West Virginia
In West Virginia, US-China personal exchanges find a home, flown in from Yunnan
Over time, the house has become a small oasis for people-to-people ties amid high-level US-China tensions.
The very reassembling of the house tells a grass-roots story of bilateral cooperation.
It began as a joke, Flower recalled. Hearing that the colourful yet otherwise unassuming structure was to be demolished to make place for a dam, Flower mused to its previous owner, Zhang Jianhua, ‘I wish I could take it home’.
And so he did – with the help of hundreds of Chinese and American volunteers, young and old.
Zhang sold the house to him for US$6,000, and Flower returned in 2017 with a few former students, a fellow history teacher from the Sidwell Friends School in Washington and a guitar maker from Virginia.
Together with local craftsmen of the Bai ethnic community, they began the arduous tasks of deconstructing the three-decade-old wooden structure and convincing the local government to let them move the planks out of Yunnan.
Flower had always intended to find the house a setting similar to its former mountain home, aiming to take it “from the Himalayas and Mekong River to the Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah”. What sealed the deal was an offer from the Friends Wilderness Centre, a Quaker non-profit group, which leased the land in West Virginia to him for US$1 a year.
The planks arrived in the US in September 2017. What didn’t arrive with them were craftsmen whom Flower had hoped would help with the reassembly – they could not get visas.
So in 2019, the reassembly project broke ground with a group of Sidwell students and a West Virginia timber framers guild. Over the next few years, Flower said, volunteers logged at least 21,000 hours restoring the house and its surroundings.
“It usually takes a village to make a house,” he said, “but in this case it took a house to make a village.”
As the project began, Flower established a non-profit, the China Folk House Retreat, hoping to attract enough financing to turn the structure into an educational centre.
Flower, who started visiting China in 1991, was drawn to the house because it reflected China’s diversity. The house’s original owners were ethnically Tibetan; the architecture was a mix of Bai, Han and Tibetan; and the village in which it was located had a Naxi chieftain. He was also struck by its simplicity and its potential to tell stories about ordinary Chinese life.
“The house is a living text,” Flower said, as he passed out bowls of Yunnan noodles to visitors.
Inspired by his educational mission, a university in Yunnan sent over some 15,000 roof tiles and Chinese architecture models to be featured in the house.
Flower is in the process of staging thematic rooms to showcase different aspects of rural Chinese life, putting architectural models and explanatory plaques on display, and cultivating a garden with plants used in Chinese cuisine.
His partners in Yunnan were thrilled that Chinese culture and architecture would be shown to a wider, international audience.
But for Flower, the project was only partly about preserving and sharing a piece of Chinese cultural history. He also hoped that the house would become – as it increasingly did – a link between two countries whose leaders were at odds, particularly as first Covid-19 restrictions and then schools’ increasing liability concerns about travel hindered exchange.
If he couldn’t bring students to China, he thought, he could bring China to them.
Flower only returned this summer, citing airfares that have yet to recover from the pandemic for the delay. A group of American high school and college students went with him.
For students unable to travel to China, he and his wife, anthropologist Pam Leonard, host an annual summer camp where participants learn about Chinese traditions and architecture while helping to rebuild the house and its surroundings.
The mostly reassembled structure, open to the public by reservation from March to December, has already attracted hundreds of visitors, offering something different for everyone.
Chinese tourists have flocked to it, impressed by the couple’s dedication to preserving Chinese architecture. A local gardening club took interest in the plants surrounding the structure.
Diplomats, too, have taken notice. In 2022, Qin Gang, then China’s ambassador to the US, visited the house and dedicated a piece of calligraphy on the structure – after belting out John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, now one of West Virginia’s state songs.
The house has also earned the support of Chinese and American financial backers who share Flower’s belief in taking US-China relations into their own hands. Since 2018, the house has accepted grants from the likes of The Asia Group Foundation and Dalio Philanthropies.
He Daofeng, an entrepreneur from Yunnan who is a major donor, was drawn to Flower’s initiative for its potential to connect young students from the two countries. “We can’t control the relationship between the governments, but we can do something on the people-to-people level,” he said.
He was initially sceptical about the project but Flower’s commitment impressed him: The cost of deconstructing and shipping the house alone was US$40,000.
“He’s a crazy person who walks the talk,” He said of Flower. “I don’t even think Chinese people themselves would have the courage to do something like this.”
He was also moved by Flower’s long history with China. After studying Chinese history and philosophy at the University of Virginia, Flower gave up a tenured position at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2007 to teach Chinese history at the high school level. Since 2009, Flower has brought his students to rural China.
He, the Yunnan native, never saw the house in its original location, but like many Chinese tourists said that the reconstructed version tells a story of his upbringing.
Still, despite the abundant support from his community, Flower, now 64, said that the burden of maintaining the house remained mostly his and Leonard’s. He left his position at Sidwell Friends earlier this month to focus fully on it.
As the project grows, Flower is trying to strike the balance of keeping the initiative grass-roots and finding sufficient funding – with all the complications and conditions that may come with it.
Other Americans have found the house an inspiration for their own efforts to build connections with Chinese people. Jesse Appell, a Massachusetts native trying to overcome bicultural misunderstandings through comedy and sharing Chinese tea culture, is one of them. In March, he brought a group of friends to see the house and film it for social media.
“When I go to DC, I hear a lot of downer stories about US-China,” Appell said. “This is such a refreshing breath of fresh air … it’s definitely after my own heart.”
For Terry Lautz, the author of Americans in China: Encounters with the People’s Republic, efforts like Flower’s help provide “a more balanced, multidimensional understanding” of China’s behaviour.
“Americans tend to analyse China’s actions and motives exclusively in terms of its top leader, Xi Jinping,” he said.
“Looking at Sino-American relations and Chinese society from the perspectives of individual Chinese and Americans presents a far more nuanced and complete picture. It also allows us to see where there is room for shared interests and common ground.”
In the near future, Flower hopes to lay the final tiles on the house’s roof and complete the education centre. He also has new initiatives under way, including running more trips to Yunnan; facilitating exchanges between Chinese and American craftsmen; and co-hosting an intensive Chinese-language programme with the University of Pennsylvania, with the house as its venue.
Yet, amid these grand plans, Flower still remains committed to making each guest feel personally welcomed. “I can’t promise Yunnan noodles to every visitor,” he said, “but I’ll try.”
West Virginia
Notebook: MCWS as good as advertised; West Virginia no overnight success story – WV MetroNews
Ahead of a June 10th trip to Omaha, I’d only heard positive reviews of the Men’s College World Series and the city that hosts it.
After an eight-night stay in Nebraska’s biggest city, it’s easy to see why.
The event at Charles Schwab Field was well-run and organized starting with Thursday practice for each of the eight participants.
The ballpark, which opened in 2011, is a state of the art, clean venue with a wide variety of concession offerings and a spacious press box that easily accommodated media members while all eight teams played two games over the first four days.
Crowds were strong and made their presence felt, particularly over the first several days.
There are fan-friendly activities just outside the stadium and no shortage of restaurants and bars within walking distance to partake in pregame or postgame festivities.
Perhaps Troy coach Skylar Meade summed it up best after the Trojans were eliminated Tuesday with a 12-0 loss to West Virginia that marked their second setback to the Mountaineers over a 96-hour stretch.
“Every person who came here now knows what this place is,” Meade said. “It’s the most unique place in the world. It’s the best college sporting event bar none. No offense to the others. Rose Bowl is awesome. It ain’t this.”
— — — — —
This was the third straight year I was present for West Virginia’s last game of the season after being on hand for the 2024 Super Regional series at North Carolina and again last year at LSU on the same stage.
Taking in the atmosphere in 2025 at Alex Box Stadium, when the Mountaineers played in front of consecutive crowds of 12,000-plus, provided a look at college baseball I’d never experienced and a newfound appreciation of the sport.
The MCWS took it a step further and continued the ascension of a Mountaineer program that gained national notoriety while hosting the Morgantown Regional and a Super Regional series against Cal Poly.
Envisioning WVU playing on the premier stage in college baseball was unfathomable a decade ago and even highly unlikely as recently as five years back.
But let’s not forget this is a program with four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and one of only two (North Carolina the other) to reach the Super Regional round each of the last three years.
What transpired this season as the Mountaineers set a new single-season program mark with 47 victories is a culmination of a lot of hard work from a lot of people within the program and athletic department alike, but it cannot be considered an overnight success story.
While West Virginia was swept in best-of-three sets in Chapel Hill and Baton Rouge, it’s important to remember those were 36 and 44-win teams that won regionals outside of Morgantown — feats fans should appreciate even more after witnessing the postseason atmosphere at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
WVU hadn’t won in the Super Regional round prior to this season, but two years ago, it had a ninth-inning lead against the Tar Heels in Game 1 and lost Game 2 by one run. Last season, the Mountaineers were eliminated by the eventual national champion.
“There are financial realities of the sport, and people may have assumptions about specific programs or about West Virginia in general that may or may not be correct,” WVU coach Steve Sabins said. “We have a whole lot of people working really hard on a whole lot of different areas, whether that’s Gold & Blue Enterprises, whether that’s BioPrecision with us, whether that’s the School of Sports Science or Biomechanics and Performance Center, whether that’s third-party NIL, specific donors, West Virginia has all of that.
“And it’s competing at the highest levels in all these areas, and I think it would probably surprise a lot of folks of the amount of effort, work, attention to detail and financial resources that have been poured into our program.”
— — — — —
A tip of the cap to West Virginia senior outfielder Brock Wills.
The UNC Wilmington transfer was a mainstay in the Mountaineer lineup throughout the regular season and Big 12 Conference Tournament when he appeared in 50 of 53 games with 45 starts.
When the NCAA Tournament rolled around, Sabins opted to start fellow senior Ben Lumsden in place of Wills.
The decision proved difficult to debate as Lumsden came up with numerous hits in key spots and finished 12-for-37 with three home runs, two doubles, 13 RBI and 11 base-on-balls over 11 games.
Wills, meanwhile, came off the bench to play in three NCAA Tournament games, one of which was Wednesday’s 12-7 season-ending loss to North Carolina when he came on as a right fielder to start the fifth inning.
Wills had three plate appearances against the Tar Heels, the first of which was a well-struck, but tough-luck double play on a liner to second base with the bases loaded in the sixth. He followed it with a walk in the seventh and a single in the ninth.
“So awesome. That kid has been such an instrumental piece of this team,” Sabins said. “In high-level competition, things don’t always go your way. There’s only nine dudes that get to play, and so coaches have to make hard decisions, and that happens every single year. And some years it’s a bigger storyline and some years it’s not, and some guys play good and some guys don’t. And there’s always some mix of that.
“But when things don’t go your way, it’s very easy to cash out. And so when you see a kid that has been so team-oriented and then to get inserted into the biggest game of his career and perform, it just shows you everything that you need to know about character. Because if you cash out, you don’t roll into the highest competition in the world and have success.
“Whether he had success or not, I knew his character. I knew that he was still working, and I knew he was team-oriented, and I knew he was fighting like hell to be great for the Mountaineers, and that’s why he got his opportunity. That’s why it came back around to him.”
For the season, Wills hit .283 (47-for-166) with two home runs, six doubles, three triples and 23 RBI.
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West Virginia
Charleston commemorates Juneteenth with downtown parade and celebration – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va – Charleston is celebrating Juneteenth with its annual parade, followed by a celebration in Slack Plaza featuring live entertainment, food, educational exhibits, and more.
The parade stepped off from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center at 11:30 on Friday with a long line of organizations participating and several community members recognized as “Mr. and Miss Juneteenth.” Smiles dotted the procession as organizers watched a community come together.
“It’s just a wonderful thing when we can bring the community together to celebrate freedom, and here in West Virginia, we’ve had some challenges because they’ve said that Juneteenth is not a state holiday, but our people are still celebrating,” parade chairperson Karen Williams said.
The parade marked the start of an entire day recognizing the history of Juneteenth, the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people when the Union Army arrived at Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. With the last stronghold of slavery in the Confederate States eradicated that day, June 19 came to be celebrated as a second independence day, and President Joe Biden established it as a national holiday in 2021.
In West Virginia, former Gov. Jim Justice was the first to declare a state holiday and did so in each of his last four years in office. Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Juneteenth with a proclamation on Friday but has not declared a state holiday in 2025 or 2026.
“Representation really matters, so seeing Black queens and Black kings roaming the streets of Charleston is a beautiful thing, and it’s a needed thing. I think there’s a lot more people that aren’t going to celebrate Juneteenth than people that are, so I think it’s really important that we continue to celebrate this holiday and show why it’s important,” Miss Juneteenth Adult Keyarna Frederick said.
Different groups from around the Kanawha Valley came out to participate from businesses and youth organizations to political committees and arts collectives. Williams believes that shows that Juneteenth is a day for the entire community to celebrate.
“Appalachian people have always grown up and lived together, and what we want—we want people to continue that. We want people to continue to be together. We’re not saying this is a Black event or a white event. We welcome all people to come and participate,” she said.
The parade route echoed her sentiment as nearly everyone who joined the parade shared handshakes, high-fives, and hugs. That spirit of togetherness spoke to the day’s honorees as well.
“It’s definitely something that we should all be celebrating. It’s for all of us, not just for a certain color or a certain kind. It’s for all of us, so I believe everyone should be celebrating this day,” Mr. Juneteenth Adult Edward Frederick said.
“This is my first time in the parade. It’s so beautiful. It’s so amazing to see different organizations a part of the parade, seeing how much muscle has went into even doing something like this, so I think it’s a beautiful thing for Charleston,” Keyarna Frederick added.
From the parade to the activities in Slack Plaza, the day’s organizers sought to create an environment to celebrate Juneteenth with a spirit of unity. Williams hopes that anyone that joined or watched felt that along the way.
“I want them to see that we are Almost Heaven, West Virginia; that we are celebrating freedom; and that we are a community that embraces one another,” she said.
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