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.

This webinar by the Chinese American Museum Washington DC (CAMDC) provides an up-close tour of the private collection of Chinese opera costumes displayed at the museum’s special exhibit Golden Threads: Chinese Opera in America.

The San Jose Roots event hosted by History San Jose at San Pedro Square Market featured ethnic performances by local cultural projects, tours of the Gonzalez-Peralta Adobe & Fallon house historic site, and different activities from that time period. CHCP participated at the event with a performance by Hoong the Dragon plus an outreach table with children's activities and plenty of CHCP literature.

Ming Quong was established in the mid-1920's in the San Francisco Bay Area as a home for neglected or abandoned Asian girls. Hear firsthand experiences from Ming Quong alumni: Nona Mock Wyman; Elena Lim Wong Viscovich, EdD; Dale Wong; and Janet Chang, RN, BS, MS.

Click here to view the answers to the questions posed during the Q&A session of the webinar.

Be sure to view the other two webinars in this Speaker Series:

• 08/26/21 CHCP Speaker Series Webinar: "Chung Mei: Growing Up in an All Chinese Boy's Orphanage"
• 07/24/22 CHCP Speaker Series: Reminiscing on Resilience and Kinship

Also view: 

• 09/02/22 NBC Bay Area News: Residents of Chinese Boys Home Reunite Over Memories

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 program for high school / college students and their parents.

The following is an excerpt from the 10/14/21 Rafu Shimpo (Los Angeles Japanese Daily News):

The U.S. Mint has announced that actress Anna May Wong will be recognized as part of its American Women Quarters series, authorized by Public Law 116-330.

The Anna May Wong Quarter, to be issued in 2022, is the fifth coin in the American Women Quarters Program. Wong (1905-1961) was the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood. She left a legacy for women in the film industry.

Wong appeared in more than 60 movies throughout her career. In addition to her roles in silent films, television, and stage, she landed a role in one of the first movies made in Technicolor. She achieved international success despite racism and discrimination.

For more information:  Read the full 10/14/21 Rafu Shimpo article.