This all started with a warning about a fraudulent email, the same as about a month ago. This site is about plants-BULB PLANTS-stay on topic. Karl zone 9a On Jun 8, 2013 10:10 PM, "Shirley Meneice" <meneice@att.net> wrote: > Good letter, Greg. Helps to wake up we who tend to be a bit critical. > Thank you, Shirley Meneice > > -----Original Message----- > From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] > On Behalf Of Greg Ruckert > Sent: Saturday, June 08, 2013 4:08 PM > To: Pacific Bulb Society > Subject: Re: [pbs] chen-yi nursery > > > > Historically, this is at odds with the reputation of the Chinese as a > > people > > you could do business with on a handshake, to say nothing of the quality > > of > > many of their manufacturers, particularly anything in the porcelain and > > pottery > > line. > > > The proprietress of the Chen-yi nursery might do far better in the long > > run > > propagating her wild-collected plants, growing them on, ascertaining > their > > > true > > identities, running an immaculately clean operation, and then selling > them > > > for > > considerably higher prices. However, I don't know if I'd have the > > self-control > > to do that myself, were I in her shoes. > > I had the privilege to meet Chen-yi in 1999. In fact she put me up in her > unit in Beijing and took me to dinner. Indeed business was done on a hand > shake. > > It must be remembered that the email that started this thread was about > fraud being perpetuated in her name. > > Before judgemental comments are made about the Chinese people we should > look > > at all the history, not just select bits and pieces. Think about the boxer > wars, about English attempts at colonization and the whole picture. > > I remember a long time ago, when our government still thought China was a > military threat, saying that I didn't think the threat was real as they > would buy us out before they went to war. Didn't need to be Nostradamus. > > Americans need to remember that China and its people are what have funded > "The American Dream". They own you. Let us not be too judgemental. > > Any way, back to Chen-yi. She comes from a Botanical family. Her father > (had the priviledge to meet him as well), a Chinese Professor who has > written beautiful books on Chinese orchids. > > Yes, her plants were wild collected back then, and probably still are. Her > husband did the collecting. I visited the facility they despatched from. > They didn't have the facilities to grow them on. > > It is very easy to be critical of their operation BUT they are getting > plant > > material out to collectors - to us. By the way our laws in Australia do > not > > enable us to bring them in. > > What I lament is that we now have international laws, about money, that > stop > > Botanical gardens from distributing material that originated overseas. > > These types of laws are what are causing Chen-yi's business model to work. > > Rather than criticising what she does it would be better to find a way to > help her operate in a more acceptable way. > > Greg Ruckert > Nairne, > South Australia > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >