Jerry Dennerline
Professor of History and Asian Studies
Amherst College
Wrote the following (italics) about the Hua Family. Jim R. "We now live in California, and our property has numerous "California Pepper Trees." I recently discovered that swarms of Bees love those trees. My interest in apiculture is totally piqued. As Master Hwa's 90th birthday approaches this month, I'd like to take this opportunity to post information about a book I bought in 2016 that I thoroughly enjoy now even more. "
( Stephen Hwa family surname is Hua. This is a book about his family and Hua Yizhi, noted as the "Father of Apiculture in China." )
"Hua Yizhi was both a remarkable man and the product of a unique society in a remarkable time. Heir to a family tradition of classical study, literary and artistic excellence, and local social engagement and leadership that endured for several centuries, he melded the values inherited from this tradition with the perspicacity of a modern agrarian entrepreneur. Surviving both the loss of his parents and the cataclysmic political events of the early 20th century in the small town of Dangkou in Eastern China, he expanded on the recent commercial, educational, and charitable successes of his grandfather's generation to become one of the region's most respected advocates of scientific and socially responsible rural development. A pioneer of scientific beekeeping in China as well as a sponsor of universal modern and progressive education in rural communities, he not only earned the nickname of "China's Bee King" but also helped chart his community's path through the darkest years of war and social violence to a more hopeful future. Cao Zhi Ding deserves credit for his devoted attention to factual detail, based on both archives and interviews, in balancing his abundantly evident respect for Hua Yizhi and bringing his story to life."
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