Shanghai’s premier Minnesota social club celebrates 2009 with it regular monthly social on January 21. Chinese New Year arrives early this year, so this is a great chance to see old and new friends before we take off for our February vacations. Hope to see you … January 21, 2009, 6:30PM - 8:30PM at Cotton’s. 132 Anting Road. 6433-7995.

Last night, October 19, sixty-five members of the Minnesota Club hosted a relaxed reception for Governor Pawlenty and his delegation on the scenic rooftop garden of Element Fresh at the K-Wah Center. The governor was in-town for just 36 hours (he stopped on his way to India, where he is leading a trade delegation), but he was kind of enough to spend two hours with the Club, chatting informally with a wide range of Minnesotans at work in Shanghai and elsewhere in China. The Club presented the governor with an “official” membership certificate, which was followed by brief remarks that included a Sven and Ole joke. Below, Club president Andrew Hill (left) and the governor, with the certificate.

A special thanks to: everyone who attended the reception; the governor’s staff and the Minnesota Trade Office for helping to arrange the reception; Scott Minoie and Element Fresh, for providing a wonderful atmosphere and venue. And, finally, a very special thanks to Governor Pawlenty for his ongoing interest in Minnesota’s relationship with China, his friendship with the Minnesota Club of Shanghai, and for being so generous with his time on Friday night. Safe travels to India.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is in Shanghai today, and he will attend a private reception of the Minnesota Club of Shanghai at 7 PM tonight. The event is by RSVP only, and - unfortunately - is now closed for new attendees. However, we’ll post a few photos and words about the event over the weekend. This is Governor Pawlenty’s second visit to Shanghai and the Minnesota Club. His last visit was in November 2005.

Above, a photo of Governor Pawlenty and Li King Feng, the China Trade Representative for the Minnesota Trade Office, during that last trip (photo by Ritsu Shinozaki).

Welcome to the new Minnesota Club of Shanghai blog and website. The MCS board has elected to go with a bare-bones approach to blogging so that we can reach out more rapidly - and easily - to the large and increasing numbers of Minnesotans who are traveling through and/or living in Shanghai. Primarily, this blog is designed to provide basic contact and event information for the MCS. When time and space is available, we may post Minnesota/Shanghai related information. But above all, this will be a simple means for MCS members to find out what - exactly - is happening with the club.

Stay tuned …

[Update 10/20: A very special thanks to Professor Scott Wakely of the University of Chicago's Department of Physics, for helping to iron-out the last technical kinks on this site. A Minnesotan, a one-time visitor to Shanghai, and a gamma ray connoisseur: Professor Wakely is, quite simply, the man.]