March 15, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 5

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Boston

Living Your Best Life:  It Takes a Village

A five-minute walk from the historic On Leong Chinese Merchants Association building in Chinatown brings you to the Biewend building on Tremont Street. Dr. Wei Wang, a geriatrician and primary care physician, sees elderly patients here at Tufts Medicine’s primary care offices. He told Sampan that many elderly people living in Chinatown deal with chronic medical conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. This is true of older adults more generally. In the United States, nearly 95% of […]

Protecting the Boston Parks for All

Boston’s parks provide natural ecosystem services both to its plants and its bordering communities. They help manage air quality, temperature, and water. As a research study suggests, trees in urban settings can remove up to 7,111,000 tons of toxic from the air each year. Vegetation prevents temperature from becoming too hot, and it filters rain while protecting drinking water. Of course, in addition to the wonder’s parks do for the air and water, they also benefit wildlife by providing a […]

In Memory of Former South Cove Community Health Center Director Eugene Welch

Editor’s Note: Eugene Welch, CEO/Executive Director of South Cove Community Health Center for 23 years until his 2022 retirement, passed away Monday May 29 at the age of 78. Sampan is re-printing our October 2022 Eugene Welch profile/interview. We asked Eric Tiberi, SCCHC’s new CEO/Executive Director, for a few words about Mr. Welch’s legacy and the future of the Center going forward. Eugene Welch was a mentor, friend, and supporter to all of us at South Cove Community Health Center.  He had an […]

Asian Hate in Boston: The Struggle for Justice Continues

The problem of Asian hate crimes in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods was the topic of a May 8 forum at the Asian American Civic Association. In attendance and speaking were City Council President Ed Flynn, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Boston Police Community Service Office Sgt. Paul Chevette, MBTA Transit Police Crime Investigation Sgt. Joseph Sacco, and Boston’s Senior Advisor for Community Safety Isaac […]

Parking Squeeze in Chinatown, Residents Say They Blame Construction, City Restrictions

Boston’s Chinatown has always been a crowded community with a small number of residential parking spaces and a large number of residents with cars. Now the parking problem has been made worse — and more costly — by a string of construction projects and parking restrictions that have made it impossible for some residents to park after a long day’s work. “Sometimes it takes me more than an hour to find a parking space,” said Kang Qiang Mai, an Uber […]

Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center Legal Workshop: Wills and Trusts

Have you ever been confused about how to properly distribute your estate to your family, or have you never thought about the distribution of property? Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age was honored to hold a legal workshop on “Wills and Trusts” on April 5th in Hong Lok House Activity Center, Boston’s Chinatown (25 Essex St., Boston, MA 02111). Senior lawyers were invited to help the elderly. The speakers were Peter Bellotti, Joe Markey and Julia Hogan from Bellotti Law Group. […]

Tufts Medical Center Dedicates Building to Dr. Deeb Salem

After contributing 50 years of resounding leadership at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Deeb Salem will be celebrated on Friday, May 19th with the dedication of The Salem Building at 35 Kneeland Street on the TMC campus. Sampan had the honor of interviewing with Dr. Salem on the eve of this lifetime recognition. “ I come from an immigrant family and grew up in Brooklyn. My parents had almost no education. My mother came from Syria and my father came from […]

Virtual Public Meeting Scheduled Regarding Cannabis Dispensary Proposal in Chinatown

When it comes to arguments about safety and community safety and the ethics of legalized drugs, sometimes it’s hard to immediately dismiss the financial advantages. Massachusetts legalized adult-use cannabis in November 2018, and since then the state has collected $3.9 billion in total gross sales. Between January 1 and December 18, 2022, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission reported the sale of 1.42 billion dollars’ worth of cannabis and cannabis-related accessories. If we compare this to the other two members in […]

Chinatown’s Shops, Eateries Show Resiliency Amid COVID, Says Key Business Leader

Despite the obstacles faced over the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinatown’s businesses remained strong, enduring the toughest months of the outbreak. That was a key takeaway from an interview with Chinatown Business Association President Teresa Tsoi. The Sampan recently sat down with Tsoi to discuss the livelihood of the neighborhood’s shops and restaurants. Following is a lightly edited transcript: No one was prepared for the pandemic. In the Chinatown Business Association, about 98 % of the members are businesses in the Chinatown, […]

Mayor Wu’s Rent Stabilization Effort Draws Praise, Criticism

In a city synonymous with high housing costs, residents of Boston have long dealt with the soaring cost of rent. In fact, for the past several years, Zillow has listed Boston as one of the top 5 most expensive rental markets in the nation. A recent 2022 report by the Greater Boston Association of Realtors’ showed that between 2019 and 2022, is the same time for the median cost of a single-family home rose by 26%.          In the face of […]

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