Lorraine Dong self-published her family’s history in 1976 as a Christmas present only for the eyes of her family. Six years later, she wrote a narration for her brother, Arthur Dong, who was finishing his senior film project that was based on their mother’s life. In 1984, that film, Sewing Woman, became the first Asian […]

This Zoom talk will be part 1 of a two part talk on the evolution and dating of Chinese rank badges and will feature some of finest examples of Chinese textile art.  David Hugus's past talks on the civil service examination process and how to identify the birds and animals can be seen of You […]

Discover the depth and variety of the CHSSC archives.

In response to a growing need for access to our collections, CHSSC has introduced several digital initiatives that boost our online presence and make our library, archives, and other materials visible to a global audience. Through these efforts, we can present our histories in new, exciting ways and communicate knowledge of Chinese American heritage on a much wider scale.

China Society's March Zoom program will be Chinese rank badges from the Daoguang period to post Imperial era. Badges from this period (1821-early twentieth century) are of great interest because they are the ones that form the majority of badges in private and most museum collections, and other than modern reproductions, the most likely to […]

On Sunday, March 20th@10:00 a.m. PDT, we will welcome lecturers Steven Less and Hannah-Lea Wasserfuhr, who will give a talk as part of our Jewish People in China mini-series.  Their lecture, titled Visualizing the Past: John Less' Depictions of his Holocaust Refuge in Shanghai, will feature discussants Rachel Stern (Fritz Ascher Society) and Esther Benjamin Shifren (author).  Bob Stein […]

From South China to the American West the tradition of respecting the ancestors was carried out during the Qingming (Bright and Clear) Festival during which time the ancestors are remembered, the tomb is swept, and food offerings are made.  The fourth century B.C. philosopher, Confucius, stressed the importance of performing the proper rituals.  The preparation […]

Our community partner, the Chinese American Museum, is bringing back their series, “An Untold Past.” They’ve partnered with the new Chinese Canadian Museum of British Columbia (CCM) to explore the history and changing population of Chinese in Canada! Join the conversation on Tuesday, April 19th from 5 - 6:30pm PDT. The discussion features Henry Yu, […]

On Saturday, April 23rd@10:00 a.m. PDT, we are honored to host Ambassador Elena Wachong, who will provide a talk focused on the global barriers to finding Chinese diaspora family roots for non-Chinese speakers.  Ambassador Wachong will be joined by discussant, Dr. Lai Sai Acon (University of Costa Rica).  Dr. Judith Rubenstein (Granite Hills Press) will offer a […]

This talk will offer historical perspective on anti-Asian violence in America and their connections to events far from the formal borders.

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Where are the hairpins that your grandmother and great grandmother used and loved? They might be in our speaker's virtual museum collection of over a thousand pins. Through the efforts of Cheri Hunter of Textile Museum Associates of Southern California, we have a summer bonus program. Often it takes an enthusiastic collector who takes the next […]

Join us for our 10th annual Yosemite Sing Peak Pilgrimage. Due to the fires near Wawona, this year's pilgrimage will be