A local Chinese businesswoman and community leader was honored by the New York City Comptroller on Wednesday for her contributions to the Chinese community.

Liu Tee Shu, owner of the Shu Enterprise Group, was a distinguished honoree at an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month event hosted by comptroller Scott Stringer. She was one of five honorees of the night that included Dilafroz Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Society, Tiloma Jayasinghe, executive director of Sakhi for South Asian Women, Grace Lyu-Volckhausen, commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and Cao K. O, former executive director of the Asian American Federation. Almost 300 people from a multitude of New York's ethnic communities attended the event.

"I'm very happy about receiving recognition from the comptroller," Shu told China Daily. "I've been working in the community for many, many years, so for the city to recognize that is great. I'll be working even harder in the future to help the community."

Shu came to the US in 1975 and worked as a seamstress in Chinatown to support her family, eventually going on to operate eight restaurants in New York.

She is the president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association, founded in 1982, which helps foster commercial and economic development for business owners in Flushing, Queens. It is a non-profit organization that serves as a bridge between the local community and government agencies, according to its website.

Shu is also the president of the Chinese American Commerce Association, which she founded.

During the event, the honorees praised Stringer for his involvement in the ethnic community, which included the appointment of a new diversity officer in March. The officer will work with the comptroller on diversity initiatives and implementing a program that will provide the public with information on whether minority and women-owned business contracts are being met, according to the comptroller's office.

"The more we highlight the diverse communities that are in New York, we send a signal to the world that we're open for business, that we have the skills and the cultural finesse to do business," Stringer told China Daily. "Every time we honor community members, business leaders, it all contributes to this amazing New York City story. That is why I love doing these events, because we highlight and showcase the possibilities that our diverse city brings."

Many local organizations were co-sponsors of the event, including the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans for Equality, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Better Chinatown Society, the Brooklyn Chinese Association, and the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Teddy Eng, a 15-year-old student who attended the event, said such occasions that celebrate Asian American heritage are important, "because it helps you learn about yourself".

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com