Tag: Chinatowns

Chinatown Face-off: Mandarin vs. Cantonese

Until recently, Cantonese dominated the conversation in Chinatowns around North America. Now “Mandarin is pushing into Chinatown’s heart,” writes Kirk Semple. He writes:

The change can be heard in the neighborhood’s lively restaurants and solemn church services, in parks, street markets and language schools. It has been accelerated by Chinese-American parents, including many who speak Cantonese at home, as they press their children to learn Mandarin for the advantages it could bring as China’s influence grows in the world.


Chinatowns: A Reminder ‘You Don’t Have to go Far From Home to Really Take Off in America’

After her interview with “American Chinatown” author Bonnie Tsui for World Hum, Jenna Schnuer reflects on the Chinatowns in her life and how they’ve shaped her. She writes: “[U]nlike Tsui, whose trips to Chinatown offered a chance to connect with her family and heritage, mine have always been a chance to experience something, well, other.”


Interview with Bonnie Tsui: ‘American Chinatown’

Bonnie Tsui, American Chinatowns Photo by Matthew Elliott

Jenna Schnuer talks to the author of a new book about American Chinatowns and why "broken Chinese is the mark of being Chinese American"

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‘American Chinatown’ in Photos

‘American Chinatown’ in Photos Photo by d'n'c' via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo by d’n'c’ via Flickr (Creative Commons)

To mark the release of Bonnie Tsui’s American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods, the Book Bench has a short, worthwhile slideshow.


How to Ring In an Ox Year

chinese new year of the ox Photo by bfishadow via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Photo by bfishadow via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Today, millions of Chinese usher in the Year of the Ox by lighting firecrackers, handing out cash-filled red envelopes, feasting on whole fish and texting friends, “Happy Niu Year,” a play on the Mandarin word for “ox,” pronounced “niu.” Me? I’m feeling nostalgic for my old flat in Taipei’s Muzha district, the sound of motor scooters buzzing until midnight, and the raucous atmosphere of Taiwan’s temples, where thousands will pray this week for an auspicious year ahead.

In mainland China, it’s a different story. The holiday period sees the world’s largest annual human migration, making travel a nightmare for those trying to negotiate packed trains and sold-out flights (in fact, most China-based expats leave the country this week). But there are plenty of parties to be had elsewhere, in Chinatowns across the world. So if you’re jonesing for a Chinese culture fix, check out CNN’s round-up of celebrations here.

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Watching for the City Limits

New York City from above REUTERS/Jason Reed

The sight of the New York City skyline used to transfix Emma Jacobs -- until routine dulled her senses.

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