January 3, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 1

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Top News

Chinatown Worker Statues Show the ‘Greatness of Our Immigrant Community’

[Editor’s Note: SAMPAN first spoke with sculptor Wen-Ti Tsen nearly two years ago as he was preparing for the opening of his exhibit “Chinatown Worker Statues: A Statue In the Making.” As noted in his artist statement, the mission of this art is to examine “the intersectionalities of people, work, and forms of social constructs.” The exhibit opened October 27, 2023. Interested readers can still see the exhibit through its closing day, February 17, 2024.] Arranging the assorted tools at […]

MBTA Head Philip Eng: We Need to Reimagine Our Entire System

Philip Eng was named General Manager and CEO of the beleaguered Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority on March 27, 2023. When Gov. Healey used the word “desperate” in her introduction of Eng to describe a commuting public looking to turnaround the bedraggled system, few would accuse her of hyperbole. Eng had a tough job ahead of him. It’s been sixty years this summer since the MBTA was created as the first combined regional transit system in the United States, serving 78 […]

Chinese Horoscope 2024 Feb 10 – 2025 Jan 28

Feel free to forward to your friends and family but please do not copy or alter the contents without our written permission. 2024 Chinese Horoscope is copyright © by Han Teen SEE, Jmine Consulting, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, recording or otherwise copied for public or private use without the prior written permission of the author. This publication is […]

Four Season(ings): Celebrity Chefs Share Flavors of Lunar New Year

Ming Tsai, Romy Dorotan, Tru Lang, and Ming Cao Serve Up Holiday Memories, Favorite Dishes The Lunar New Year kicks off Feb. 10. It’s the Year of the Dragon, which will mark continued power, nobility, honor, luck, and success, according to the traditional Chinese zodiac. The dragon is the fifth of the twelve year cycle of animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Festivities in Boston and around the world will feature family, […]

The Devastating Impact of Gun Violence Upon Victims and Loved Ones: But New Data Points to Positive Trend in Human Behavior

Year-end prognisticators and ruminators spent the last few weeks of 2023 compiling and discussing their “best of” lists in newspaper articles, podcasts, and news programs. An unfortunate record broken by early December 2023 was the record-breaking 636 mass shootings, resulting in at least 2500 deaths. As noted in The Daytona Beach Journal, 2023 was the second bloodiest year since 2021, when 690 mass shootings were reported. “Mass” shootings are defined as 4 or more people, which makes the “smaller” homicidal […]

Representation, Discrimination, and Stereotypes in Ballet

The classical art form of ballet that we know today was established in 18th century Europe. Many different countries such as Russia, France, Italy, and Germany, developed their own style of ballet that corresponded with the influences of the time. Around the 20th century, the art form spread across the world and widely retained the European style choreography until recently. In the United States, more and more companies are straying away from pure Eurocentric traditions and incorporating more diverse cultural […]

“Objects of Addiction” Exhibit Confronts America’s Profiteering in China’s Opium Wars

At the entrance to “Objects of Addiction” , a new exhibit at the Harvard Art Museums, is displayed, front and center, a very large opium smoking pipe. Its size and elaborate design indicate that it was not a commoner’s opium pipe. This piece, being chosen as the front facing display of the exhibition, speaks to the widespread use of opium in China during the Opium War period and the powerfully consuming and destructive nature of this addiction. The Opium Wars […]

Real Women Have Curves Premieres in a Funny, Poignant, and Memorable Musical

The American Repertory Theater has another big hit in the making with Real Women Have Curves: The Musical! (Book by Lisa Loomer, additional material by Nell Benjamin. The show opened recently to excited crowds and is introducing a new generation of people to the story of big dreamer, Ana Garcia. The musical is significantly different from the 2002 award-winning film (Josefina Lopez and George Lavoo’s screenplay based on the play by Josefina Lopez) in all the right ways. Aside from […]

Boston’s Vietnamese Community largely invisible in the news, civic leaders say Advocates point to lack of political representation, Asian journalists, vocal leaders

This story was reported and written by Boston University students Mitch Fink, Frankie Puleo, Audrey Tumbarello and Ella Willis. The students were participants in the Fall 2023 Race and Gender in the Media Class in the College of Communications. Photos are by Mitch Fink. The Vietnamese-American community has long been a thriving force in Fields Corner. They have raised families, built businesses and transformed a busy Dorchester Avenue stretch into Little Saigon, rich with cultural experiences. But aside from cuisine […]

Chinatown YMCA Supports Migrant Families in Boston

In the heart of Boston, where the city’s vibrant tapestry is woven with threads of diverse cultures, the migrant situation emerges as a narrative embodying the hopes, struggles, and resilience of those who have journeyed great distances in pursuit of a better life. At the forefront of this story is the Chinatown YMCA’s Migrant Support Program, integral to the city’s response to the challenges faced by migrants. Boston, historically shaped by waves of immigration, witnesses a resurgence of its immigrant […]

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