On February 3rd (Saturday), the San Diego Chinese Lawyers Association successfully held its first offline Lunar New Year dinner at Golden City Restaurant since the pandemic, celebrating the arrival of the Lunar Year of the Dragon. That evening, eight tables were set up, and the members of the Lawyers Association along with invited guests gathered together, truly a gathering of elites, filled with laughter and joy, and the festive atmosphere permeated the entire gathering. The guests invited that evening were mostly San Diego judges, prosecutors, and some American lawyers, all of whom are well-known figures in mainstream society, including San Diego City attorneys Heather Ferbert and Kevin Yee, judges William Wood, Lilys McCoy, Danna Nicholas, among others, which also included two Chinese-American judges, one of whom, Ken So, is the first Chinese-American judge in San Diego's history.

The dinner was hosted by two young lawyers, Ren Yan and Li Qin, who are fluent in both Chinese and English, with effortless expression and a sense of humor that matched professional hosts. President Gao Yan opened with a speech. She briefly introduced the purpose and current situation of the Lawyers Association and expressed her sincere thanks to the attendees. Following that, Chinese-American female judge Selena Epley reviewed the struggles of the Chinese in the legal field and introduced San Diego's first Chinese judge, encouraging the Lawyers Association further. Professor Liu Lirong, a well-known social activist invited to the event, emphasized in her speech the significant role of Chinese lawyers in society and repeatedly encouraged everyone to make their due contributions in a diverse society. Their inspiring speeches left a deep impression on the audience. There were two entertaining performances during the dinner, which were quite splendid. One was "Night Banquet in the Tang Palace" performed by four little girls, four five-to-six-year-old girls dressed in colorful Tang dynasty dancer costumes, acting playfully and adorably, which was unanimously praised by the audience, including the daughter of lawyer Gao Yan. Another performance was a solo pipa (a traditional Chinese musical instrument) performance by an 11-year-old, Bao Bei, who played two pieces, "Golden Snake Dance" and "Sending You a Rose," smoothly. As the saying goes, "a thousand years of guzheng, ten thousand years of pipa," indicating the difficulty of playing pipa. Bao Bei's excellent performance at such a young age promises a bright future.

The San Diego Chinese Attorneys Association (SDCAA) was founded in 2015, with lawyer Cai Yufen as the founding president. In June 2023, a new board of directors was established, with lawyer Gao Yan serving as the president for the new term. Nine talented directors, committed to strengthening the connection and power of Chinese lawyers in San Diego, better serving the protection of Chinese rights and interests, aiming to enhance Chinese legal awareness, and contributing to Sino-American legal, business, and cultural exchanges.

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 1. Members of the new council, from left: Tang Sunyong, Li Qin, Wu Lianlian, Zhong Yihong, Gao Yan, Ren Yan, Cai Yufen, Wang Zhiming (Secretary Xuan Ziran was absent on a business trip);

2. Group photo of some of the lawyers attending the meeting;

3. President Gao Yan delivered a welcome speech;

4. Judge Selena Eppley, of Chinese descent

5. Speech by Professor Liu Lirong;

6. Four Little Dancers;

7. Pipa player Bao Bei;

8. A corner of the venue.