April 25, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 8

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Boston

Converting Used Office Buildings Into Affordable Housing: Who are the Real Stakeholders

There is no doubt that the city of Boston is currently in the midst of a housing crisis. In the Boston Foundation’s annual report, the Greater Boston area received a failing grade in the year of 2022. The report cites confounding factors of economic growth and rising housing prices with the bottom line that middle and lower-income families will be struggling in the coming years to find affordable housing options if new policies are not adopted. The current issues will […]

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 […]

At Home in Chinatown Exhibit: An Interview with Curator Lily Song

This reporter attended the opening reception of the exhibit called “At Home in Chinatown: A Residence Lab Retrospective” and the accompanying workshop “Remembering and Remaking Chinatown” at the Pao Arts Center on July 27th. The exhibit featured work and photographs of the processes of six local artists who participated in the Residence Lab and completed site-specific projects during the last four years of the program. There were 4 key themes on display in the show, including art as cultural belonging, […]

Ruling on Admissions Invites Mixed Emotions From Sampan Readers

Editor’s Note: Sampan asked a cross-section of Massachusetts residents about the recent court ruling regarding Affirmative Action. We spoke with retired Executives, academics, students, parents, and teenagers. What follows are their emailed responses, edited for clarity and space. I am personally conflicted with how I feel about the overturning of affirmative action for college admissions. On one hand I can see the usefulness of affirmative action and how it creates a more diverse student body which is very important. As […]

Government Support Must be Increased to Make New Technology Affordable

While it may be easy to forget in the summer heat, New England suffers from some of the most brutal winters in the country. With temperatures occasionally dropping below zero degrees Fahrenheit every year, the cost of living in Boston is underlined with the additional cost of keeping people warm in their homes. Annually, New Englanders pay hefty costs for utility bills, with the cost of energy being some of the highest in the country. Using 2022-2023 data, the website […]

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 […]

All Immigrants Now Eligible for Standard Driver’s License in Massachusetts

Work and Family Mobility Act will allow residents to obtain license regardless of status. Starting July 1, eligible Massachusetts residents will be able to apply for a learner’s permit and road test to obtain a driver’s license, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Newly translated materials are also being prepared under the Work and Family Mobility Act. Under the new law, residents can apply to obtain a standard (class D or M) driver’s license, regardless of immigration status. “The […]

Sumner Tunnel to Be Closed Through August 31, 2023

Editor’s note: In an effort to better serve and inform our readers, Sampan will be publishing regular updates throughout the course of this closing in all print issues (starting with this one) through the end of August. Updates will also be posted online. Our focus will be on the purpose of the Sumner Tunnel Restoration Project and progress of the repair. In this issue, we are posting the current alternative means of travel options that will be available during the […]

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 […]

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 […]

404 Not Found

404 Not Found


nginx/1.18.0 (Ubuntu)