On the CHSA Radar...

Flo Oy Wong's "Whispers of the Past"

2007-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Flo Oy Wong: Whispers of the Past
Exhibit & Installation
40 Acres Art Gallery, Sacramento
January 30 – March 24, 2007

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 10, 2007, 5:00 pm

Telling Our Stories: The Chinese in Sacramento and the Delta Region Panel
Sunday, February 11, 2007 2:00 pm

The 40 Acres Art Gallery is excited to present the exhibition, Whispers of the Past, which is an artistic exploration of Chinese history and culture in northern California through the eyes of artist Flo Oy Wong. Whispers of the Past is a part of the Sacramento Philharmonic’s multi-disciplinary project, Gold Mountain, which seeks to celebrate Chinese contributions to California history through contemporary art and music.

Whispers of the Past is supported in part by: Bank of America, the Louis Hess Foundation of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, the Fat Family Restaurants, the Chinese American Council of Sacramento, St. HOPE, and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. Project partners include the Sacramento Philharmonic, Sacramento State's Asian Studies Program and the Office of Community Collaboration, the Locke Management Association and the Locke Foundation.

40 Acres Art Gallery is located 35th Street and Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95817. Phone: 916-456-5080; web: www.40acresartgallery.org

Volunteers Needed by Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

2006-11-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation has been working with Professors Judy Yung and Erika Lee on a narrative history of Pacific immigration to Angel Island. Professor Yung needs help inputting data on 20,000 immigrants who passed through Angel Island into Excel spread sheets. It's not difficult work and volunteers can do it on their home computer with the Excel program. For example, Prof. Yung has spent two hours to input 100 names. Let AIISF know if you can help and Professor Yung will get you the spread sheet and data to enter. All of this work will be combined into NARA's data base and made available online to all researchers, meaning people will be able to look up Angel Island case files by name on any computer.

We would like to finish entering the names by the end of this year, so contact AIISF if you would like to help out at 415-561-2160 or info@aiisf.org.

NARA 101: Family History Day at the National Archives

2006-10-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

NARA 101: FAMILY HISTORY DAY AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Saturday, December 2, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM
1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, CA 94066-2350

AIISF's Descendants Club in association with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Pacific Region presents a special Saturday workshop to introduce you to the resources held by NARA's Pacific Region and how to access the files so you can uncover your family's journey to America.

You'll learn the basics; the kind of information that can be found from a ship's passenger lists, Naturalization records, and other little used sources along with research tips. NARA archivists are willing to do preliminary research if participants have leads such as the name of the immigrant, name of ship and/or year of travel so files may be pulled for you to peruse on December 2. Upon RSVPing, please let AIISF know the family member's name and information so that we can start the process of finding your relatives files. All record requests must be received by November 27 at the latest.

NARA is typically closed on Saturdays and this workshop is an exclusive opportunity to explore the archives on a weekend. Families are welcome, best suited for children 10 and above. Space is limited to 20 people. Please RSVP by calling (415) 561-2160 by November 27 to reserve a space at this special workshop.

From: Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Locke Community Park Dedication Ceremony

2006-10-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Locke Community Park Dedication Ceremony
Sunday, October 8, 2006 1:00 PM
Main Street, Locke, California

Join the Locke community, the Locke Foundation and its supporters in opening the Locke Community Park. Constructed on a vacant lot on Main Street, the Locke Community Park will serve as a memorial to the Chinese pioneers of the area, and Locke's current and former Chinese residents of the town.

The event will feature a Chinese lion dance, martial arts performances, and musicians. From 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the Locke Business Association will be holding their monthly sidewalk sale. There will be art, collectibles, toys, and more for sale. Both the dedication ceremony and the sidewalk sale are free to the public.

For more information, please contact: Dean Okimoto, Locke Foundation Executive Director, at 916-601-1895.

Chinese American Voices Slide Presentation

2006-09-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present
Featuring a slide show presentation by Judy Yung, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz and co-editor

Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando Street, 2nd floor, Room 225, San Jose
For information: (408) 808-2397

The program presents an overview history of the Chinese in America providing insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding struggle of Chinese Americans for equality and inclusion. A book signing will follow the program. Light refreshments will be served.

27th Annual Moon Festival in Hanford, CA

2006-09-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

27th Annual Moon Festival
Saturday, October 7, 2006 12-5 pm
Presented by the Taoist Temple Preservation Society
China Alley in Hanford, California

The Cal Poly Lion Dance Team from San Luis Obispo will perform with Fresno Gumyo Taiko at the 27th Annual Moon Festival in Hanford, CA. Tours of the Taoist Temple and Museum will be ongoing throughout the afternoon. Tea and mooncakes will be served in the garden.

The Taoist Temple is located in China Alley, 1/2 block north of E. 7th Street, between Green and White Streets.

For more information, please call (559) 582-4508.

2006-07-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present
A Slide Talk in English and Cantonese
Presented by Judy Yung and Him Mark Lai

Saturday, July 22, 2006 2:30 PM
Chinatown Branch Library
1135 Powell Street (near Jackson), San Francisco
(415) 355-2888

Book signing and light refreshments will follow the program.

Fifteen years in the making, Chinese American Voices is a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans from their arrival during the California gold rush to the present. Many of the letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and the American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Chinese American Voices is published by the University of California Press ( www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10306.html).

Crossing East Preview Event

2006-04-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Crossing East Preview Event
KQED Studios, San Francisco
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 6-8 PM

Join KQED Education Network to celebrate the first Asian American history documentary series on public radio! Our multimedia preview event takes place at the KQED Studios in San Francisco at 2601 Mariposa Street, and kicks off with a reception followed by a presentation with local series producers and historians, and a panel discussion with scholars Judy Yung, Bill Hing, Catherine Choy and Nguyen Qui Duc, host of KQED's Pacific Time. For more information or to reserve your place, call 415-561-2160 or email info@aiisf.org. This event is co-sponsored by the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. Additional support for this program is provided by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and the Walter and Elise Haas Fund.

ORIENTALISM - New Work by Thomas Chang

2006-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

ORIENTALISM
New Work by Thomas Chang
April 13 - May 13, 2006

Lisa Dent Gallery
660 Mission Street, 4th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

San Francisco Artist Thomas Chang presents photography made at the Angel Island Immigration Station in an exhibition at Lisa Dent Gallery. Chang has volunteered as a docent and led interpretive tours for the public at Angel Island Immigration Station. In his photographs, he employs a style that mimics "historic" photography, as way to look at how history, immigration, and ethnicity have been constructed and were once portrayed at the Immigration Station site before the site went through the current restoration efforts.

For more information: 415-975-0860, www.lisadent.com.
Gallery Hours: Weds-Sat, 12-6

Chinese American Voices Book Panel Discussion

2006-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present
Book Panel featuring Judy Yung, Him Mark Lai, Ling-chi Wang and others

April 29, 2006 Saturday 2:00 pm
Heller Lounge in UC Berkeley MLK Student Union Bldg.
Lobby floor, Telegraph and Bancroft, Berkeley
Free event

Book panel discussion with editors Judy Yung, Him Mark Lai, and anthology contributors Ling-chi Wang, Kristie Wang, and Eddie Fung. Sponsored by UCB Asian American Studies, Asian Pacific American Student Development, and Eastwind Books of Berkeley

For more information, contact Eastwind Books of Berkeley: (510) 548-2350, www.ewbb.com

Chinese Opera Lecture Series with Dr. William Hu

2006-03-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

Friday March 24, 2006, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Chinese Martial Arts and its Relationship to Cantonese Opera
Free
Chinese Performing Arts Foundation (724 Commercial Street, San Francisco)

Saturday April 8, 10:30 to 2 pm
Symbolism in Chinese Lion Dance and its Relationship to Cantonese Opera
$5 registration (includes up close up performance of lion dance, a simple lunch and a tour of Chinatown's back alleys)
Chinese Culture Center (750 Kearny Street, San Francisco)

Saturday April 15, 10 to 12 noon
Chinese Opera and the 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco
Free
Chinese Historical Society of America (965 Clay Street, San Francisco)

Saturday April 29, 10 to 12 noon
Chinese Opera - From Shamanistic Rituals To A Developed Theater
Free (includes a walk thru of the exhibition "Dook Dook Chaang: The Clamor and Glamor of Chinese Opera")
Chinese Culture Center (750 Kearny Street, San Francisco)

For details, contact David Lei at david@leifamily.com.

These lectures are a collaboration of the Chinese Performing Arts Foundation, the Chinese Culture Center, the Chinese Historical Society of America, and Chung Ngai Dance Troupe.

"Gum San Shakes" Lecture with Connie Young Yu

2006-03-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

“GUM SAN SHAKES” Lecture
with Guest Speaker Connie Young Yu, Author of Chinatown, San Jose, USA

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and the impact on the Chinese American communities from San Francisco to Monterey

Saturday, April 8, 2006
1:00 to 3:00 PM
History Park in Kelley Park
Firehouse, 2nd floor
1650 Senter Road, San José, CA 95112
For more information contact speakerserieschcp@yahoo.com or 408-268-2180

Family History Writing Workshop in British Columbia

2006-03-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHS) Holds First Family History Writing Workshop

The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHS) is pleased to offer an exciting new six-week writing workshop for those interested in working creatively with their family histories. Family histories are important not only for documentation and historical purposes, but also for the stories they tell. Many people are intrigued by their family histories, but have little knowledge about how to research and write about them. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to use writing exercises to develop narratives, receive peer feedback on their writing, and learn how to access and research their family histories. The workshop will culminate in a public reading at which participants will share their work, as well as the publication of a collection of the participants’ stories, poems, and visual art and photography.

When: Saturdays, 10:00am to 1:00pm, between May 6-June 10, 2006
Where: SFU Harbour Centre
Cost: $40 CCHS members; $60 non-members (cost of CCHS membership is $20)
How to Register: Email hwai@shaw.ca with your name, address, telephone number & email
Deadline for Registration: April 21, 2006

For more information about this program, please contact CCHS President, Hayne Wai, at hwai@shaw.ca. Visit http://www.cchsbc.ca for information about CCHS.

Oakland Chinatown History Slideshow

2006-01-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

Oakland Chinatown History Slideshow

Thursday, January 26, 2006 7 pm
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Suite 290 (Second Floor)
Pacific Renaissance Plaza
388 9th Street
Oakland, CA

Author and social historian William Wong will present a slideshow of images from his Images of America: Oakland's Chinatown photo history book and from his ongoing oral history project on Oakland Chinese Americans of the pre-World War II era.

Phoenix, Arizona's Chinatown

2006-01-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

A January 21, 2006 article by Angela Cara Pancrazio in the Arizona Republic details the movement to preserve the remnants of Phoenix, Arizona's Chinatown and shares some of the history of this Chinese American community: Row Over Chinatown Landmark Stirs Memories

True Freedom: A Reading by Genny Lim

2005-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Francis Wong/Asian Improv aRts Present
True Freedom: A Reading by Genny LimCity Lights Bookstore (261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA )
Thursday, December 8, 7:00pm

“True Freedom” examines the immigrant experience through Genny Lim's family’s struggle to create a new life in America. Joining her for this reading will be musicians Francis Wong and Jimmy Biala. This project was made possible through support by the Creative Work Fund and Grants for the Arts/SF Hotel Tax Fund.

Admission is free.

For more information, visit www.asianimprov.org or www.citylights.com

Contact Asian Improv aRts at 415.908.3636 or by email: info@asianimprov.org

Chinese Canadian Genealogy

2005-11-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Public Library in the partnership of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia has developed a Chinese Canadian genealogy website, launched November 16, 2005.

The obvious public need to learn more about Chinese genealogy gave the Vancouver Public Library the impetus to create a special website and to invite CCHSBC to participate in its creation. The first meeting between the VPL and CCHSBC was held in May, with subsequent meetings held both in person and by e-mail until the launch. The contents of the website are from workshop material regularly conducted by the genealogy librarian, Janet Tomkins.

Visit Chinese Canadian Genealogy online at: http://www.vpl.ca/ccg/

Thanks to Larry Wong of CCHSBC for the project announcement.

K. Scott Wong Presentation in Boston

2005-10-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Chinese Historical Society of New England presents
Dr. K. Scott Wong's
Americans First: Chinese Americans and the Second World War

Sunday, November 13, 2005 12-2 PM
BRA Community Room at the Metropolitan
38 Oak Street (Chinatown), Boston, MA

Utilizing extensive archival research as well as oral histories and letters from over one hundred informants, K. Scott Wong offers the first in-depth account of Chinese Americans in the American military, tracing the history of the 14th Air Service Group, a segregated unit comprising over 1200 men, and examining how their war service contributed to their social mobility and the shaping of their ethnic identity.

For more information, call (617) 338-4339 or email chsneboston@yahoo.com

SWEET: An Evening of Wine & Chocolate

2005-10-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

SWEET: An Evening of Wine & Chocolate
Saturday, November 5, 2005
suite one8one
181 Eddy Street (cross street Taylor St.), San Francisco
Event begins at 6 pm

Asian American Theater Company invites you to an evening of wine & chocolate to celebrate the 2005-2006 season. Sip a glass of wine, taste an exotic chocolate truffle, and mix and mingle at suite one8one, downtown San Francisco's premier nightclub. Tickets for this fundraiser are available at http://www.asianamericantheater.org/sweet.

"Polly" by Hung Liu

2005-10-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hung Liu's "Polly"
Rena Bransten Gallery
77 Geary Street (between Kearny and Grant Streets)
San Francisco, CA 94108
phone: (415) 982-3292

OCTOBER 13 - NOVEMBER 26, 2005

In her October 2005 exhibition at the Rena Bransten Gallery, Hung Liu will show new paintings celebrating the life of Polly Bemis. A Chinese woman who arrived in America during gold rush days, Polly lived in the Wild West community of Warren, Idaho where she married Charlie Bemis. After his death in 1922, she lived alone on a tiny homestead on the Salmon River. From her humble beginnings, Polly overcame tremendous odds to become a respected and beloved member of the pioneer community.

Liu was born in Changchun, China in 1948, and graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. She emigrated from China to the US in 1984 to attend the University of California, San Diego, where she received an MFA. She currently lives in Oakland and is a tenured professor in the art department at Mills College. Her work is included in major museum collections throughout the country.

Karin Lee's "Comrade Dad"

2005-09-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia premieres filmmaker Karin Lee's Comrade Dad on Sunday, September 11, 2005 at 2 pm at the Pacific Cinematheque, located at 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The film is a personal recollection of her father, Wally, who in the mid-1960's ran a bookstore, the China Arts and Crafts, until the early 1980's amidst controversy in Vancouver's Chinatown. Old home movies, re-enactment and documentary footage are some of the techniques used to tell Karin's story. Comrade Dad explores both the person and how his ideological beliefs affected his family set within the political landscapes of Canada and China at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Find out what Chinatown was like in the fifties and sixties before Canada recognized China.

The film runs for 26 minutes and will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Jan Walls. Guest panelists includes architect Joe Wai and filmmaker Colleen Leung. This free event is a co-presentation of Centre A, the Alternator Gallery, the CCHS and Multicultural Canada.

Meet Chef Martin Yan at "Rice Rhapsody" Screening

2005-08-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

"Rice Rhapsody" Screening
Sunday, August 14, 2005 7:15pm
4 Star Theatre
2200 Clement Street; San Francisco, CA 94121

"Rice Rhapsody" revolves around a conservative single mother and restaurant owner who raises her three sons using her mother's secret Hainan chicken rice recipe. Concerned that her youngest son might be gay, Chang takes in a French female exchange student, who teaches the family important lessons in life. Produced by Hong Kong's Kenbiroli Films and Singapore's Ground Glass Images.

Angel Island Community Picnic

2005-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Angel Island Community Picnic
Saturday, August 13, 2005 10 AM - 3 PM

Sponsored by Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Angel Island Association, and California State Parks and Recreation

Pack a feast for family and friends and treat yourselves to a last chance to see the Immigration Station barracks before a year-long closure for restoration work. Wear your walking shoes for a 45-minute hike to the Immigration Station. Learn about the future plans for the site from Daphne Kwok, new Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation.

RSVP's are recommended. Please call (415) 561-2160 or email info@aiisf.org to register.

Archivist of the “Yellow Peril”: Yoshio Kishi Collecting for a New America

2005-07-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) presents
Archivist of the 'Yellow Peril': Yoshio Kishi Collecting for a New America
August 16 - December 31, 2005
70 Mulberry Street (at Bayard Street), 2nd Floor, New York, NY

A seminal collection of Americana that both demonizes and humanizes the Asian American community is highlighted in Archivist of the “Yellow Peril”: Yoshio Kishi Collecting for a New America, an exhibit opening at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) on August 16, 2005. On loan from the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program & Institute of New York University, Archivist draws from the collection of former film editor and lifelong New Yorker, Yoshio Kishi and actress Irene Yah Ling Sun.

For more information, please visit www.moca-nyc.org.

Our Heritage: APA Historical Sites in the Bay Area

2005-07-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

South Bay First Thursdays Presents:
Our Heritage: APA Historical Sites in the Bay Area
Thursday, August 4th, 6:30pm - 9:30pm
@ Yu-Ai Kai (588 North 4th Street, San Jose, Japantown)

While Asian Pacific Americans (APA) are enjoying increased visibilityfor their contributions to many sectors of society, APA history remains overlooked in our schools’ textbooks and barely exists in the American mainstream’s collective consciousness. Thanks to the hard work and perseverance of community activists, physical proof of Asian Pacific American history remains in the form of historical sites. These physical markers serve an important function in our community--they educate and remind us of the struggles and sacrifices of those who came before. They also promote re-creation and revitalization of culture and community. For the month of August, FT invites you to join an informative and enlightening discussion about Asian Pacific American historical sites in the Bay Area.

Panelists include:
Dr. Christina Fa of Locke, California (The last single remaining rural Chinese American town)
Erika Gee, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
Dr. Rodney Lum, Chinese Historical Cultural Project
Moderator: Dr. James Lai, Santa Clara University

Recommended donations of $10, $15, or $20 with meal and $5 or $10 without a meal are suggested. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Donations support refreshments, room rental, and any honoraria or fee waivers.

For more information, including an RSVP form, please visit: http://www.firstthursdays.org/index.html