Museum of Chinese in America

11/21/2022

Among the many untold stories in the making of America is the fact that Chinese Americans have been at the center of several key cases in U.S. legal history. These cases have shaped U.S. policy and have had a lasting impact on generations of Americans. ⁣⁣
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Ninety-five years ago today in 1927, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Gong Lum v. Rice that a Mississippi school board had not violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause when it barred 9-year-old Martha Lum, a native-born American citizen and daughter of Gong Lum, a taxpaying resident of the state, from attending a white high school because she was of Chinese descent. In the school district's view, because Martha was of Chinese ancestry, she was a "colored" student who should attend a segregated school.⁣⁣
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The high court's ruling would have far-reaching consequences. In reaching its decision, the Supreme Court cited Cu***ng v. Richmond County Board of Education (1899) stating that “the education of the people in schools maintained by state taxation is a matter belonging to the respective states.” It also cited Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), which upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws under the “separate but equal” doctrine. ⁣⁣
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The plaintiff's loss in the case of Gong Lum vs. Rice had the consequence, unintended or not, of setting a new precedent that would be interpreted as a broadening of segregation. States could now cite Gong Lum vs. Rice as legal precedent to justify their right to regulate their school systems and define the race of their students as they saw fit. ⁣⁣
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It was not until 1954 that Gong Lum vs. Rice would be overruled by the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education outlawing segregation in public schools.⁣⁣
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Photo credit: A picture of the Lum Family, with Martha Lum in the front row on the right. Courtesy of Alvin Gee and the Lum Family. ⁣
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11/10/2022

🍁🧡🍂 Fall into foam-block printing at this Saturday’s MOCACREATE! Taking inspiration from the season and traditional Chinese woodblock printing, design a foam-block print with teaching artist Yu Rong using foam sheets, ✂️ scissors, and 🎨 paint. ✍️ Sketch an original design, cut and incise the shapes, paint and print! Mix and match your foam parts to create different patterns. Then, add details to your prints by drawing, painting, splashing, or using other creative artistic techniques. 🍁🧡🍂

Head to the museum this Saturday for an in-person workshop with 👩‍🎨 teaching artist Yu Rong on Saturday, November 12th from 2:00 PM-4:00 PM. FREE— no RSVP required, simply show up! Need directions or more info? Click here: https://www.mocanyc.org/visit/plan-your-visit/!

11/05/2022

In partnership with the New York Chinese Cultural Center, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is pleased to present the 2nd Annual HOME Project with two shows of dance and music on Saturday, November 5, from 4:00 – 5:00 P.M. EDT and 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. EDT.

This year, the commissioned artists created new works in dance and music that celebrate their heritage and identities as Chinese artists in New York City.

Advanced booking recommended via www.nychineseculturalcenter.org/book-online! Capacity is limited. Kindly note that both performances are identical.

11/04/2022

In light of recent waves of pandemic-fueled Anti-Asian hate and violence that have swept the nation, join MOCA, the Railroad Readers Workshop, and Associate Professor Mark T. Johnson for an Election Day Educator Workshop – Resisting Exclusion: Rewriting Narratives of the Chinese American Experience. Together, we’ll explore the impact of discriminatory exclusion-era legislation and the legacy of the rallying cry “The Chinese Must Go!” We’ll also highlight the ways in which Chinese Americans resisted, protested, and defied these policies.

Join us on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, 8:45 am – 3:30 pm. Participants will receive 5.5 CTLE hours. $20/participant. Coffee/tea and Chinese breakfast pastries included. Recommended for educators of students in grades 7 – 12.

To learn more about the workshop and register today, click here! https://bit.ly/3UsqVUI

11/01/2022

Weekly Collections Story: The Lau Family in Guatemala

These beautiful photographs from the 1950s through 1990s are of Amelia Lau Carling and her family when they lived in and later returned to visit Guatemala after immigrating to the United States. Amelia, one of six children and a small child at the time of the older photos, immigrated to the U.S. in 1966 and is currently an art director, author, and illustrator of children’s books in New York City. Her children’s books are semi-autobiographical and are among the few English-language works published on Chinese in Guatemala, a historically small community numbering just over 3,000 in the 1950s when Amelia was growing up.

Though few in number, Chinese began settling in Guatemala since the late 1800s. The pioneering generation arrived by boat via Puerto San José on Guatemala’s Pacific coast from California after opportunities in mining and railroads dried up in the American West. There, they established themselves commercially in towns along the railroad tracks. As their community grew, they founded a Chinese cemetery in 1906, a Chinese mutual aid association (Sociedad de Auxilios Mutuos de Beneficencia China) officially in 1922, and their own bilingual Spanish-Chinese school in Guatemala City in the 1940s, when war prevented them from sending their children to be educated in China. It was the outbreak of war and Japanese invasion which compelled Amelia’s family and neighbors to flee their village of Nine Rivers in the Pear River Delta in 1938 and seek refuge in Guatemala. Relatives of the Laus may have possibly immigrated to Guatemala in an earlier wave, as oral accounts remembering Chinese-owned stores in Guatemala City during the 1920s included that of Roberto Lau along la 5a. avenida (Fifth Avenue). These relatives would have helped Amelia’s family get settled, navigate Spanish, and legally set up a business. Like other Chinese before them, the family opened a store—Almacén Rodolfo Lau, named after Amelia’s father, the interior of which is captured in the family photo above. As can be discerned from the posted advertisements, signage and store displays in subsequent photos, they sold fabric and other sewing materials with which Native Guatemalans wove their signature vibrantly colorful clothes and textiles. Drawing from these photos and her memories, Amelia wrote Mama and Papa Have a Store, a children’s book translated into the Spanish-language La tienda de mamá y papá. In it, she shares with vivid illustrations a slice of 1950s Chinese Guatemalan life and her childhood playtime adventures with siblings in the family store, a center of community life in Guatemala.

Courtesy of Amelia Lau Carling, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collection.

To read photo captions, visit MOCA's Weekly Collections Story page: https://www.mocanyc.org/2022/11/01/the-lau-family-in-guatemala/

10/25/2022

Weekly Collections Story: Leonard Liao: A Chino Latino Oral History

Within Chinese America, there are families who lived in Latin America before immigrating to the U.S. and were part of migrations of peoples from the region who sought to escape political turmoil or pursue educational and economic opportunity. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month and the diversity of Chinese American experiences, we highlight a brief clip of an oral history with one such individual.

Leonard Liao was one of the first Asian American hip hop artists and the second generation proprietor of the Chinese Cuban fusion restaurant Mi Estrella in Jackson Heights, Queens. Though born and raised in Chinatown and Flushing during the 1970s and 1980s, Liao grew up eating Latino as well as Chinese food and was influenced by both cultures due to his father's and grandfather’s roots in Cuba. His mixed cultural influences are evident in the flavors and dishes he describes as served in the family restaurant. In this particular video clip, Liao recounts his family’s immigration history, from his maternal great grandfather’s arrival in the U.S. during the time of the building of the transcontinental railroad to his father’s escape from the Japanese and communism in China to Cuba (a gam san or “gold mountain” in this era), only to lose it all and start over again in the United States after the rise of Castro.

His engaging oral history interview can be listened to in full on MOCA’s oral history digital platform at http://ohms.mocanyc.org.

In 1998, MOCA sought to capture and share the stories of additional chino latino families in an oral history project for the joint exhibition with the Bronx Museum of the Arts, “Mi Familia, Mi Communidad,” also digitized and accessible on MOCA’s oral history platform. The digitization of MOCA’s collection of over 600 oral histories, conducted over the course of the museum’s more than 40-year history, is an ongoing effort made possible by current grant funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

10/24/2022

Join MOCA, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and fellow veterans, service members and their loved ones for a virtual staycation! ✈️ We will be Zooming into New York City’s Chinatown to visit with the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). Speakers from MOCA and Intrepid Museum will discuss Chinese Americans’ service during WWII and why it’s taken so long for these brave men and women to receive their deserved recognition. There will be time to ask questions and share stories. 🇺🇸

Wednesday, October 26th, from 6 pm to 7 pm on Zoom. Register here: https://bit.ly/3Ddnagm

Image Credit: 2015.037.005 Kenneth P. Moy sitting on a plane painted with the iconic shark’s jaws flown by American Volunteer Group (AVG) fighter pilots, or “Flying Tigers.” On the back of the photograph, “China 1944” has been written. Courtesy of Douglas J. Chu, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collection.

10/21/2022

Columbus Ave is open to pedestrians on Sundays and everyone is invited! 💌 This Sunday, October 23rd, MOCA will be located on Columbus Ave between 68th and 69th Streets making jumping Jade Rabbits in honor of last month’s Mid-Autumn Festival. 🐰 Join us between 1pm and 3pm! See you there! 🤩

10/19/2022

🎨 Paint, build, craft, and collage ✂️ with Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) at the Sunnyside Branch of Queens Public Library! 📚 Inspired by the full moon and the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, we’ll create shadow puppets of moon goddess Chang ‘Er and legendary archer Hou Yi. 🌕

During drop-in MOCACREATE workshops, MOCA educators lead families through arts and crafts steeped in Chinese American history and culture. ❤️

Friday, October 21st, from 3:30-4:30pm at Sunnyside! This is a program for ages 5-12, though all are welcome. First-come, first-served. Registration not required.

LOCATION
Sunnyside Branch at the Queens Public Library
43-06 Greenpoint Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11104
(718) 784-3033

Click here for directions: https://www.queenslibrary.org/about-us/locations/sunnyside

10/14/2022

Sponsor an Object: Pagoda and Garden Paper Sculpture

This intricately detailed hexagonal pagoda tower and Chinese garden is a sculpture made entirely out of paper by a refugee of the Golden Venture while detained at York County Prison in Pennsylvania. The pagoda design, a temple structure associated with Buddhism, and the pond of blooming pink lotuses, Buddhism’s most recognizable symbol for purity and enlightenment, is subtly blended with a small American flag and a monotheistic, possibly Christian, blessing inscribed along the top of the tower which reads: “May God’s Grace and Peace Be With You.” MOCA does not know the name of the artist and therefore can only speculate as to their intention in mixing these elements in this particular piece. Given that some Golden Venture refugees applied for asylum from persecution on the grounds of being Christian, it is possible that it is a self-representation of being Chinese and Christian and a commentary on the religious freedom that allowed them to be both openly in the U.S. but not in China. Or, it might simply be a blessing that the artist thought suited to the recipient of the sculpture.

The artist of this piece was one of among 286 Chinese, mainly from Fujian Province, who were caught and arrested while attempting to be smuggled into the U.S. on June 6, 1993, after their ship, the Golden Venture, run aground at Rockaway Beach in Queens. Survivors of the shipwreck were subsequently detained in prison without the possibility of bail, some for as long as four years. To stave off deportation, some petitioned for political asylum as Christians, democracy activists, or potential victims of forced sterilization under the system set up by the United States Refugee Act of 1980. But as their cases dragged on for years, making papier-mâché and folded paper sculptures out of magazines, toilet paper, and other materials available to them in prison became a way to pass the time and create thank you gifts for pro bono lawyers and other supporters assisting them with their asylum cases. Paper—along with the art of using paper to create 3-dimensional objects, or papier-mâché—was invented in Han Dynasty China circa 202 B.C.- 220 A.D.

To learn more about supporting the repair of this unique paper sculpture from MOCA's Fly to Freedom Collection, please visit MOCA's Sponsor an Object webpage here: https://www.mocanyc.org/collections/stories/pagoda-and-garden-paper-sculpture

10/11/2022

Weekly Collections Story: Before the Gram, There was the Postcard

In honor of this year’s marking of the 161st anniversary of American postcards and this past World Postcard Day, we share a few postcards from MOCA’s collection. Dating from the 1900s to 1960s, they offer a glimpse into previous generations’ pre-social media social network. At the peak of the worldwide postcard craze at the beginning of the 20th century, billions were sent around the world each year. By 1913, nearly a billion were mailed in the U.S. alone, and countless millions more collected in family albums. Much like the social media of today, the exchange of postcards as a dual visual and written medium let people stay in touch and communicate news and events, share photos, mark important events, signal group affiliation and support for various political causes, and document and tell others about the cool places they had traveled and amazing food they had eaten.

The following historical postcards show some of the ways that Chinese in America participated in this social network. Before television and Instagram, restaurants such as Yat Bun Sing in Chinatown advertised themselves by giving out free postcards for patrons to mail to friends. The sent postcards might then be circulated among recipients and their social circle, and in this way, new potential diners could be introduced to the restaurant. The postcard below advertising the New Fulton Royal Chinese American Cocktail Lounge in Brooklyn was addressed by Flo. Lorenz at 34 Halsey Street in Brooklyn to a Ruth Scriber in Albany, New York, giving some indication of how ads of this sender’s local restaurant circulated within her social network. With the invention of Kodak’s postcard camera, people could easily create postcards out of their photographs. These were sometimes mailed, sometimes given directly to friends or family members and preserved in albums, such as that of Helen Typond, which contained among others the real-photo postcard of the little girl wearing the giant hair bow. Other postcards shown here include those that commemorate a Defending Democracy Parade in New York Chinatown in 1942, the appointment of Dr. C.C. Wu as Chinese Minister to Washington in 1928, the 64th Annual Convention of the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association, and a Boy Scouts delegation visit from China to New York.

Courtesy of Eric Y. Ng, Marcella Dear, and Douglas J. Chu, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Collections.

To view more postcards and read the back and captions, please visit MOCA's Weekly Collection Stories webpage: https://www.mocanyc.org/2022/10/11/before-the-gram-there-was-the-postcard/

09/27/2022

Double Happiness Official Trailer

Reserve Your Ticket to 囍 Double Happiness at mocanyc.org/calendar

Drawing an enthusiastic audience response earlier this summer, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)'s "Double Happiness" makes its grand return this week, an original comedic theatrical dinner and show intertwined with traditional Chinese wedding banquet elements and a 10-course meal curated by Dim Sum Go Go. The production was brought to life by a talented and accomplished group of creatives, including a team from MOCA and written by Emily Locke and directed by Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li. Since its debut in June, all the performances have been sold out, captivating audiences of all backgrounds and positioning itself as a new, well-loved addition to the New York City arts offerings.

"Double Happiness" tells the remarkable story of Claire and Alex as they attempt to combine cultures and merge families at their Chinese wedding banquet. Will love conquer all? Which family is more traditional? As the wedding begins, conflicts start to emerge. The show explores the nuances of the Chinese American/Immigrant identity, allowing the audience to enjoy a traditional Chinese wedding. The wedding guests will see the dynamics of the bride and groom’s families unfold. After a dramatic ceremony, the banquet dinner begins, and the play continues.

The cast includes Fran Mae (Anna), Asha Devi (Cindy), Penelope Hsu (Joyce), Philippe Leong (Ted), Nancy Ma (Claire), Connor Kopko (Alex), Louis So (Eric), Miguel Sutedjo (Elliot), N. Yao (Mary), Lora Yuen (Grandmother), Zsuzska Beswick (Claire Understudy/Bridesmaid), and Griffin Glick (Alex Understudy/Groomsman).

Special thanks to MOCA retail partner Pearl River Mart for their generous sponsorship of costumes and set design. Additional thanks to the Estate of Chun Chu for the donation of costumes.

09/23/2022

Sponsor an Object: Hand Iron and Trivet

This antique sad iron and beautifully decorated trivet (or iron stand) both embody an important part of Chinese immigrant history as old implements used at a Chinese hand laundry. Sad irons (“sad” is old English for “solid”) were a type of iron made out of a triangular-shaped chunk of cast iron and so named because of their hefty weight (5 to 9 pounds). Popular in the 19th century before the convenience of an electric iron, sad irons were heated over a stovetop fire and once hot, had to be gripped with a heat protective pad or thick rag. An experienced laundryman had to know how to determine whether the iron was hot enough but not so hot that it would scorch the fabric. Operating this type of iron for long periods was hot, arduous work and when not in use, it had to be regularly cleaned, sand-papered, and greased to prevent rust and ensure it could glide smoothly and immaculately over cleaned clothing.

To protect the ironing surface, the hot iron could be temporarily rested on the accompanying trivet. The trivet was designed such that the iron could be easily slid from the bottom and back unto the ironing surface without a laundryman having to constantly lift the heavy iron. On the top of the trivet is printed an image of what looks to be an industrial Collar and Cuff Ironer (operated by hand and steam) along with the Chinese characters “矮仔鬼,” possibly a Cantonese nickname for this stout machine (printed perhaps as an advertisement). The trivet was manufactured and distributed by John Randles Inc. (founded 1864), which had a long history of furnishing laundry and restaurant supplies to Chinese businesses in New York. To introduce and sell products within the Chinese community, the company employed Chinese salesmen such as James Louie Fletcher, who used his savings, knowledge, and connections cultivated to eventually open his own long-running Chinese laundry supply store in New York Chinatown (World Trading Company in 1932 on Moscoe Street, which became United Trading Company at 190 Canal Street in 1933 and United Trading and Fletcher Inc. at 60 Mott Street in 1950).

The third image of a pristinely restored trivet was taken from the Trivetology.com blog. We would love to restore our own trivet to a similar good condition.

To learn more about supporting the repair of this photograph, please visit MOCA's Sponsor an Object page here: https://www.mocanyc.org/collections/stories/hand-iron-and-trivet/

09/22/2022

[LIVE STREAM] MOCA COOKS with Simon Fan: Crystal Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy with Black Mushrooms

Join MOCA virtually and learn the secrets of cooking your delicious Crystal Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy with Black Mushrooms. Pulled from the captivating "Food and Cooking of Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from China's Most Dynamic City," these two easy-to-follow recipes were crafted by Simon Fan, a New York-based cookbook author and food photographer.

Shanghai, China’s most dynamic city, offers a fascinating cuisine that was born during the city’s dramatic ascent from a port to a global metropolis. Rooted in local dishes of peasant cooking origin, Shanghainese cuisine has, over time, incorporated dishes and cooking techniques from other regions, as well as influences from other countries.

Mr. Fan will also share the stories and talk about the experience of writing his cookbook with Chef Kian Lam Kho, author of the award-winning cookbook Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking.

Please note that your ingredients should be pre-measured before the beginning of the session. The recipes will be accessible in a downloadable link in the registration email or directly at https://www.mocanyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/MOCA-COOKS-with-Simon-Fan_Crystal-Shrimp-and-Baby-Bok-Choy-with-Black-Mushrooms-Recipes-and-Techniques.pdf.
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09/20/2022

Weekly Collections Story: Remembering Chinatown After 9/11

Not long after the tragic events of September 11th, MOCA began collecting community photo-documentation, studies, reports, artwork, and ephemera related to its impact on Chinatown, a neighborhood just ten blocks from Ground Zero. In solemn (belated) remembrance, we offer a few photograph and poem submissions from MOCA’s Recovering Chinatown: The 9/11 Collection which document and reflect on this day and the ones following.

The second photograph, taken by Lia Chang, shows people using the portable payphone trailers that Verizon set up at 27 locations around Chinatown beginning on September 21, 2001. As a result of the September 11th attack, telephone service in the general area south of East Broadway was disrupted for nearly two months. This lack of phone service affected the ability of businesses to conduct daily operations, such as processing garment orders, restaurant take-out orders, medical prescriptions, and credit card transactions. As of October 15th, telephone service was still not completely restored on some major Chinatown streets. Due to their proximity to many of the key federal, state and city offices, various streets were completely or partially shut down repeatedly by authorities, particularly when the federal government issued terror warnings. During this period, Chinatown was in a state of siege. Barricades were erected, manned by the NYPD, New York State troopers, and National Guard. One such barricade south of Canal Street is shown in photograph 3. In oral histories, garment workers spoke about how the inability of vehicles to get in and out of Chinatown all but shut down the factories, leaving them without work and a pay check for weeks and in some cases months. The garment industry, a mainstay of many families’ livelihood, would never fully recover. Debris diminished air quality, covering shops in dust from the collapsed towers and causing some to wear protective goggles and masks. In the days following, family members posted flyers on makeshift missing person walls outside Mount Sinai Medical Center near Chinatown, and the community hung American flags and came together in candlelight vigils to mourn the members who were lost.

Courtesy of Lia Chang, Xiao Min Yu, Wai Lum William Man, Melmie Lee Young, and Bina Gupta, Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Recovering Chinatown: The 9/11 Collection.

To engage with more images, poems, documents, and oral history content, please visit MOCA’s "Chinatown POV: Reflections on September 11th" website: http://911chinatown.mocanyc.org/index.html