Illustrated by John Lee
Think!Chinatown is proud to present a selection of our storytelling projects we’ve produced over the years at the Firehouse: DCTV’s Cinema for Documentary Film! These thoughtful stories made by, in, and for our community, speak to the experiences, histories, and lives of our Chinatown community.
Think!Chinatown will be screening An Ode to Our Generations: Remembering the Music and Memories of Yellow Pearl and Basement Workshop featuring Tomie Arai, A Hundred Years More, Here to Stay and What I Wanted Most from the Art of Storytelling series, Chinatown Shopping for Fuzhou Eats with Yuhua & Jinmei, selections from the Everyday Chinatown series, and a mini-documentary on Think!Chinatown.
An Ode to Our Generations: Remembering the Music and Memories of Yellow Pearl and Basement Workshop
Original music by: Chris Ijima, Nobuko Yamamoto, and Charlie Chin | Performed by: treya lam | Producer: Yin Kong | Story Production: Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan
Originally premiering at Chinatown Arts Week 2021, An Ode to Our Generations is back at 21 Pell to pay tribute to the generations of artist-activists in Chinatown of the past and present. In this special revival, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter treya lam performs songs from Yellow Pearl, a 1972 art book by the collective known as Basement Workshop in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Originally meant to illustrate the music of Chris Iijima, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Charlie Chin, Yellow Pearl grew into a 57 page compilation of writing, art, and music by over 30 Asian American artists.
The Art of Storytelling series brings us into the everyday lives of people who have long called Chinatown home. Bringing together our neighbors and Asian American artists, this series challenges us to reimagine how we collectively remember and honor the histories of our Chinatown community members. For this screening, T!C presents three stories from the collection.
A Hundred Years More
Storytellers: Margaret Yuen and Amy Chin | Illustrations: Yao Xiao | Audio Production: Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan | Video Production: Rachel Zhang | Producer: Yin Kong
Artist Yao Xiao brings the story of Chinese dancer and teacher, Margaret Yuen to life. Margaret founded the Young Dancers of Chinatown in 1979 and the Red Silk Dancers in 1985 to share Chinese dance with the community, through performances and free classes. Margaret came in to share with one of her first Chinese dance students, Amy Chin, the long journey of being fearless to pursue her love for Chinese dance in China to then share with her community back home here in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
Here to Stay
Storytellers: Jan Lee and Amy Chin | Illustrations: John Lee | Audio Production: Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan | Video Production: Rachel Zhang | Producer: Yin Kong
Artist John Lee brings the story of Chinatown-born and raised Jan Lee to life. Today, he continues his family’s long legacy in Chinatown as an outspoken activist for the Chinatown community and his home. He came in for a conversation with his dear friend, Amy Chin, to honor his grandfather and his journey to the U.S. from China, and remember the history of Chinatown and what it was like to grow up and continue to live there today.
What I Wanted Most
Storytellers: Yan Ping Zhong and Ying Wu | Illustrations: Christina Chung | Audio Production: Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan | Video Production: Hai-Li Kong | Producer: Yin Kong
Artist Christina Chung brings the story of our Chinatown neighbors, Yan Ping Zhong and Ying Wu, to life. The animated short What I Wanted Most, Yan Ping Zhong remembers her difficult journey as an immigrant from Guangzhou, China to Panama to New York City Chinatown. Through their memories of migration and the once booming garment factories of Chinatown, Yan Ping and her daughter, Ying Wu, challenge us to demystify the promises of the American Dream and Gold Mountain that continue to bring immigrants to Chinatown and the U.S. for a better life for their loved ones.
Chinatown Shopping for Fuzhou Eats with Yuhua & Jinmei
Executive Producer: Yin Kong | Producer, Video Producer & Editor: Hai-Li Kong | Producer & Translator: Alice Liu
From the Chinatown Shopping series celebrates the diversity of the Chinese diaspora found in Manhattan’s Chinatown through the lens of everyday kitchen ingredients. Aunty Chen and Aunty Lian, opera singers from Fujian, take us through the familiar streets of Chinatown to discover all the best Fuzhounese goodies.
Everyday Chinatown
The everyday object is a beautiful way to explore collective memory... bagua - octagonal fengshui mirror, baihuayou -white flower oil, pipagao - loquat syrup… In this project, we recorded stories about objects found in everyday life in our community. By recording and presenting stories from our seniors and other community members, our aim is to give our neighbors the opportunity to represent themselves. For this screening, T!C presents a selection of shorts from the collection.
Neighborhoods Now Presents Think!Chinatown
Kate Levy for Neighborhoods Now
A mini-documentary about Think!Chinatown’s work during a year of extraordinary growth with the support of an amazing team and dedicated volunteers.