The Chinese American Heritage Foundation (CAHF) presented a virtual tour of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York City as part of their 2022 AAPI Talks Series. The tour was given by Nancy Yao Maasbach, President of MOCA.

CHCP had participated in MOCA's past exhibit, “Gathering: Collecting and Documenting Chinese American History,” by sending information and an artifact (altar vessel) representing CHCP's Chinese American Historical Museum (CAHM).

CHCP visited Iris Chang Park to clean and beautify the park, to honor the Chinese American journalist, author, and political activist Iris Chang, and to celebrate Earth Day.

The following is an excerpt from the April 2022 American Legion Cathay Post 384 Newsletter:

By Commander Helen Wong

Roger Dong, Chairman and Founder of the Chinese American Heroes Organization has recognized Ron Chan for his significant contributions in support of Chinese American Veterans and community service. “Ron has tirelessly been the advocate of our Veterans specifically, and generally a role model amplifying Chinese American history and their contributions to America. For that, he has been inducted as a Chinese American Hero”.

Ron, when asked about this honor, notes, “To be considered a “Chinese American Hero” is very humbling. Frank Wong, a Korean War Veteran, I think said it best, “What we do for ourselves is surely going to die with you. What you do for others is immortal.”

Ron founded two organizations. He is Founder and Executive Director of the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group, and Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer and Associate Producer of the Chinese American GI Project.

With the Chinese American GI Project, he was instrumental in launching Veteran focused webinars, the book “Fighting On All Fronts”, the upcoming museum exhibition for the San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Gallery, and other numerous multimedia programs - including the American Legion Cathay Post 384’s 90th Anniversary Celebration video.

Additionally, he is a lecturer, flight leader, and volunteer for Honor Flight focusing on recruiting Chinese American Vets so we may be equally recognized on flights to Washington DC to visit the memorials in their honor.

Ron is an Advisory Consultant to the Locke Foundation Oral History Project, and an Advisory Board member of the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.

For more information: Read the full April 2022 Newsletter article.

The Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group (BACGG) presented a discussion of the Chinese Lion Dance by David Lei, including its history, styles, and changes presented in America.

Visit CHCP's Virtual Library for more information on the Chinese Lion.

Researchers identified that these vertebrae belonged to giant snakeheads, freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia (Credit: Ryan Kennedy).

The following is an excerpt from the 02/24/22 Smithsonian Magazine:

By Bridget Alex, Contributing Writer

About 135 years ago, in a Chinatown in San Jose, California, the leftover bones from a luxurious fish landed in a communal trash pit. Perhaps a farmworker treated himself to the delicacy sold in a shop with specialty imports. Or a merchant may have savored the dried fish, after catching an opera in the local theater. What we know for sure: The bones remained in that trash pit, some months or years later, when an 1887 arson fire destroyed the immigrant enclave known as Market Street Chinatown.

More than a century after the fire, archaeologist Ryan Kennedy spotted the bones as he examined nearly 6,000 fish remains salvaged from the razed Chinatown. Distinct from the collection’s plentiful perch and other North American seafood, the specimens that caught Kennedy’s eye—pinky-sized discs with protruding spines—resembled the vertebrae of Asian fish.

DNA analysis narrowed the suspects to one species: The bitty backbones belonged to giant snakeheads, carnivorous fish that prowl the freshwaters of Southeast Asia. Fishers and traders likely dried, then ferried this catch from its native waters to Hong Kong, across the Pacific to the major port of San Francisco, and finally another 50 miles southeast to San Jose’s Market Street Chinatown. Kennedy and colleagues’ genetic detective work, published last month in American Antiquity, delivers the first material proof that prized food traveled all the way from Southeast Asia to the U.S. in the late 1800s. The fish’s multi-nation journey reveals the strength and complexity of trade ties, which connected the Chinese diaspora.

For more information:  Read the full Smithsonian Magazine article, which also mentions contributions by CHCP, History San Jose, and CHCP Advisory Board Members Connie Young Yu and Dr. Barbara Voss.

2022 is an auspicious year for the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) as it celebrates its 35th Anniversary and the 30th Anniversary of the Chinese American Historical Museum (CAHM). In celebration of these milestones, CHCP participated as one of the 100+ entries in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade on February 19, 2022.

CHCP is proud to announce that our entry in the Chinese New Year Parade has been awarded First Place in the Community Organizations division.

Click on the award notice to enlarge.

In the video below, you can watch CHCP's parade entry which included: CHCP's Hoong the Dragon, costumed marchers in traditional Chinese Imperial attire, marchers wearing "Year of the Tiger" mascot costumes, plus skillful Lion Dancers. The first 2 minutes of the video are two different clips of CHCP's parade entry; while the last 3 minutes of the video consists of a clip from KTVU's special coverage of the 2022 Chinese New Year Parade featuring: CHCP's parade entry plus interviews of two CHCP board members: Brenda Wong (CHCP Director) at the Chinese American Historical Museum and Nathan Louie (CHCP Advisory Board Member) at his home.

CHCP shared Chinese winter solstice traditions and children's holiday crafts at the Chinese American Historical Museum (CAHM), during this night's Heritage Holiday Light Show at History Park.

On December 11, 2021, Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul hosted a panel discussion regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act. The 1882 law made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already in the U.S. to become citizens.

The panel included Stanford University professor Gordon Chang, author/CHCP member Connie Young Yu, and Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation Edward Tepporn.