November 29, 2010 | All China Women’s Federation
[originally in Chinese on china.com.cn and people.com.cn]
[This translation from the Women’s Federation website of a lengthy feature on C-100 Governor Shirley Young, describes Young’s career as a General Motors executive and her work with the Committee of 100.]
Governor of the Chinese American leadership resource the Committee of 100 Shirley Young is also chairperson of the US-China Cultural Institute, formerly the Committee of 100 Cultural Institute.
Ms. Young is on the worldwide Board of Directors of The Nature Conservancy and on the Asia-Pacific Council. She is also a founding member of the Committee of 200, an international organization of leading businesswomen. . . .
Ms. Young's appointment in 1988 as corporate vice-president of General Motors, a post she held until December 31 1999, made her the first and sole Chinese VP at GM since its establishment in 1908.
As vice-president of China Strategic Development and Asia Pacific Counselor, Young was integral to General Motors' US$2 billion dollar investment in China's auto industry, particularly in Shanghai GM's Buick production. . . .
Shirley Young co-founded with her friends Pritzker prize-winning architect I.M. Pei and world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1989 the Committee of 100, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit and membership organization composed of Chinese American leaders in a broad range of professions. . . .
The committee held an annual meeting on November 26, 2007 in Beijing, the first of its kind on China's mainland. It now has 147 members, including seven university principals, eight members of the Board of Directors of Fortune 500 companies and 20 CEOs. . .
In her role as cultural ambassador, Shirley Young promotes arts and educational exchanges between China and the U.S.
Her biological father Yang Guangsheng (1900-1942) was Consul General of China in the Philippines, her step-father Vi Kyuin Wellington Koo (1888-1985) a prominent diplomat, and her mother Yan Youyun once worked as a United Nations protocol officer.
"My dream was to become a diplomat like my fathers. As what I do is a kind of diplomacy, I feel I've fulfilled my dream," Young said. . . .
Besides inviting top-class artists such as violinist Itzhak Perlman, maestro John Nelson and singer Renee Fleming to perform in China, Young has also introduced prominent Chinese artists to the world.
One example is her bringing together of Chinese baritone Liao Changyong and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, and being instrumental in their signing of a performance protocol. She also invited experts from the Buglisi Dance Theatre to choreograph a dance for famous Chinese dancer Huang Doudou.
"It is my hope that Chinese artists will interact with the top world artists and bring even more Chinese culture to the world," Young said.
Prior to this year's Shanghai Expo, Shirley Young raised US$3 million in donations from Committee of 100 members towards building the USA Pavilion.
The Committee also launched the Chinese American Wall project through Young's help in setting up the "The Chinese in America – We are Family" exhibit in the USA pavilion. This wall of videos flashed constantly-changing images of 10,000 Chinese Americans, their family names and hometowns, among them AIDS scientist David Ho, astronaut Leroy Chiao, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, architect I.M. Pei, and YouTube co-founder Steve Chen. The exhibit gave Chinese residents of the U.S. the chance to express their love for both countries.
http://www.womenofchina.cn/Profiles/Businesswomen/235381.jsp
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