March 2024 Program

Asparagus Opera follows a Chinese farming family in the San Fernando Valley navigate the storms of Chinese Exclusion and the inner landscape of changing identities brewing among its members, a combination that threatens to blow apart the family on two continents. The resilience of father and son immigrants in their decades battle to find a place for the family in American society is witnessed by Soo-Yin Jue whose grandfather arrived from Guangdong, China, in 1874, and whose father emigrated in 1918 at the age of thirteen. It is also a lyrical and moving portrait of the Valley as a hub of fine produce for Los Angeles’ export markets, especially during World War II. And it was made possible by the hard-working spirit of Chinese and Japanese farmers.

Speaker Bio:

Soo-Yin Jue is a second-generation Chinese American who grew up on a thriving asparagus ranch located in Van Nuys, California, on which workers came from multi-ethnic backgrounds. Growing up in this rich environment, she developed a keen interest in the history of Chinese in America, the transnational history of her own, and of other immigrant families. Now a retired Human Resources professional, Soo-Yin has been a guest lecturer at museums and at high schools sharing her family’s colorful history. This is her first published book.

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