On November 22nd, we are co-hosting a hands-on community event honoring Asian American heritage at Stanford. Join us between 3:30-6:00 pm for a corsage-making workshop and poster exhibit on the history of Asian American flower growing, the cultural history of chrysanthemums, and their connection to the Big Game between Stanford and Cal. The event is free to all attendees, with light refreshments and live music. No RSVP is required.
Flower growing boomed in California in the early 20th century. By 1926, chrysanthemum sales nearly equaled the value of California’s entire wheat crop. Like so many industries, flower farming was fueled by immigrants who came to the US with strong agrarian backgrounds and a penchant for work. Flowers were grown on small Chinese American and Japanese American farms from Belmont to San Jose. The success of the flower-growing industry came despite a period of intense anti-Asian racist sentiment and policy. Strong community connections were key to their success. Family-run farms, including growers around Stanford, sold cut flowers locally and wholesale at markets in San Francisco. More efficient post-War transportation enabled flowers from the sunny and fertile ‘Valley of the Heart's Delight’ to be sold across the entire United States.
In 2022, CHCP honored the Bay Area Chinese Chrysanthemum Growers with the “Making a Difference Award.” In 2024, CHCP embarked on a new project documenting oral histories of Santa Clara Valley’s flower growers, most originating from the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province.
See below for directions to the O’Donahue Family Educational Farm (click on map to enlarge). For questions, contact info@chcp.org.
Chinese Historical & Cultural Project