Arts

December 3, 2021 0

Artist Profile — Xiaowei Chen

Xiaowei Chen is an artist whose intricate drawings are intended to arouse curiosity in the viewer. Originally from China, she currently resides in Boston and seeks to create works that “explore the emotional states of human experience through two very different cultures,” according to a statement written by art critic Lingsui. Her art was recently displayed in the Pellas Gallery’s exhibition “Utopia X Dystopia.” In this particular show, she was highly influenced by Greek philosophers and ancient stories. “I love […]

November 19, 2021 0

Assembling Chinatown’s History

by Sampan Staff

Place of Assembly is a public art installation by local architect Ang Li, located at 8-12 Hudson street, right in the heart of Chinatown. The interactive display features various stoop-like structures, open for visitors to hang out and sit on, all assembled with repurposed bricks from demolished row homes. Guests from all over Boston came to gather during its November 6th unveiling, hosted by the Asian Community Development Corporation. Li aspired to help preserve and share the neighborhood’s history with […]

Waikiki film at Boston Asian American Film Festival

November 5, 2021 0

Boston Asian American Film Festival — building visual connections

by Shira Laucharoen

This year’s Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF) presented stories that may have unintentionally centered around a common theme of healing, or the medicinal value of movies. A fitting thread for a community “rising together” out of the pandemic. While the previous year’s selection of films seemed to emphasize activism and social and political issues impacting Asians, such as the frontlines of the pandemic and the suppression of media in the Philippines, the featured 2021 productions were slightly more intimate, […]

November 5, 2021 0

CelebrAsians Fashion Benefit — Celebrating Cancer Survivors

by Sampan Staff

Asian Women for Health (AWFH), a community-based network for the wellbeing of Asian women, will be hosting its 9th annual CelebrAsians Survivor Fashion Benefit on Saturday, November 13 from 6 – 7:30 PM. The benefit, titled “From Resilience to Radiance,” after AWFH’s podcast, will be held virtually for the second year in a row. Featured garments will include shoes and sportswear from ASICS, with all funds from the event going toward breast and cervical cancer support and programs, as well […]

September 17, 2021 0

Experience Chinatown – discovery through the arts

by Sampan Staff

Experience Chinatown is a community display of murals, art installations, music and performances to engage the residents and visitors of Chinatown. Held by the Pao Arts Center, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College, local artists are bringing their passions to the public for a unique cultural engagement event. Around the neighborhood, window paintings can be spotted in various restaurants, each with unique styles and approaches to Chinese culture. They amplify the excitement of the area, and […]

September 17, 2021 0

Shang-Chi: the success of cinematic Asian-American representation

by Sampan Staff

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made history on September 3, 2021 as the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to feature an Asian lead. Just days later, it became the new record holder of highest grossing film during Labor Day weekend, and the highest grossing overall during the COVID-19 pandemic, having earned $71.4 million at the box office. Shang-Chi is an adaptation of a Marvel Comics storyline with dated origins that has been brought back […]

August 20, 2021 0

QARI hosts in-person August Moon Festival in Quincy

by Sampan Staff

On August 15, 2021, the town of Quincy celebrated the August Moon Festival in person. The event, hosted by Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI), saw a multitude of attractions and vendors, from rock climbing and bouncy castles, to cultural performances that included groups of both East and South Asian descent. Despite the Summer heat, droves of families and individuals came out to enjoy the festival. The street was lined with vendors from both sponsoring organizations and local groups and shops. […]

August 20, 2021 0

Movie Review: Confetti

by Admin

Confetti, a film directed by Chinese Academy Award winner Ann Hu, is at first glance about a young girl named Meimei Chen (Harmonie He). Her story begins in a small town in China, where she lives with her father, Chen (Li Yanan), and her mother, Lan Chen (Zhu Zhu). Almost immediately, we learn that Meimei is functionally illiterate, as we witness her struggle to write her name and read sentences on a school chalkboard. Later in Meimei’s school, an English […]

Melissa Li and Kit Yang wrote the Chinatown musical

August 20, 2021 0

Chinatown: The Musical

by Shira Laucharoen

Company One Theatre and Pao Arts Center held a virtual concert and conversation about a new musical informally titled the “Boston Chinatown Musical,” on August 19. The show was written and performed by Kit Yan and Melissa Li, the 2020-21 C1 PlayLab Pao Fellows, and the artists have given Sampan an inner look at their creative process. “This particular story is based on our own personal experiences in Boston Chinatown,” said Yan. “Melissa’s family lives in Chinatown. Based on some […]

Boston's Chinatown in A Tale of Three Chinatowns Film

June 25, 2021 0

“A Tale of Three Chinatowns” raises concerns about neighborhoods’ survival

by Shira Laucharoen

Photo courtesy of ArtsEmerson “A Tale of Three Chinatowns” is a documentary film screened through the Roxbury International Film Festival, in partnership with the Shared Stories series at ArtsEmerson. The movie, which focuses on the survival of Chinatowns in Boston, Washington D.C., and Chicago, will be played from June 23-27. It explores the persistence of Chinatowns in these cities, examining their roles as cultural gateways and as homes to communities of immigrants. Due to urban development and gentrification, many of […]

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