A new article in the Annual Review of Anthropology, “Race and Racism in Archaeologies of Chinese American Communities,” by co-authors Kelly Fong, Laura Ng, Jocelyn Lee, Veronica Peterson, and Barbara Voss, has just been published. Barbara Voss is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University and a CHCP Advisory Board Member.

Annual Review of Anthropology is one of the top-ranked journals in the discipline. The articles selected by its editorial board often become foundational to the next generation of scholarship.

This article provides a critical review of current research and charts future directions for antiracist Chinese diaspora archaeologies. Notably, this is the first such review article in which the majority of the authors are Chinese American.

The article draws examples from the Market Street Chinatown and other studies that CHCP has been involved in, to highlight best practices for antiracist and intersectional interventions in archaeology.

Read the article here: http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/I35GDXAICU24NE4BYKNY/full/10.1146/annurev-anthro-041320-014548

An Orientation / Training class was held for CHCP's Student Docent Cultural Ambassador Program (SDCAP) at History Park San Jose. Visit our Volunteer page for information about this rewarding program for high school / college students and their parents.

Chinese Historical and Cultural Project co-founder Gerrye Wong and Paul Gee, a pioneering Napa Valley winemaker, model Imperial Mandarin robes from the collection of Nathan Louie at the CHCP’s 35th anniversary celebration on Sept. 17, 2022 in San Jose. (Joanne Chan/Chinese Historical and Cultural Project)

The following is an excerpt from the 09/23/22 San Jose Mercury News:

By Sal Pizarro, Bay Area News Group

The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project got its start when San Jose city officials contacted leaders in the Chinese community after artifacts from a 19th century Chinatown were found during construction of the Fairmont Hotel in 1986. Last Saturday, the group was back in downtown San Jose to celebrate its 35th anniversary with a crowd of 650 people at the Marriott hotel.

Gerrye Wong, co-founder and a trustee of the group, introduced the event’s honorees: Buck Gee, brothers Arthur and Daniel Jue, Patrick Kwok, Michael Chan, Chenming and Margaret Hu, and the Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association.

“This was the first opportunity for the Chinese community to join together during COVID times to support the 35 years of service the CHCP has done to spread Chinese American history to the valley” said Wong, joined by co-chair Debbie Gong-Guy. Assemblyman Evan Low brought a state proclamation and Dr. Paul Gee presented the event chairs with bottles from his private collection of Bouchaine wine from his 100-year-old Napa Valley vineyard.

The event was highlighted by a showcase of Chinese fashions, including ornate Mandarin robes, from the collections of Nathan Louie and Sunny Chen, with 30 models representing various organizations including Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Silicon Valley Lions Club and CATS. And the auction got lively with emcee Dion Lim and former U.S. Rep. Mike Honda vying for dinners hosted by celebrity chef Martin Yan and a visit to the famous “Flintstone House” in Hillsborough going to eager bidder Eleanor Yick.

The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project held its 35^th anniversary in fine style, gathering over 600 supporters and friends to help with a fundraising goal to expand services and activities in their Chinese American Historical Museum and at other events.  The following leading Chinese Americans were honored at the Gala for their philanthropy and service to non-profit organizations and their communities: Buck Gee, brothers Arthur and Daniel Jue, Patrick Kwok, Michael Chan, Chenming and Margaret Hu, and the Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association.

ABC News anchor Dion Lim and NBC Bay Area News reporter Robert Handa did fantastic jobs serving as the Gala's emcees. Dr. Paul Gee presented the Gala Chairs with bottles from his private collection of Bouchaine wine from his 100-year-old Napa Valley vineyard.

Gala Chairs accepted a state commendation from Assemblyman Evan Low and Jade Sponsors of the Gala received Caroline Young prints.

Entertainment was provided in the lobby by the Dream Achievers Combo from Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN), and Hoong the Dragon made an appearance manned by CHCP's Student Docent Cultural Ambassadors.

Over 30 models walked the runway in a lively fashion show of Imperial Chinese Robes and beautiful Chinese women’s dresses.

Juliette Leong, a multi-talented 6-year-old prodigy, amazed the audience as she played the Seitz Concerto on the violin at the Gala.

Watch a short video of highlights from CHCP's 35th Anniversary Gala below:

Congratulations to the CHCP Uncovering Asian Experiences (UAE) Film Team! Their submission, "Uncovering Asian Experiences" film, has been selected as a recipient of the 2022 Dr. Jerry Hiura Inspiration Award which supported the theme of "How to Make This World a Better Place."

Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) would like to acknowledge the team as one of the three selected winners in the Performing & Media Arts Category, with a total of 10 award recipients. The CATS Selection Committee was thrilled to receive the thoughtful film which captured important and unique stories. CATS will be awarding the team with a $300 prize.

AWARD BACKGROUND

The Dr. Jerry Hiura Inspiration Award was established in honor of the late co-founder of CATS, who was a poet, visual artist, jewelry maker, and musician. He was a highly spirited visionary and had an extraordinary gift to bring positive change and impact to the Silicon Valley Arts and Asian American community. It meant so much to him to encourage and support gifted Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) talent!

FILM BACKGROUND

The “Uncovering Asian Experiences” film was developed in spring 2021 as a response to the continued rise in anti-Asian racism and crimes. Members of CHCP's Student Docent Cultural Ambassador Program (SDCAP) felt an urgency to uplift the voices of Asian Americans and share their stories to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate and racism through the sharing of thoughts and experiences of our community members. Topics covered included: reactions to current events, history (e.g. 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act), media, stereotypes, personal experiences with racism, hopes for the future, and fighting against anti-Asian hate. Twenty-two interviews from multi-aged, multi-ethnicities from the local Asian community were conducted in the hopes that by sharing these stories, others will be able to learn from them, gain further understanding of how racism affects Asian Americans, and show solidarity and unity with the Asian American community.

On May 22, 2022, CHCP debuted the UAE film, followed by a Speakers Panel consisting of CHCP Advisory Board Member/Historian Connie Young Yu, former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, West Valley College President Stephanie Kashima, and West Valley College Psychology Professor Christina Shih.

The talent and teamwork of five SDCAP members with advice and guidance from the SDCAP Chair (pictured left to right, top row: Joshua Zhang, Vanessa Lam; bottom row: Jessica Phongsa, SDCAP Chair Brenda Hee Wong, Kasey Walker, Emmalynn Walker) led to the creation of the quality, educational, and empathetic UAE video that was recognized and awarded. Four other SDCAP members (Trinity Chan, Steven Luo, Melody Luo, and Metrica Shi) also had an opportunity to participate in the project.

To celebrate the honor of receiving the award, members of the UAE Film Team took a trip to San Francisco's Legion of Honor to view the "Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy" exhibit on November 20, 2022.

Congratulations to the SDCAP UAE Film Team and to SDCAP Chair/CHCP Director Brenda Hee Wong !

Professor Sue Fawn Chung's talk covered three men in California and Nevada who were miners, railroad workers, and entrepreneurs who came to the US and successfully built a career in the most challenging times against the Chinese. The three men covered in this talk are: Chung Kee, Lim Lip Hong, and Tom Ah Quin.

Former residents of the Chung Mei Boys Home in El Cerrito and their wives reunite for lunch at Tai Wu Restaurant in Millbrae.

The following is an excerpt from the 09/02/22 NBC Bay Area News:

By Joe Rosato, Jr.

The 80 and 90-something-year-old Chinese men shuffling into Millbrae's Tai Wu restaurant on a recent day had much more to share than just lunch. They were there to share a unique camaraderie as children who'd once lived in the Chung Mei Boys Home, an El Cerrito facility that took in Chinese boys between 1935 and 1954. 

Several times a year, the men and their wives gather together over hot tea and steaming pork buns to compare notes about their time in the home and life under its founder, Dr. Charles Shepherd, the British Baptist minister who founded Chung Mei Home and ran it with the precision of a military academy. Shepherd had witnessed dozens of abandoned and hungry children on the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown and felt compelled to do something. 

"Definitely there’s no other institution like this and never will be," said Richard Mar, who lived in the home from 1948 to 1953.

Shepherd established the original Chung Mei Home in Berkeley and then relocated it to El Cerrito in 1935 after outgrowing the previous home. The original El Cerrito building, which now houses a school, stands at 1800 Elm St. and has since been added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Buildings. 

For more information:  

• Read the full 09/02/22 NBC Bay Area article.
• View the 08/26/21 CHCP Speaker Series Webinar: "Chung Mei: Growing Up in an All Chinese Boy's Orphanage".
• View the 10/18/21 CHCP Speaker Series Webinar: "Bonds of Sisterhood: Life and Success after Ming Quong".
• View the 07/24/22 CHCP Speaker Series: Reminiscing on Resilience and Kinship.

CHCP members (Dave and Eleanor Yick, Connie Young Yu, Gerrye Wong, SDCAP member Jessica Phongsa, Brenda Wong, SDCAP member Kasey Walker, SDCAP member Emmalynn Walker, Leianne Lamb, and Peter Young)  plus CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene) members celebrated with playwright Steve "Spike" Wong at the grand opening of his play, "White Sky, Falling Dragon," at the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts.

Banners from the "Chinatown to Battleground" exhibit (CHCP is a sponsor) by the Chinese American G.I. Project were on display at the theater, showcasing a few of the many Chinese American servicemen and women who have fought and served in the U.S. armed forces.

The following is an excerpt from the 08/16/22 Fortune magazine:

By Nicholas Gordon

A team of researchers has discovered what the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calls the “best semiconductor material ever found,” even better than silicon, the material used in just about every computer chip on earth.

In July, scientists from MIT, the University of Houston, and other institutions announced they had proved that cubic boron arsenide performs better than silicon at conducting heat and electricity, opening up new possibilities for smaller and faster chips. The team includes China-born professor Gang Chen, the former head of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, who was the subject of a yearlong investigation by the Department of Justice before the agency dropped espionage charges because of lack of evidence.

It could be decades before semiconductors based on cubic boron arsenide are used in commercially available chips—if they prove viable at all. But ultimately, the new material may help designers overcome the natural limits of current models to make better, faster, and smaller chips, and its discovery is the kind of research the U.S. risked missing out on with a now-disbanded crackdown on experts like Chen.

For more information:  Read the full 08/16/22 Fortune article.

CHCP's special celebration for Spirit of '45: Living History Day at History Park included:

Click flyer to enlarge.