VoWW Interview #2 - Yan Mei Wang
Overview
"Voices of West Windsor" is a joint project between the Historical Society and SR Mosaic to fill in the gaps in our records of our town's history. We interview contemporary inhabitants of groups not typically found in our archives so that future residents can get a perspective decades later - much like how our perspectives of old West Windsor were obtained through interviews of longtime residents in the past.
Our guest is Yan Mei Wang, an ardent advocate for various West Windsor initiatives. See video below!
"Voices of West Windsor" is a joint project between the Historical Society and SR Mosaic to fill in the gaps in our records of our town's history. We interview contemporary inhabitants of groups not typically found in our archives so that future residents can get a perspective decades later - much like how our perspectives of old West Windsor were obtained through interviews of longtime residents in the past.
Our guest is Yan Mei Wang, an ardent advocate for various West Windsor initiatives. See video below!
Transcription:
PAUL: So, hi everyone! My name is Paul Ligeti. I'm the head archivist of the Historical Society of West Windsor, and I have Yan Mei Wang with me here. And so welcome. Thank you for being with us.
YAN: Thank you for inviting me.
PAUL: I'm going to start with our first question. If you can just give us a little description of yourself and what West Windsor means to you. That would be great.
YAN: So my name is Yan Mei Wang, and I first came to Mercer County 18 years ago as a postdoc at Princeton University, but back then I lived in Lawrenceville, I didn't live in West Windsor. But, I did pass by West Windsor to go to work at Princeton University along Clarksville Road and North Post Road. And in 2015, I returned back to West Windsor as a resident. Previously, what West Windsor means is a transition point in my life. Previously, before I returned to West Windsor in 2015, My life has always been in school in some sense. I was a student, I was a professor, I was a scientist. Working in the STEM field mainly. mainly in Physics. After I came to West Windsor, my work has changed subjects to SSTEAM, with two S's. It stands for Social Science, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. So, After I came to West Windsor, I changed my focus to using what I have learned previously to work on real world problems in West Windsor.
PAUL: What do you think makes West Windsor unique because obviously you're here for a reason.
YAN: West Windsor is not unique in a sense of the size of our population. We are rated in New Jersey's 550 townships and boroughs number 70 in terms of our size and population. However, for a regular town like us, we do house one of the busiest train stations in Northeast America. And also we do house the top 1% School District in West Windsor across the whole United States So for this reason, residents come here for the easy commute by train to work. A lot of them in New York, and the parents and their children are here for the best education. So that makes us have a unique mix of residents in West Windsor, and we are ranked #2 in best educated townships in New Jersey.
PAUL: So I know that you played a variety of roles in West Windsor, where do you see yourself in the township and how would you describe yourself?
YAN: I see myself as one of the many champions of West Windsor. And I see you as a champion for West Windsor, Paul. And there are many others. I see myself as one. I've spent a lot of time on it and I've introduced the infrastructure issues to a current list of environmental, education and social issues that most people are working on.
PAUL: What is a word that comes to mind when you think of West Windsor?
YAN: West Windsor is my home right now. 18 years ago, when I lived in Lawrenceville, when I worked at Princeton University it was my neighboring Township. But right now it is my home, it is the home of my husband and two children and it'll be our home for a long time to come.
PAUL: You mentioned some infrastructure and environmental policies and things that you wanted work on. If you could just talk a little bit about that.
YAN: I think West Windsor can improve a lot by being more proactive in introducing diplomacy policies and the program into our Township. I feel that we are going with the flow - the Township's going with the flow and which is okay for us to be a normal township. It goes smoothly without ups and downs. But if we are a little bit more proactive in terms of introducing these policies and programs, we can really turn West Windsor from a normal township to a model township in many aspects. For example, we can become a model township with excellent roadways without raising our taxes. We can become a model township with a tight-knit but diversified community that practices equality and social justice and inclusiveness. And we can also be a model society for our environmental protection and alternate transportation efforts.
PAUL: And then you mentioned environmental, because I know that recently you worked with several other people on the installation of the TREX - the plastic benches, collecting plastic bags turning them into benches. Especially with, you know, climate change being a very very prominent topic, especially over the last 10, 20 years. Can you speak a little bit to that?
YAN: Since I came to West Windsor in 2015, I have worked on three and made three main contributions for West Windsor's environment. The first one is in 2016, when I lived in the Mews at Princeton Junction, the apartment complex, I was able to change the environmentally unfriendly, 37 passengers, huge, noisy bus to our 23 passenger shuttle bus. This time it was quieter and more environmentally friendly. This reduced West Windsor's air pollution by 0.1%. Then last year, as you have said, I organized West Windsor residents and recycled 2,000 pounds of plastic bags into three benches for our parks. The first bench is located in Nash Park and the second is in Roger's Arboretum. A third bench is coming on it's way. And the third thing I did was that I changed from using one-time, single use, plastic bags when I shop to using reusable bags.
PAUL: How do you think West Windsor can improve? Beyond the environment, beyond infrastructure.Generally. I know you mentioned some social, leading socially, leading culturally and other ways that West Windsor can improve. What do you specifically see West Windsor's main opportunities for improvement?
YAN: For example, if I give you details about - I was talking about the "We can become a modern township in terms of excellent roadways without raising taxes, by introducing proven successful policies." So there is a policy out there, a name called micro surfacing that people use - the technique to treat their roads when they're not that bad yet, at an early stage at a low price. With these practices you can really catch up on fixing all the bad roads in this township with the same logic you're having right now. West Windsor right now is spending 2.5 million dollars every year to fix 5% of our roads, and 120% of our roads need fixing. So if we just introduce this practice, we can really fix all our roads with the current amount of money in a very short amount of time, we will not be having this vicious cycle of our roads getting worse and worse. So this is one example of doing that.
PAUL: So what specifically about micro-surfacing makes it different? I'm curious about that.
YAN: Sure, so usually the way we fix our roads is only when it's really bad with lots of cracks and potholes and it's hopelessly bad. So you seal the top two inches off the road, It's called a seal, a two-inch seal and then you lay two-inch more over the surface. Thirty years ago, forty years ago, This method was cheap and we could just do that on our roads without thinking. However, the price is 100 times more now, we cannot do that. Microsurfacing is when a road is like 10 years before it gets to the really bad stage one is only a little bit worn. Like your clothes, like if your countertop is a little worn, you give it a layer of coating. if you gave it a layer of asphalt coating to it at a really cheap price. So it'll protect it for many years, and it'll never get to the stage of being bad. And then five years later you coat it again. So, basically you maintain your road at a low price, and you never get to the stage of costing a lot of money.
PAUL: Now switching topics a little bit, we asked Denia the same question, and this is a main point about Voices of West Windsor as I explained earlier is interviewing people from groups that are not typically heard in the Historical Society's archives. So in West Windsor the word diverse is thrown around a lot and for West Windsor and for the purpose of this question, diversity doesn't just mean racial diversity, it's the diversity of ideas, diversity of ideologies, of religions, and cultures, et cetera. Do you see West Windsor as a diverse community?
YAN: I have to divide the diversity concept into many different aspects. Socially, yes, we are. Although all we do have a high percentage of Asian population of more than 40% Asian Americans, and our African American population can increase from the current 3.7% to the state average of more than 13%. In terms of social work force, we do need to increase our diversity. Right now, We have a large percentage of the workforce that takes the train and goes to NYC and works in IT. More than 30% of them. We do need to increase our vocational jobs in the townships. We do need to increase our diversification in terms of that.
PAUL: And as a Chinese-American in West Windsor especially - if you feel you can speak to this subject - where do you see the Chinese-American and East Asian American community in West Windsor?
YAN: So in terms of East Asian residents in West Windsor, we have Korean and Japanese, and mainly Korean, Japanese, and Chinese residents. Chinese residents come from mainland China and Taiwan. When people come from mainland China to the US, it causes lots of Chinese residents in West Windsor. And because I'm a Chinese so I can speak a little bit to the subject that the Chinese community, especially the Chinese from mainland China, were considered by some to be a closed community. And in my opinion, I do think that it has some reason in the background that most of us grew up back in China. People in our generation from mainland China were mostly trained in STEM. We were really good at science and technology. And also our government system is different from that of the rest of the United States. After we came here, we also worked in jobs of STEM, STEM created jobs. We were not particularly involved in social and cultural activities in the township. However, the children of the Chinese community, the young generation, are involved in all aspects of the West Windsor community, as you know because you grew up here. I give this credit to the really nice Social Science education in the school district that started early on in the elementary school, which I learn a lot by taking the third grade course with my son right now, the online courses and I enjoy the social classes, and I learn a lot by being in his class! I think that made a huge difference in the young generations of the Chinese Americans here. I believe with time and communication and the involvement of the young Chinese Americans in our township. The Chinese Americans will only become more and more integral into our cohesive community.
PAUL: You mentioned you have a son in school, and I also know that you're a board member at another local school in Plainsboro. Can you speak to your experience of being a board member of a non traditional, in the sense that it's not a community, it's not a village, of a school in West Windsor-Plainsboro?
YAN: I am a board member in the Chinese culture school called the Huaxia Plainsboro Chinese school. Students go there on Sunday only and take language and culture classes. I became a board member because my kids go there and I see myself as a liaison between the Chinese community in the school and also the West Windsor community. On one hand, I always take pride in telling everybody You know how great the school is. We are one of the largest Chinese culture schools in the United States, we have 600 students, we have national champions in science, technology, gymnastics, and Wushu. We are a great asset for the township to have especially with the dual immersion program at Hawk. At the same time, I also communicate what I do. My community experience is at the school. For example, this time, I introduced the online voting experiences to our school, so we're going to use that for the upcoming board election this summer. I communicate the township culture activities to the school, and I try to invite them to participate in my neighborhood China Day event and the Diversity Day event, and also our environmental efforts. I think that communication and exposure is the best way to bring cultures together.
PAUL: I know that you also were the head of the Chinese new book acquisition in the Mercer County Library, can you speak to that a little bit too?
YAN: So, the issue was first brought to my attention when the former distributor of the new Chinese books to the West Windsor library approached me and said the library had not been buying books from them or anybody for a couple of years after the retirement of the former Chinese librarian. So I went to the new West Windsor library branch manager, and he was open to restarting a process, and which he did. Before the pandemic, we got the approval from the county to restart the new book acquisition. He's going to get videos, we'll get magazines, and new children and adult books. I hope that's going on well, and I look forward to seeing those items on the shelves.
PAUL: That's really, really interesting. That being said, delving into the Historical Society's archives, we've discovered some things about West Windsor that are not always the most positive. For example, recently the Historical Society made a post on Facebook. Talking about the fact that West Windsor used to have slaves. Certain members of the township used to have slaves. A lot of the ideas we have about diversity and race in West Windsor are being great things. There are also some faults. I mention this because I also remember that when Shing-Fu Hsueh was mayor, there was a lot of racism directed towards him, as he was the mayor. Do you think that, especially during coronavirus, during what we are talking about right now, especially during coronavirus, I know that nationally there has been some, you know sinophobia, have you or anyone else that you know experienced that in West Windsor? If not, if the community has been really supportive, can you just speak a little bit about your perspective on that?
YAN: So I have been quite active during the pandemic at the peak period of April-May and at that time, I was handing out a lot of personal protection equipment to the township residents and the township entities. To be honest with you, I've read about discrimination against Chinese for this issue, I've never experienced any to the slightest extent from anyone here and neither have I seen other Chinese residents that I know of here has experienced that. I only have residents come to me telling me how much they condone this behavior. Our town in this case is a great town.
PAUL: That's good to hear. Actually, I've been noticing that too, especially online on the forum of WWPeeps, it seems like the community is turning more into a typical community. It seems to be getting more tight-knit over time, especially with you know online forums, that's my personal perspective and maybe you'll feel differently. I think that's one of the major changes that have happened in West Windsor, in that we've become more tight-knit, I do think so. Do you think there's any way West Windsor can make improvements with the East Asian community, whether or not you know, it's attitudes or more amenities or anything you want to speak to.
YAN: So I think this pandemic has shown and I can speak for the Chinese community in West Windsor that we have really made a huge contribution to our township in terms of dispatching personal protection equipment and that shows that we are an integral part of the West Windsor community. But that's only in the aspects of handling disasters, a disaster situation. There are many different aspects of the township moving forward together in the future. And as I mentioned, with the extra communication and outreach efforts and involvement of young Chinese American residents in town. So the whole Chinese community and the whole township, we're only going to adhere in all aspects, with the Chinese community being a really tightly woven, integral strand of all aspects of West Windsor's social and economic growth. We're really all going to work together. It will take some time.
PAUL: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, could you say that again?
YAN: It will take some time.
PAUL: So you mentioned that you've been in West Windsor for 5 years, then what is the most significant change you've seen in the township over the course of those five years, especially given your involvement in the community?
YAN: So I have seen three major changes. One is the infrastructure, then is financial development and the other one is the community involvement. Community given efforts throughout the town. So in terms of infrastructure, I see the Windsor Plaza located at the intersection 571 and Alexander road is really being revitalized. Woo-Ri mart went there, PJs Pancake House, Japanese noodle house, the ice cream shop. It is becoming busier and busier. Across the street, across 571, we have a mixed center going up, more shops are going to Windsor Plaza. Across Alexander road, Nash Park is getting more amenities. We already have the pavilion, and the bamboo garden given by Lion's Club, the little Japanese garden, recycled benches, and we are getting more things there. And in my opinion, this really seems to be a little town center going up there. In terms of residential development, in the five years I am here, the biggest change really happened along the Bear Brook Road. So Bear Brook Road, and you wrote an article about that for the Historical Society, is only 1.5 miles long. However, this really short, narrow road houses 17% of West Windsor's residents. Just last year and this year, the last two patches are giving way to 103 units of housing. This whole street is all housing now. More than 20% of West Windsor residents live on Bear Brook road.
PAUL: Sorry, just to interrupt really quickly, I had no idea it was 17% or now 20%. That's more than I thought it was.
YAN: Yeah, and this bus that I was talking about running along Bear Brook road shuttling 200 people everyday to the train station really is helpful to our environment. And I'm delighted by the community building efforts organized by our residents and our township at this time. For example, we have the "Send Hunger Packing" program WWP organized by Melissa Hager, who also initiated and helped build our first little free pantry in West Windsor that's located by the arts center. We have the Voices of West Windsor organized by the Historical Society of West Windsor and SR Mosaic Incorporated, and thank you for including me for the program. We have the Black Lives Matter project organized by our own student, Denia Smith, and the African-American parent support group. We have our Junior World Wushu Champion Alex Ni, who is a young generation Chinese American in town, and is giving back to the community by performing at West Windsor township events and is giving free lessons during this pandemic, my son is taking his class right now. We have the reusable bag effort organized by Tirza Wahrman, and we have the West Windsor Gives Back program organized by the township.
PAUL: That's all very very interesting. But for the sake of time, my next question is going to be what do you see, because I know that you're involved in Friends of West Windsor Open Space, what do you see as being the importance of open space in West Windsor? I mean, obviously, you know speaking from a historical perspective, There's a lot of importance to - preservation of open farmland, etc, but I'm wondering your thoughts on that.
YAN: I am a board member on the Friends of West Windsor Open Space, and open space, as you know, is important to West Windsor not only because it benefits residential housing developments, it is also significant in preserving our environment. In my opinion, I consider open space as parks, and I would like every resident in West Windsor to have a park within walking or biking distance from their home. So Friends of West Windsor Open Space since its establishment 25 years ago has worked with the township and preserved 1700 acres of land in West Windsor. So FOWWOS further maintained this land, and cleaned along our streets and trails. However, there are still several hundred acres of land that's not preserved in West Windsor. This land is in small patches, and they're scattered throughout the town. So I see FOWWOS, in the future years, and I'd like FOWWOS to be the driving force behind preserving those green jewels I will consider in our residential housing fabric. We really don't want them to go away. They're really important to our residents.
PAUL: You mentioned the future of Friends of West Windsor Open Space, being the driving force of the community, and we're talking by preservation, but going in the direction of the future, where do you see, because over the past 30-40 years West Windsor has changed dramatically from a semi rural community to one that's completely suburban. From a small town of about 8,500 people in 1980, to around 30,000 today. Where do you see West Windsor in another 30 years,in 2050?
YAN: So 30 years is a long time and if we work together we can make a lot of good changes. I first want to reflect back on the changes I have seen in the last 18 years. From the time when I lived in Lawrenceville, and then I drove through West Windsor only, and the changes I see in from then to now. At that time, 18 years ago on Clarksville Road, the former American Cyanamid operation and the Princeton Terrace went up along North Post Road. The animal farm is no longer there. Those are the changes I have seen in the past 18 years. So if we work together, we can make a lot of positive changes for our township, our environment to improve the quality of life for our residents. The changes I would like to see, again, I really like to see the remaining open spaces in West Windsor be preserved. A few hundred acres - we can use them for agricultural purposes, we can use them for a town center, for an indoor recreation facility for our residents. Currently, 70% of West Windsor residents don't have public transportation. I would like to see those residents have public transportation, and West Windsor overall increase our alternative transportation, more pedestrians, more cyclists. I want to see more local businesses buzzing and probably we can start a nightlife. I want to see our school district remain top-notch, but have a more diversified population. I want our township to be a model township in terms of equality inclusiveness and justice and diversification.
PAUL: It's a lot of hope for the future, but I think we can get there. Thank you very much for joining me and the Historic Society and SR Mosaic in our second installment of Voices of West Windsor. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to be interviewed and share your perspectives on West Windsor's past, present, and future. So, thank you.
YAN: Thank you Paul.
PAUL: So, hi everyone! My name is Paul Ligeti. I'm the head archivist of the Historical Society of West Windsor, and I have Yan Mei Wang with me here. And so welcome. Thank you for being with us.
YAN: Thank you for inviting me.
PAUL: I'm going to start with our first question. If you can just give us a little description of yourself and what West Windsor means to you. That would be great.
YAN: So my name is Yan Mei Wang, and I first came to Mercer County 18 years ago as a postdoc at Princeton University, but back then I lived in Lawrenceville, I didn't live in West Windsor. But, I did pass by West Windsor to go to work at Princeton University along Clarksville Road and North Post Road. And in 2015, I returned back to West Windsor as a resident. Previously, what West Windsor means is a transition point in my life. Previously, before I returned to West Windsor in 2015, My life has always been in school in some sense. I was a student, I was a professor, I was a scientist. Working in the STEM field mainly. mainly in Physics. After I came to West Windsor, my work has changed subjects to SSTEAM, with two S's. It stands for Social Science, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. So, After I came to West Windsor, I changed my focus to using what I have learned previously to work on real world problems in West Windsor.
PAUL: What do you think makes West Windsor unique because obviously you're here for a reason.
YAN: West Windsor is not unique in a sense of the size of our population. We are rated in New Jersey's 550 townships and boroughs number 70 in terms of our size and population. However, for a regular town like us, we do house one of the busiest train stations in Northeast America. And also we do house the top 1% School District in West Windsor across the whole United States So for this reason, residents come here for the easy commute by train to work. A lot of them in New York, and the parents and their children are here for the best education. So that makes us have a unique mix of residents in West Windsor, and we are ranked #2 in best educated townships in New Jersey.
PAUL: So I know that you played a variety of roles in West Windsor, where do you see yourself in the township and how would you describe yourself?
YAN: I see myself as one of the many champions of West Windsor. And I see you as a champion for West Windsor, Paul. And there are many others. I see myself as one. I've spent a lot of time on it and I've introduced the infrastructure issues to a current list of environmental, education and social issues that most people are working on.
PAUL: What is a word that comes to mind when you think of West Windsor?
YAN: West Windsor is my home right now. 18 years ago, when I lived in Lawrenceville, when I worked at Princeton University it was my neighboring Township. But right now it is my home, it is the home of my husband and two children and it'll be our home for a long time to come.
PAUL: You mentioned some infrastructure and environmental policies and things that you wanted work on. If you could just talk a little bit about that.
YAN: I think West Windsor can improve a lot by being more proactive in introducing diplomacy policies and the program into our Township. I feel that we are going with the flow - the Township's going with the flow and which is okay for us to be a normal township. It goes smoothly without ups and downs. But if we are a little bit more proactive in terms of introducing these policies and programs, we can really turn West Windsor from a normal township to a model township in many aspects. For example, we can become a model township with excellent roadways without raising our taxes. We can become a model township with a tight-knit but diversified community that practices equality and social justice and inclusiveness. And we can also be a model society for our environmental protection and alternate transportation efforts.
PAUL: And then you mentioned environmental, because I know that recently you worked with several other people on the installation of the TREX - the plastic benches, collecting plastic bags turning them into benches. Especially with, you know, climate change being a very very prominent topic, especially over the last 10, 20 years. Can you speak a little bit to that?
YAN: Since I came to West Windsor in 2015, I have worked on three and made three main contributions for West Windsor's environment. The first one is in 2016, when I lived in the Mews at Princeton Junction, the apartment complex, I was able to change the environmentally unfriendly, 37 passengers, huge, noisy bus to our 23 passenger shuttle bus. This time it was quieter and more environmentally friendly. This reduced West Windsor's air pollution by 0.1%. Then last year, as you have said, I organized West Windsor residents and recycled 2,000 pounds of plastic bags into three benches for our parks. The first bench is located in Nash Park and the second is in Roger's Arboretum. A third bench is coming on it's way. And the third thing I did was that I changed from using one-time, single use, plastic bags when I shop to using reusable bags.
PAUL: How do you think West Windsor can improve? Beyond the environment, beyond infrastructure.Generally. I know you mentioned some social, leading socially, leading culturally and other ways that West Windsor can improve. What do you specifically see West Windsor's main opportunities for improvement?
YAN: For example, if I give you details about - I was talking about the "We can become a modern township in terms of excellent roadways without raising taxes, by introducing proven successful policies." So there is a policy out there, a name called micro surfacing that people use - the technique to treat their roads when they're not that bad yet, at an early stage at a low price. With these practices you can really catch up on fixing all the bad roads in this township with the same logic you're having right now. West Windsor right now is spending 2.5 million dollars every year to fix 5% of our roads, and 120% of our roads need fixing. So if we just introduce this practice, we can really fix all our roads with the current amount of money in a very short amount of time, we will not be having this vicious cycle of our roads getting worse and worse. So this is one example of doing that.
PAUL: So what specifically about micro-surfacing makes it different? I'm curious about that.
YAN: Sure, so usually the way we fix our roads is only when it's really bad with lots of cracks and potholes and it's hopelessly bad. So you seal the top two inches off the road, It's called a seal, a two-inch seal and then you lay two-inch more over the surface. Thirty years ago, forty years ago, This method was cheap and we could just do that on our roads without thinking. However, the price is 100 times more now, we cannot do that. Microsurfacing is when a road is like 10 years before it gets to the really bad stage one is only a little bit worn. Like your clothes, like if your countertop is a little worn, you give it a layer of coating. if you gave it a layer of asphalt coating to it at a really cheap price. So it'll protect it for many years, and it'll never get to the stage of being bad. And then five years later you coat it again. So, basically you maintain your road at a low price, and you never get to the stage of costing a lot of money.
PAUL: Now switching topics a little bit, we asked Denia the same question, and this is a main point about Voices of West Windsor as I explained earlier is interviewing people from groups that are not typically heard in the Historical Society's archives. So in West Windsor the word diverse is thrown around a lot and for West Windsor and for the purpose of this question, diversity doesn't just mean racial diversity, it's the diversity of ideas, diversity of ideologies, of religions, and cultures, et cetera. Do you see West Windsor as a diverse community?
YAN: I have to divide the diversity concept into many different aspects. Socially, yes, we are. Although all we do have a high percentage of Asian population of more than 40% Asian Americans, and our African American population can increase from the current 3.7% to the state average of more than 13%. In terms of social work force, we do need to increase our diversity. Right now, We have a large percentage of the workforce that takes the train and goes to NYC and works in IT. More than 30% of them. We do need to increase our vocational jobs in the townships. We do need to increase our diversification in terms of that.
PAUL: And as a Chinese-American in West Windsor especially - if you feel you can speak to this subject - where do you see the Chinese-American and East Asian American community in West Windsor?
YAN: So in terms of East Asian residents in West Windsor, we have Korean and Japanese, and mainly Korean, Japanese, and Chinese residents. Chinese residents come from mainland China and Taiwan. When people come from mainland China to the US, it causes lots of Chinese residents in West Windsor. And because I'm a Chinese so I can speak a little bit to the subject that the Chinese community, especially the Chinese from mainland China, were considered by some to be a closed community. And in my opinion, I do think that it has some reason in the background that most of us grew up back in China. People in our generation from mainland China were mostly trained in STEM. We were really good at science and technology. And also our government system is different from that of the rest of the United States. After we came here, we also worked in jobs of STEM, STEM created jobs. We were not particularly involved in social and cultural activities in the township. However, the children of the Chinese community, the young generation, are involved in all aspects of the West Windsor community, as you know because you grew up here. I give this credit to the really nice Social Science education in the school district that started early on in the elementary school, which I learn a lot by taking the third grade course with my son right now, the online courses and I enjoy the social classes, and I learn a lot by being in his class! I think that made a huge difference in the young generations of the Chinese Americans here. I believe with time and communication and the involvement of the young Chinese Americans in our township. The Chinese Americans will only become more and more integral into our cohesive community.
PAUL: You mentioned you have a son in school, and I also know that you're a board member at another local school in Plainsboro. Can you speak to your experience of being a board member of a non traditional, in the sense that it's not a community, it's not a village, of a school in West Windsor-Plainsboro?
YAN: I am a board member in the Chinese culture school called the Huaxia Plainsboro Chinese school. Students go there on Sunday only and take language and culture classes. I became a board member because my kids go there and I see myself as a liaison between the Chinese community in the school and also the West Windsor community. On one hand, I always take pride in telling everybody You know how great the school is. We are one of the largest Chinese culture schools in the United States, we have 600 students, we have national champions in science, technology, gymnastics, and Wushu. We are a great asset for the township to have especially with the dual immersion program at Hawk. At the same time, I also communicate what I do. My community experience is at the school. For example, this time, I introduced the online voting experiences to our school, so we're going to use that for the upcoming board election this summer. I communicate the township culture activities to the school, and I try to invite them to participate in my neighborhood China Day event and the Diversity Day event, and also our environmental efforts. I think that communication and exposure is the best way to bring cultures together.
PAUL: I know that you also were the head of the Chinese new book acquisition in the Mercer County Library, can you speak to that a little bit too?
YAN: So, the issue was first brought to my attention when the former distributor of the new Chinese books to the West Windsor library approached me and said the library had not been buying books from them or anybody for a couple of years after the retirement of the former Chinese librarian. So I went to the new West Windsor library branch manager, and he was open to restarting a process, and which he did. Before the pandemic, we got the approval from the county to restart the new book acquisition. He's going to get videos, we'll get magazines, and new children and adult books. I hope that's going on well, and I look forward to seeing those items on the shelves.
PAUL: That's really, really interesting. That being said, delving into the Historical Society's archives, we've discovered some things about West Windsor that are not always the most positive. For example, recently the Historical Society made a post on Facebook. Talking about the fact that West Windsor used to have slaves. Certain members of the township used to have slaves. A lot of the ideas we have about diversity and race in West Windsor are being great things. There are also some faults. I mention this because I also remember that when Shing-Fu Hsueh was mayor, there was a lot of racism directed towards him, as he was the mayor. Do you think that, especially during coronavirus, during what we are talking about right now, especially during coronavirus, I know that nationally there has been some, you know sinophobia, have you or anyone else that you know experienced that in West Windsor? If not, if the community has been really supportive, can you just speak a little bit about your perspective on that?
YAN: So I have been quite active during the pandemic at the peak period of April-May and at that time, I was handing out a lot of personal protection equipment to the township residents and the township entities. To be honest with you, I've read about discrimination against Chinese for this issue, I've never experienced any to the slightest extent from anyone here and neither have I seen other Chinese residents that I know of here has experienced that. I only have residents come to me telling me how much they condone this behavior. Our town in this case is a great town.
PAUL: That's good to hear. Actually, I've been noticing that too, especially online on the forum of WWPeeps, it seems like the community is turning more into a typical community. It seems to be getting more tight-knit over time, especially with you know online forums, that's my personal perspective and maybe you'll feel differently. I think that's one of the major changes that have happened in West Windsor, in that we've become more tight-knit, I do think so. Do you think there's any way West Windsor can make improvements with the East Asian community, whether or not you know, it's attitudes or more amenities or anything you want to speak to.
YAN: So I think this pandemic has shown and I can speak for the Chinese community in West Windsor that we have really made a huge contribution to our township in terms of dispatching personal protection equipment and that shows that we are an integral part of the West Windsor community. But that's only in the aspects of handling disasters, a disaster situation. There are many different aspects of the township moving forward together in the future. And as I mentioned, with the extra communication and outreach efforts and involvement of young Chinese American residents in town. So the whole Chinese community and the whole township, we're only going to adhere in all aspects, with the Chinese community being a really tightly woven, integral strand of all aspects of West Windsor's social and economic growth. We're really all going to work together. It will take some time.
PAUL: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you, could you say that again?
YAN: It will take some time.
PAUL: So you mentioned that you've been in West Windsor for 5 years, then what is the most significant change you've seen in the township over the course of those five years, especially given your involvement in the community?
YAN: So I have seen three major changes. One is the infrastructure, then is financial development and the other one is the community involvement. Community given efforts throughout the town. So in terms of infrastructure, I see the Windsor Plaza located at the intersection 571 and Alexander road is really being revitalized. Woo-Ri mart went there, PJs Pancake House, Japanese noodle house, the ice cream shop. It is becoming busier and busier. Across the street, across 571, we have a mixed center going up, more shops are going to Windsor Plaza. Across Alexander road, Nash Park is getting more amenities. We already have the pavilion, and the bamboo garden given by Lion's Club, the little Japanese garden, recycled benches, and we are getting more things there. And in my opinion, this really seems to be a little town center going up there. In terms of residential development, in the five years I am here, the biggest change really happened along the Bear Brook Road. So Bear Brook Road, and you wrote an article about that for the Historical Society, is only 1.5 miles long. However, this really short, narrow road houses 17% of West Windsor's residents. Just last year and this year, the last two patches are giving way to 103 units of housing. This whole street is all housing now. More than 20% of West Windsor residents live on Bear Brook road.
PAUL: Sorry, just to interrupt really quickly, I had no idea it was 17% or now 20%. That's more than I thought it was.
YAN: Yeah, and this bus that I was talking about running along Bear Brook road shuttling 200 people everyday to the train station really is helpful to our environment. And I'm delighted by the community building efforts organized by our residents and our township at this time. For example, we have the "Send Hunger Packing" program WWP organized by Melissa Hager, who also initiated and helped build our first little free pantry in West Windsor that's located by the arts center. We have the Voices of West Windsor organized by the Historical Society of West Windsor and SR Mosaic Incorporated, and thank you for including me for the program. We have the Black Lives Matter project organized by our own student, Denia Smith, and the African-American parent support group. We have our Junior World Wushu Champion Alex Ni, who is a young generation Chinese American in town, and is giving back to the community by performing at West Windsor township events and is giving free lessons during this pandemic, my son is taking his class right now. We have the reusable bag effort organized by Tirza Wahrman, and we have the West Windsor Gives Back program organized by the township.
PAUL: That's all very very interesting. But for the sake of time, my next question is going to be what do you see, because I know that you're involved in Friends of West Windsor Open Space, what do you see as being the importance of open space in West Windsor? I mean, obviously, you know speaking from a historical perspective, There's a lot of importance to - preservation of open farmland, etc, but I'm wondering your thoughts on that.
YAN: I am a board member on the Friends of West Windsor Open Space, and open space, as you know, is important to West Windsor not only because it benefits residential housing developments, it is also significant in preserving our environment. In my opinion, I consider open space as parks, and I would like every resident in West Windsor to have a park within walking or biking distance from their home. So Friends of West Windsor Open Space since its establishment 25 years ago has worked with the township and preserved 1700 acres of land in West Windsor. So FOWWOS further maintained this land, and cleaned along our streets and trails. However, there are still several hundred acres of land that's not preserved in West Windsor. This land is in small patches, and they're scattered throughout the town. So I see FOWWOS, in the future years, and I'd like FOWWOS to be the driving force behind preserving those green jewels I will consider in our residential housing fabric. We really don't want them to go away. They're really important to our residents.
PAUL: You mentioned the future of Friends of West Windsor Open Space, being the driving force of the community, and we're talking by preservation, but going in the direction of the future, where do you see, because over the past 30-40 years West Windsor has changed dramatically from a semi rural community to one that's completely suburban. From a small town of about 8,500 people in 1980, to around 30,000 today. Where do you see West Windsor in another 30 years,in 2050?
YAN: So 30 years is a long time and if we work together we can make a lot of good changes. I first want to reflect back on the changes I have seen in the last 18 years. From the time when I lived in Lawrenceville, and then I drove through West Windsor only, and the changes I see in from then to now. At that time, 18 years ago on Clarksville Road, the former American Cyanamid operation and the Princeton Terrace went up along North Post Road. The animal farm is no longer there. Those are the changes I have seen in the past 18 years. So if we work together, we can make a lot of positive changes for our township, our environment to improve the quality of life for our residents. The changes I would like to see, again, I really like to see the remaining open spaces in West Windsor be preserved. A few hundred acres - we can use them for agricultural purposes, we can use them for a town center, for an indoor recreation facility for our residents. Currently, 70% of West Windsor residents don't have public transportation. I would like to see those residents have public transportation, and West Windsor overall increase our alternative transportation, more pedestrians, more cyclists. I want to see more local businesses buzzing and probably we can start a nightlife. I want to see our school district remain top-notch, but have a more diversified population. I want our township to be a model township in terms of equality inclusiveness and justice and diversification.
PAUL: It's a lot of hope for the future, but I think we can get there. Thank you very much for joining me and the Historic Society and SR Mosaic in our second installment of Voices of West Windsor. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to be interviewed and share your perspectives on West Windsor's past, present, and future. So, thank you.
YAN: Thank you Paul.
