By the light of the rare supermoon, nearly 900 dignitaries and guests gathered Saturday, May 5 to celebrate two anniversaries of the Texas Teo Chew Temple Association which oversees one of the central points for worship and education in Southwest Houston’s Chinese community.

The gala celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Texas Teo Chew Association, and its 15th biennial inauguration. Richard Ong, the newly inaugurated president of the Texas Teo Chew Association, gave a welcome speech, and remarks of gratitude were given from Tom Quach, director of the local temple on 10599 Turtlewood Drive.

More than a dozen dancers dressed as red, gold, black and white dragons opened the gala at the Ocean Palace Restaurant on Bellaire Boulevard, followed by other entertainment and the presentation of gifts to the Texas Teo Chew Temple.

The program also featured a martial arts performance, as well as singers from California and Vietnam. A “Five Happiness” drum performance and “Two Black Lions” dance performance rounded out the entertainment offering. The event also featured raffle drawings for cash prizes and iPads.

The Texas Teo Chew Temple at 10599 Turtlewood Drive provides a sanctuary of reflection and worship, as well as weekend classes for children, Chinese language classes for adults, and English as a second language (ESL) classes.

Randy Lam, secretary general for the Texas Teo Chew Association, said the temple is one of the most popular and well-known in the Chinese community, particularly among those who emigrated to the United States from Vietnam in the 1970s. It also hosts an active center for more than 300 local senior citizens, he said.

The temple underwent a $1 million renovation last year, said Vican Tan Sun, a director on the board of the International Management District and one of several individual donors who supported the gala event.

Some of the other VIP sponsors for the gala included the Viet Hoa Super Market, the My Hoa Super Market, Southwestern Bank, Kim Chau Jewelry, Nxcess Motors, Lee’s Sandwiches, and JTK Construction. Others include Jade River International, TBL Energy, KP Flooring, Forest Park Westheir, and Zon Energy.

On the evening of May 3rd, the final day of the 2012 Offshore Technology Conference, the International Management District and US-China International Business Network hosted a reception and dinner for 100 international and local guests including Chinese and American petroleum equipment suppliers at Signature Manor on Howell-Sugarland Road. Joining Mr. Wea Lee, board chairman, and Mr. David Hawes, executive director, at the head table were Mr. Tim Douglass representing Houston Mayor Anise Parker, City Councilmember Mr. Mike Laster and Mr. James Noteware, former Director of Housing and Community Development. Also attending were Ms. Sakina Lanig representing State Senator Rodney Ellis and Mr. Jensen Shen, Director for Asia, Australia and Oceania at the Greater Houston Partnership. Sponsors of the event were Archway Properties, Amegy Bank and Tradition Bank.

Following welcoming remarks be event organizer Mr. Jim Wu, president of the U.S.-China International Business Network, and Mr. Lee, Mr. Hawes described the background, purposes and services of the district. He also pointed out the advantages of the district in terms of location, transportation access and community support that the district offers to investors and companies seeking to serve the huge market for petroleum equipment in the Greater Houston area. Guests were then served a real Texas steak dinner with all the trimmings prepared by Marcellino, the well known chef at Houston’s Post Oak Grill. The evening concluded with convivial networking and business discussions by the attendees. All agreed that the event had served to enhance the image of the International Management District as an excellent place to do business.” One of the Chinese participation companies, The Oriental Pro-Energy Consulting Organization, Topco, www.topcoevents.com , which is the partner of US-China International Business Network in Beijing of China, agreed to give the free advertising space to the International Management District to promote the our investment opportunities in their newsletter. Oil and Gas Weekly published by Topco is sent to 45,000 oil and gas professionals and business executives in China.