PROPOSAL TYPE
Community Viewpoints
SEEKING
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
RELATED TOPICS
- Leadership
- Memory
- Public Engagement
ABSTRACT
From 1850 until World War II, 95% of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. were Cantonese from the Pearl River Delta near Hong Kong. They established Chinatowns. Since the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, most Chinese immigrants are northern Han Chinese with distinctly different cultures and the Cantonese culture is diminishing in U.S. Chinatowns. In New York and San Francisco, efforts are being made to “hold the Cantonese line” by encouraging younger generation Cantonese to establish new businesses. I would like to invite two Cantonese business leaders – one from San Francisco and one from New York City – to join me in a discussion of how they are trying to “hold the Cantonese line” in their Chinatown.
DESCRIPTION
A recently released You Tube video “Trailblazing Chinatown’s Future in New York City” (holding the Cantonese line) has already garnered 42K views. I am familiar with the regression of the Cantonese culture in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York where I currently reside. Would a Community Viewpoint session be of interest to a public history audience? It would capture a snapshot of how two Chinatowns are changing. I would like to invite a “change agent” from San Francisco’s and New York’s Chinatowns to join the session … at their own expenses. I would appreciate any comments and suggestions on my proposal. FYI – I recently defended my World History dissertation (St. John’s University – NYC). An informal title could be “An insider’s Hidden History of San Francisco’s Chinatown During the Exclusion Era.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Richard Cheu, Aerobics for Eyes, LLC, [email protected]
All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by June 5, 2026. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.