On February 23, 2022, marking the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking visit to China by former U.S. President Nixon, Los Angeles philanthropist Xianghua Zhang, known as the "Charitable Musician," will lead a volunteer team to launch a series of activities in commemoration of this day. These activities aim to promote cultural exchange and friendship between the U.S. and China. Additionally, Xianghua Zhang serves as a board member of the Nixon Foundation and is dedicated to charitable endeavors, earning recognition from mainstream American society. The Nixon Library in California established the "Journey to Break the Ice Foundation," which raised $100,000 in donations within just one day. Xianghua Zhang is the founder of this foundation.

Ronald S.W. Lew, born in Los Angeles in 1941, used to serve as the judge of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California and the first Chinese American federal judge outside of the State of Hawaii. Lew graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1964 and received a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in 1971. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Lew to Judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1982. Governor George Deukmejian appointed Lew to Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1984.  President Ronald Reagan nominated Lew to a seat on the U.S. District Court in 1987. 

Changyu Li, 84 years old this year, holds a prestigious position in the American criminal investigation community, often referred to as the "Contemporary Sherlock Holmes" and the "Scientific Detective." He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and his Master's and Doctorate degrees in Biochemistry from New York University. Currently, he serves as a tenured professor at the University of New Haven in Connecticut and is the director of the Forensic Science Research Center at the university.

Lin Jianhai, former Secretary-General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), concurrently serves as the Secretary-General of the IMF Council and the International Monetary and Financial Committee. Currently, he is the Vice Chairman of the International Finance Forum (IFF), Executive Director of the China Finance Forty Forum, Honorary Professor of the China Foreign Affairs University and the School of Economics of Beijing University, University of International Business and Economics, School of International Finance and Trade of Shanghai International Studies University and other universities, Member of the American Bretton Woods Commission.

Zhou Min is an academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), tenured Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Mr. & Mrs. Wang Wensianng foundation for US-China Relations, Director of Asia Pacific Center, and distinguished Professor of Sociology at Zhejiang University, China. She received her BA in English and Literature from Sun Yat-Sen University, China in 1982. Later, she received her MA and PhD degrees in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany respectively in 1985 and 1989.

In 2012, with the trust of the voters, I was fortunate to be elected to serve as the Assembly Member for the 49th district. After 9 years of service, I'd like to reflect upon my journey in the California Legislature.

My family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when I was three and a half years old.  We settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where my parents sold gifts and jewelry at flea markets to make ends meet. Eventually, my parents were able to open and operate six gift stores, where my younger brother and I worked after school.

Fiona Ma, the 34th Treasurer of California, is the first female Chinese Treasurer in California history. In 1995, Fiona served as the representative of the White House Small Business Federation under President Bill Clinton. In 2002, Fiona was elected to the San Francisco City Council. She was also elected as the California House of Representatives in 2006 and served as the executive speaker of the California House of Representatives in 2010 (also translated as Deputy Speaker, Speaker pro Tempore). Fiona is the first Chinese-American woman ever to hold this position in the California Legislature. In 2015, Fiona was elected as a member of the California Department of Revenue, and as California Treasurer in 2018.

John Chiang, a Taiwanese-American, served as California State Treasurer from 2015 to 2019. Prior to this role, he was California State Controller from 2007 to 2015 and a member of the California Board of Equalization, representing the Fourth District, from 1997 to 2007. During his tenure as State Controller, Chiang audited over $9 billion in wasted or mismanaged funds, saving significant amounts of money for California taxpayers. As State Treasurer, he successfully renegotiated California's bonds, resulting in $3.2 billion in savings directed towards essential public service projects. His commitment to government transparency and accountability was widely recognized, including initiatives to disclose salaries and benefits of public officials online and establish searchable databases for state and local public debt. John Chiang made history as the first and only official in California to hold all three major fiscal offices.

Jianmei Wang, originally from Zhejiang, moved to Los Angeles in 1992. He is the president of Best in Nature, a natural pharmaceutical company in the United States. His social roles include Honorary President of the Southern California Chinese American Federation, Honorary President of the US Zhejiang Economic and Trade Cultural Federation, Honorary President of the Wenzhou Overseas Chinese Association, Honorary President of the North America Wenzhou University Alumni Association, Overseas Committee Member of the Wenzhou Overseas Chinese Federation, Standing Committee Representative of the Wenzhou Municipal Political Consultative Conference, Advisory Professor of Wenzhou University, Visiting Professor of Wenzhou Medical University, and he has served multiple terms as Overseas Committee Member of the Zhejiang Provincial Overseas Chinese Federation and the China Overseas Chinese Federation, among other positions.

My grandfather came to this country with nothing, but through hard work and determination, he was able to make a life for himself and his family. He opened a small Chinese restaurant in Watts, California – working tirelessly, day in and day out. Growing up, I came to realize the discrimination and restrictions my grandfather and others faced – hostile laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented Asian Americans from voting, being hired by large corporations and even from owning land. Throughout my nearly 40 years in elected office, his story and the struggles he overcame have inspired and guided my work.