Walking with Lions

and Other Chinatown New Year Traditions

Think!Chinatown is proud to present a captivating black and white film photography exhibition by Edward Cheng. The solo show, titled “Walking with Lions and Other Chinatown New Year Traditions 伴獅巡埠-過年習俗" offers an interior view of the vibrant Lunar New Year celebrations in Manhattan's iconic Chinatown. For more than two decades, Edward Cheng has chronicled Manhattan Chinatown's Lunar New Year celebrations in black and white film. Using his 35mm, medium format camera, Cheng documents the unique blend of NYC Chinatown-specific rituals and historic traditions, showcasing the cultural resiliency of a diasporic community that has built a home in America. The show also features guest artist, Warren King’s “Lion Dancer, 2024”, a sculptural piece made out of corrugated cardboard, an homage to those who preserve our cultural traditions, inspired by the red lacquer carvings of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The exhibition will run from January 17 to February 25, 2024, at Think!Chinatown's Studio at 1 Pike St. Gallery hours are free and open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 3-6PM. This exhibition was made possible with curatorial support from Sophia Ma.

Exhibit-Related Events

Edward Cheng is a native New Yorker, a freelance computer programmer, and a seasoned globetrotting backpacker. Through photography, he works on long-term projects documenting Christian Holy Weeks and Easters around the world, Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, the Chinese-American experience, and Eldridge Street in the Lower Manhattan of New York City. Cheng is a teaching assistant and a permanent fixture at the International Center of Photography; he regularly assists darkroom masters Steve Anchell, Brian Young, and Chuck Kelton. He drinks mezcal neat.

 
 

“Walking with Lions” is made possible by the New York Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This exhibition is also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Think!Chinatown is an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown, here to listen, respond, and build Chinatown’s capacities as a strong & vibrant immigrant neighborhood of NYC since 2016. Our mission is to foster intergenerational community through neighbor­hood engagement, storytelling & the arts. We push from within our neighborhood to shape better policies and programs that define our public spaces, celebrate our cultural heritage, and innovate how our collective memories are represented.