AAAA’s Women’s Growth Salon Series Kicks Off — A Warm, Successful First Session on Marriage, Growth & Happiness

• Women’s Growth Salon Series · Vol. 1 · Aug 1 · Flushing, NY
• Moderator: attorney Mingli Chen · Guests: Louisa Wu, Esq., Fang Ma (Taishan Management Institute), Dr. Yuhui Yang
• Fang Ma: marriage is, in essence, a partnership — built on division of labor, cooperation & decision-making
• Louisa Wu on nurturing intimacy · Dr. Yuhui Yang on body-mind-spirit health & self-image
• With thanks to North Shore Medical Aesthetics for a beautiful venue & warm hospitality

On August 1, 2026, the Family Law Committee of the Asian American Attorneys Association (AAAA) successfully held the first session of its Women’s Growth Salon Series in Flushing, Queens, New York. Themed “A Happy Marriage Begins with Yourself,” the session explored marriage, women’s growth, emotional nurturing, and family life, drawing many attorneys, professionals, and community members to a warm and elegant gathering.

The salon was moderated by attorney Mingli Chen, whose warm, witty, and thoughtful hosting guided a conversation both professionally deep and full of everyday warmth — with three guests: family-law attorney Louisa Wu, management expert Fang Ma, and Dr. Yuhui Yang of North Shore Medical Aesthetics.

【Louisa Wu, Esq. — Lessons from years of divorce cases】 Drawing on her long experience handling many divorce cases, attorney Louisa Wu observed that when women have affairs, it more often stems from a lack of emotional connection within the marriage, whereas for men it is more often tied to physical needs. From the front lines of practice, she offered practical advice on how couples can understand one another and nurture intimacy, and stressed that the “covenant” between spouses matters too — one that rests less on written words than on emotion, responsibility, and commitment.

【Dr. Yuhui Yang — Nurture yourself from the inside out】 Dr. Yang of North Shore Medical Aesthetics spoke from a health perspective, urging women to care for their physical health — indeed their whole body, mind, and spirit — and to tend to their image and appearance. Couples, he noted with a smile, should share not only aligned values but also not “lose out” on looks; caring for oneself, inside and out, is a real source of confidence in a happy relationship.

【Fang Ma — Marriage, in essence, is a collaboration】 Fang Ma — founder and honorary president of the Taishan Management Institute and chairman of the Fifth Avenue Entrepreneurs Foundation — delivered a systematic and engaging talk, “How to Nurture a Marriage.” Affection, he said, often “begins with looks and ends with values” — those who prize appearances struggle to align on values, while those who share values truly understand each other’s inner world. Marriage, he argued, is in essence a “partnership enterprise”: choosing a spouse is choosing a life partner, and partnership calls for complementary resources and equal value; marriage is not a “shelter,” and should carry neither a “charity” mindset nor extraction in the name of “love.”

On making a marriage last, Fang Ma offered a three-part framework: first, division of labor — clear roles, playing to each person’s strengths, clear boundaries, and fewer unnecessary frictions; second, cooperation — mutual appreciation, mutual fulfillment, and win-win, seeing a partner’s strengths while forgiving their flaws, so that “1 + 1 > 2”; and third, decision-making — on major matters such as children’s education or big investments, “whoever is more expert decides, whoever bears the risk decides,” and learning to “decide with the future in mind,” weighing health, happiness, and success on a longer horizon. One remark drew knowing smiles across the room: in a marriage, “neither partner is a saint” — so instead of fixating on the other’s flaws, stay mindful of your own imperfections. His key principle: keep lowering excessive expectations of one’s partner and of marriage — let go of that fixation and give each other room, and you will find a happier way of being together, building a more stable relationship through understanding, acceptance, and growth.

【The moderator’s craft】 Attorney Mingli Chen’s questions were equally inventive. Likening a marriage to a company, he asked how — given that “unclear boundaries are a major cause of most marital problems” — a woman should define her boundaries and role: more like a board chair, a general manager, or a senior executive? In the exchange with Dr. Yang, building on the idea that “attraction often begins with physical appeal,” he shared an amusing case: a man who, from the second grade on, long dreamed of and admired Lady White Snake (Bai Suzhen) from the classic legend — childhood fantasy, idealized emotion, or a special psychological projection? — sparking lively, lighthearted discussion.

In closing, attorney Chen noted that throughout Chinese tradition and literature, women have always embodied love and devotion, talent and wisdom, maternal love and dedication, courage and responsibility — and are vital bearers of beauty and character. A happy, healthy marriage should offer women more understanding, respect, care, and protection — because women deserve to be loved, and deserve a happy life.

【With heartfelt thanks】 The success of this first session owed much to the generous support of North Shore Medical Aesthetics, which provided an elegant, beautifully arranged venue and specially prepared exquisite refreshments and fresh fruit, so that the whole event unfolded in a warm and refined atmosphere.

The Women’s Growth Salon Series will continue, with ten sessions over the coming year — Vol. 2 (Sep 5) “The Heart of Intimacy” and Vol. 3 (Oct 3) “Love & Money: How to Keep Family Wealth from Hurting Relationships.” AAAA warmly invites professionals from all fields to join as guest speakers, and welcomes partners and sponsors to empower the community’s women together.