Ming Li Tchou, a prominent leader of the Twin Cities Chinese Community, passed away peacefully at home on November 1, a result of complications from a fall and stroke.  She was 100 years of age.  

Ming was born into a distinguished family in Guangzhou, China.  Her paternal grandfather was a graduate of the Waseda University Law School in Japan and went on to become Dean of the Guangdong Province Law School and a legal advisor to Dr. Sun ZhongZhan (Yat-sen), founder and the provisional first president of the newly founded Republic of China.  Growing up, Ming enjoyed witnessing her parents writing poems to each other.

Ming met her future husband, James Tchou, in Shanghai where he was attending medical school during the Sino-Japanese War.  They married at the end of the War in 1945 and began a peripatetic life of studies: through Haiphong, Vietnam (James’ home country); Sorbonne, Paris; Buffalo, New York; and East Texas.  While James collected fellowships in thoracic surgery, Ming enrolled and graduated from Youngstown College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and obtained a certificate in medical technology from East Texas. 

By 1961 they were ready to settle down and chose Minneapolis as home. James began his practice at the Veterans Hospital and Ming decided to become a businesswoman.  She opened two gift shops, Ming’s Import Gallery, one in Edina (at 5033 France Ave. S.) and one in Rochester.  She did a thriving business and rapidly became known as an expert in jade, ivory, and Chinese antiques.  She established a Chinese cultural presence at many Twin Cities events and brought awareness to Chinese art in many circles. She was a tireless leading volunteer for many organizations, including the Chinese Senior Citizens Society, U.S. China People Friendship Association, Minnesota International Center, Chinese American Association of Minnesota, National Association of Chinese Americans, Women’s Club, and the Hennepin Medical Auxiliary. She was the recipient of numerous awards, among them the Leadership Award from the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans and the first honoree of The Pride of Minnesota Chinese Community.

Generous and hospitable with an infectious sense of humor, Ming spread her love of life and food with everyone she met and, over the years, became the surrogate mother to numerous nephews, nieces, and children of friends from both Vietnam and China. Many aspiring young men and women received invaluable guidance and advice from her, both in terms of professional directions and in affairs of the heart. It was natural that she and her husband presided over a steady stream of weddings.

In 2004, on the occasion of her eightieth birthday, Ming decided to give back to her community by establishing the Chinese Heritage Foundation.  The mission of the Foundation was, and will remain, to promote and perpetuate Chinese culture, history and the arts through education, and to encourage innovation in the arts.  By sharing the splendor of her Chinese heritage, Ming hoped to advance mutual understanding and trust among all Minnesotans. One of her significant initiatives at the Foundation was creating an annual outreach festival, titled A Passage to China, an interactive event that ran for nine years at Mall of America, drawing 13,000 visitors over a weekend. Another important project was the initiative to commission a new western-style grand opera based on the famous Chinese classic novel, Dream of the Red Chamber. Premiered by the San Francisco Opera in 2016 to worldwide attention and acclaim, this opera went on tour to Hong Kong and several cities in China. Lauded by the Xinhua Agency as an outstanding example of an artistic undertaking to promote mutual understanding between the United States and China, it is returning to its home of origin.  A chamber orchestral version will be premiered by the University of Minnesota Opera Theatre later this month and will be dedicated to her memory.

At the recent celebration of her 100th birthday, Ming reflected on her many decades of activism in Minnesota and said, “We should learn how to share ideas with each other, and to do that often.”

Ming is survived by numerous nephews and nieces throughout China, United States and Europe.  A celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date.  Memorials are preferred to the Ming Li Tchou Scholarship Fund at the Departments of History and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota: z.umn.edu/TchouMemorials.