December 20, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 24

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

“Faces of Life” – The Fifth Annual Taiwan Film Festival of Boston

The fifth annual Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB) took place on September 23-24. TFFB is a non-profit organization established by a group of young professionals in Boston in 2019 with the goal of bringing Taiwan’s films to the U.S every year. This year, TFFB selected six different films that have not been screened in American theaters or on streaming platforms to represent the 2023 theme “Faces of Life,”.  They explored a variety of issues and professions as well as […]

Founder, Chef of Quincy’s First Japanese Restaurant Reflect on ‘Dream’ Come True

In 1998, Quincy saw the opening of its first Japanese restaurant – Fuji, marking the start of JP Fuji Group’s unprecedented growth and success in Boston’s competitive restaurant scene. As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Sampan met with Jimmy Liang, the founder and his partner and Executive Head Chef of Sushi, Ming Cao. Jimmy shared how he was first introduced to the art of sushi. “At 14,” he said, “I met my Sensei (teacher) who taught me sushi-making for a […]

The Mysterious World of Cirque Du Soleil:  Behind the Magic

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company and the world’s largest theater production company. Known as Canada’s “National Treasure,” it is the fastest growing, highest-earning and most popular art group in the world today. Corteo is a centerpiece play from Cirque that combines elegant aerial acrobatics and shocking theatrical performances. “Corteo” means “cortege” in Italian, which means a process of joy and refers to a happy team imagined by the clown, Mauro, who envisions that his own burial will […]

Boston’s Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival Race was Another Exciting Year of Competition and Camaraderie 

The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as Duan Wu Jie. People eat zongzi and watch the dragon-boat race, which this year is June 22th 2023. The Dragon Boat Festival originated in ancient China (278 BCE) to commemorate Qu Yan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River in Hunan Province. He was a loyal minister of the King of Chu and one of the greatest […]

Gambling Addiction: A Public Health Issue in Asian Communities

How much gambling has negatively impacted Asian communities nationwide becomes increasingly more apparent each time major casinos enter into bidding processes. In a 2019 chicagobusiness.com report, Wynn Resorts explicitly stated their interest in focusing on “high-end Asian gamblers” for their Encore casino in Everett. In a December 2022 New York Times article about Asians and casinos in the New York area, the “complicated relationship” the gambling industry has with its Asian customer base was even more clearly illustrated: “Many of […]

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, […]

Women Holding the Keys to Power in Massachusetts State Government

For the first time in our state’s history, Massachusetts will boast an all-female executive team, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, (first woman and first person of color to be elected as Boston’s mayor), State Governor Maura Healey, (first woman and first openly gay elected governor), Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Attorney General-elect Andrea J. Campbell, (first black woman to hold this constitutional office), State Auditor Diana DiZoglio (only the second woman ever to hold this position) and Treasurer of Massachusetts Deborah […]

Josiah Quincy Upper School Raises the Final Beam

Boston dignitaries including City Councilman Flynn, Mayor Wu, and School Superintendent Mary Skipper gathered on December 9, 2022 for the topping off ceremony of the Washington Street Josiah Quincy Upper School. It marked the end of approximately 18 months of construction and the start of preparation culminating in the planned fall 2024 ribbon-cutting. From its start in temporary housing at the old Lincoln School on Arlington Street and Bay Village to this new location on Washington Street, this should prove […]

Crossing the Digital Divide: Helping the Elderly Navigate 21st Century Technology

For many of us, it seems like only yesterday that we faced the fears of a Y2K society. What would happen when all the ones and zeroes of our devices flipped over into a new century? Would our worst fears be realized? Would we find ourselves catapulted into a world where computers crashed and all data that comprised our lives vanished forever?                         Nothing so drastic happened, but those of us who came of age without the current ease of […]

Malden Celebrates Passage of Transliteration Law

Officials, voters, and community groups celebrated passage of Malden transliteration law on December 15, 2022. It marked a significant step towards ensuring full access to the ballot box for Chinese-speaking voters with low English proficiency. According to a 2021 American Community Survey, 22% of Malden households speak an Asian or Pacific Island language at home. About 40% of these households are considered to have limited-English speaking proficiency.  Officials included Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, Massachusetts Senator Jason Lewis, Massachusetts State Representative […]

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