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Bob Chien Memorial Award
The Society supports education through cultural exchanges, programming, and scholarship awards. In 2019, we presented a $1,000 Bob Chien Memorial Award to the University of Missouri at Kansas City ENACTUS for student support. ENACTUS students have competed with and mentored students in China and are active participants in the annual Dragon Boat Festival.

Heartwarming story --- Wang Lihong

Wang Lihong's thank you video



Wang Lihong was born in a village of Baoding, Hebei province, was one of our Scholarship recipients. Her major is Editing and Publishing Science. She Graduated from Shaanxi Normal University, in July, 2012. She want help us to help more students in need.
  • 2014

    Wang worked as our Scholarship Selection Committee representative to Shaanxi Normal University. Due to her own experience, she knows the needs of others.

  • 2013

    Wang worked as our liaison to our mountain-top school Hanjiaping School and Yu Kou School at foot of same mountain.



The qualification of low income students is defined by us as below.

Family annual income is lower than 8,000 Yuan ($1,270) and the student monthly income is lower than 500 Yuan ($80) for their room and board. Our $500 is not much but is able help each student with cost of living for half a year.

Donations Renovated Han Jia Ping School
I would like to thank all of you for your great support of our New Year Celebration and Dragon Boat Festival. With your generous donations, we were able to do the renovation work on Han Jia Ping School, which was completed before the school started on September 1, 2012.
Friendship Tablet & Learning Center Sign Friendship Tablet Renovated Exterior
The James J. Lloyd Library and Learning Center was built by Kansas City-Xi’an Sister City Committee with matching fund of the late James J. Lloyd at a mountain top at the edge of Xi’an in 2001.

Our delegation visited all four schools in Shaanxi Province we supported with scholarships in 2011 – Shaanxi Normal University, Han Jia Ping School, Yu Kou School, and An Shang School. The delegation reported that Han Jia Ping School needed repairs. Our board approved a budget of $10,000 for the renovation with help of Mr. An Wei, our liaison in Xi’an. The renovation work was completed on August 25, a week before the school started on September 1, 2012.

We have continued giving 30 primary school scholarships and 5 university scholarships as our annual projects. Due to the success of the Dragon Boat Festival, we have started to give three scholarships to top three winning teams of the Dragon Boat Race.

Again, on behalf of the board, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your kind support.

Thank you,
Bob Chien

Education & Scholarship


Although China is the most rapidly developing industrial nation in the world, in China's rural and agricultural areas there are few educational opportunities and girls are often passed over for boys when it comes to even basic academic advancement. Therefore, the Society for Friendship with China, Inc. has made its mission to assist both boys and girls from rural areas so that they have the same opportunities as other children in the cities.

Below are previous projects that The Society for Friendship with China, Inc. have sponsored:
  • 2009

    An educational endowment fund was established and is expected to provide scholarships for 5 university and 15 primary students.

    • Heartland Bank, Sprint and Black & Veatch pledged corporate membership to support our Educational Scholarship Fund. (We cannot use the Endowment Fund, which requires $80,000 in the bank to fund the annual Scholarship of $2,400 to be awarded.)
    • We will launch 2,000 lotus flower color-changing lanterns floating on the Brush Creek on June 13, 2009 - the day of our Dragon Boat Festival.
    • 2009 Scholarship Awards had been given to Ms. Mary Eisenhower, Mrs. Jeannette Nichols, Mr. Michael Newburger and Mr. Larry Moore for their continuous help on The Society’s educational projects.

  • 2008

    Mayor Pro Tem Bill Skaggs, John Phillips, Bob Chien, Jody Edgerton, and Fang Shen visited Zheng Zhou, Cheng Du, Xi’an, He Fei, Ning Bo, and Shanghai.

    • We arranged a book donation project to all three primary schools.
    • We visited Han Jia Ping and Yu Kou schools.
    • At Han Jia Ping School, we delivered 200 new books and paper and supplies. We also agreed to pay the fee to connect their computers to Internet.
    • At Yu Kou School, we delivered 200 books and supplies. We also agreed to pay the cost to set phone poles and line to connect their only computer to Internet.
    • We also asked Mr. An Wei to deliver 200 books to An Shang School.

  • 2007

    Ten teachers and students from Shaanxi Normal University came to Kansas City and performed at The Society’s Chinese New Year celebration, Kansas City Zoo, Paseo Performance Academy.

  • 2006

    BEVERLY CHIEN GRAHAM MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS were established at Han Jia Ping, Yu Kou, An Shang primary school and Shaanxi Normal University. Kansas City School teachers, led by Mary Lee Sturdevant for summer teaching at BoAi School in Xi’an, visited all three primary schools to deliver the scholarships.

  • 2005 - The Society arranged KU’s visit to Yu Kou School.

    • The Society matched KU $500 to make a $1,000 gift for Yu Kou School.

  • 2004 - The Society arranged KU’s visit to Han Jia Ping School.

    • The Society matched KU $500 to make a $1,000 gift for Han Jia Ping School.

  • 2003 - $12,000 was donated to An Shang School to buy 600 sets of desk and chair for the students.

  • 2002 - Sharon Crain, Teresa and Bob Chien visited Han Jia Ping School to renew the friendship.


  • 2001 - $5,000 was donated to An Shang School in Shaanxi, China.

  • 2000 - Board Member James J. Lloyd matched the Xi’an, China Sister City fund to build a Library and Learning Center.

    • James J. Lloyd Library and Learning Center in Han Jia Ping primary School was built and equipped.

  • 1998 - We helped Sharon Crain establish a book room at Han Jia Ping School atop Chin Mountain.

    • 800 books were delivered to Han Jia Ping School. Books were displayed in teachers’ dormitory (bedroom where they cook and sleep) since there was no library at Han Jia Ping School.

If you are interested in participating in any of these programs, please to send us e-mail.

All donations to The Society for Friendship with China, Inc., a 501(c)(3), are tax-deductible.

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