Friends and family are mourning the sudden, unexpected loss of Shunying Chen, former owner and operator of Shanghai Restaurant and wife of internationally acclaimed artist Longhua Xu.
Chen's nickname was "Sunshine" and "in a way, she was personified by sunlight," her daughter, Dr. Annie Xu, said. "She helped people grow. ... She always took care of people in her own way."
Having grown up during a difficult time in Chinese history, Chen was one of the first cohorts of people to attend and graduate from a university after the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Before moving to the United States, Annie Xu said her mother was "the breadwinner" of the family, working as the head of human resources at Shanghai University where she managed the livelihoods of over 35,000 individuals.
"HR in China is much more involved in the employee's lives," her son, Dr. Yang Xu, said. "They help with things like housing, promotions, and things that are not necessarily associated with work or HR here in the states. She was always careful and tried to be as helpful as she could be. She wanted to use the system for good and to maximize the employee's benefits."
More than 30 years ago, Chen left Shanghai, China, with her husband to pursue a better life for their family and seek out a chance to fulfill dreams of artistic freedom in the United States, a story akin to many other immigrant families. Their family went from holding a prominent position in society to living in poverty in a foreign country.
After arriving in the United States, she opened her first business in Hot Springs, the Shanghai Restaurant. Despite not previously taking on the role of a housewife in China and having minimal experience in the kitchen, Chen and her husband opened a successful Chinese restaurant to support their two children and Xu's artistic career.
"One of the things she loved about Hot Springs was that people know each other well. There is a real sense of community that comes with living in a small town. She really loved the fact that she felt very accepted here in Hot Springs, treating it like her hometown," Yang Xu said.
Chen used her experience as the head of human resources and her family restaurant to give back to the community whenever the chance arose.
"When we did have the restaurant, she would take care of anybody that came across her path. There was always food for anybody that needed it, regardless if they could pay or not. She always took care of the homeless population, any missionaries that came into town were always welcome, and of course, any hungry immigrants or people starting new lives in Hot Springs," Annie Xu said.
"Mom really believed strongly in raising money for the city of Hot Springs and the arts community in Hot Springs. She was always happy to donate food to Arts in the Park when we had the restaurant," she said.
After the restaurant closed, Chen and her husband opened Xu International Art, an art gallery in Hot Springs. According to her daughter, Chen made sure to use the public platform to uplift the voices and talents of underrepresented, minority artists.
"She was always reaching out to artists in the local community at large to give voices to the underrepresented. She put on one-man shows for all sorts of artists across ethnicities, ages, and genders. ... Even before the rise of recent social movements we see in our community and in the world at large right now, she was particularly cognizant of those issues and tried to ensure, at least in her life, everybody had an equal opportunity," Annie Xu said.
According to Chen's children, it was quite common for their mother to personally purchase artwork from local artists who may have been struggling to sell their work at shows.
"She knew how heartbreaking that could be to put yourself out there and not be received well," Annie Xu said. "She didn't want anyone to go through that. ... She went the extra mile, and she was very thoughtful of peoples' feelings.
"Anytime she helped somebody, she wanted them to feel like they were helping themselves. They never felt like they were just getting a handout. She instilled self-confidence and self-worth in them so that her gift would not only help them physically but also emotionally and spiritually."
"She didn't like getting credit for things. She just wanted to help people because it was the right thing to do." Yang Xu said.
In addition to her private work through her own businesses, Chen served on the city's Arts Advisory Council, was a founding member of Friends of the Park, and an active member of the community for more than 30 years in Hot Springs.
After retirement, Chen began exploring her artistic side once again. She often worked in a traditional Chinese painting style on rice paper. In her spare time, Chen began gardening and would regularly look after her two young grandchildren.
Chen died on Nov. 22 in a vehicle accident.
While the family chose not to hold a public wake due to the pandemic, Yang Xu said they have received "such an outpouring of care and sympathy" from her friends in the community.