. Alice Ryder Chien.

Grace Siu Lamb, a former actress who worked alongside Katherine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Vincent Price passed through the Catskills in 1945. Her visit was reported as a local news item.

The Cobleskill Index, October 18, 1945

Local News Items of the Week

Mrs. C.K. Chien enjoyed the pleasure of entertaining last week, a distinguished guest, a friend of long standing, Mrs. Grace Siu Lamb. Mrs. Lamb is now with the Chinese Air Force office in Washington, D.C. She formerly lived in Hollywood while appearing in such films as Dragon Seed, Keys of the Kingdom and others. Mrs. Chien first met Mrs. Lamb several years ago in China.

Dr. Carsun Chang (1887-1969) was a philosopher who argued against China’s two-party system and envisioned a country focused on human rights, freedom of speech, and social democracy. His concept of a Third Force of China (beyond the Communist and Nationalist Parties) was allegedly supported by the American CIA.

Well travelled, Dr. Chang passed through Cobleskill in 1945, where he gave a Valentine Supper lecture on the war effort at the Methodist Church Society. The Cobleskill Index described him as a “learned Chinese, who came to America by plane.” Chang was a guest of Alice Ryder Chien, a local socialite who regularly hosted prominent Chinese.

Chang co-founded the China Democratic League, authored the Chinese Draft Constitution, and was generally known for his Neo-Confucian views. He died at the age of 82 in San Francisco.

Chinese porcelain could be found in the British colonies as early as the 1600s but became more commonplace after the American Revolution with formalized trade. During the Qing Dynasty, porcelain, silk, and tea were shipped from China in exchange for American fur and ginseng. To better appeal to local usage, merchants sent European style mugs and candlesticks to Chinese potteries for reproduction in porcelain. Sets displaying family crests could be made to order a year ahead.

George Washington (1732-1799) was an avid collector of Chinese porcelains at his Mount Vernon, NY residence. A wide variety of “Canton” ware is now available at the house museum, including the Blue Canton Coffee Pot by Mottahedeh.

Gilboa Monitor, May 5, 1904

A Schoharie County newspaper prints a gushing review of the China pavilion, the most popular exhibit at the 1904 World’s Fair taking place in St. Louis, Missouri:

CURIOUS THINGS FROM CHINA. The Most Magnificent Beds Ever Seen Are Part of the Celestial Empire’s World’s Fair Exhibit. The Chinese exhibit at the World’s Fair is filled with pleasing surprises. Some of the most magnificent articles of furniture are part of this wonderful display. The carving and inlaying of ivory, bone and wood illustrate the marvelous skill of the Chinese…One feature of the exhibit is two magnificent Chinese beds, each of which has the appearance of being a small house of great beauty. One is a summer bed, the other for winter.

ROYAL CHINESE BED. (1904 WORLD’S FAIR).

PRINCE PU LUN, CHINESE COMMISSIONER, OPENING DAY CEREMONIES (1904 WORLD’S FAIR).

In May 1938, local schools held a mini-World’s Fair in Roxbury, NY. The Catskill Mountain News reported that the children crafted a Chinese pagoda with Chinese paper lanterns, clay dishes, and animals with a scene of farmers plowing, and grain sowing. Chinese stamps, money, and a parasol were loaned by the wife of a Chinese government official, formerly Miss Alice Ryder of Cobleskill.

The following year China missed the opening of the actual World’s Fair in Queens, NY in light of the Sino-Japanese War. Later, Chinese paintings, porcelains, and a souvenir shop were added to the Siam exhibit in 1940, as China did not have its own space.

In 2008, director Ang Lee filmed “Taking Woodstock” in New Lebanon. The production boosted the local economy and benefited from film tax credits.

Lee (b. 1954, Taiwan) received a Master of Fine Arts from New York University, where he worked on the thesis of classmate Spike Lee (no relation). In 2006, Lee received a Second Rank Order of Brilliant Star from the Taiwanese government for outstanding service in film directing. In 2013, he was bumped to First Rank OBS.

Lee was honored at the 2024 Borscht Belt Film Festival in Ellenville.