Artist
Yi Chen
Title
Chinatown
Date2014
MediumVideo
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2016.005
ClassificationsVideo Arts
Locations
Currently Not on View
DescriptionAs Chinatowns across the country are experiencing gentrification, just over 300 Chinese American residents remain in Washington, D.C.’s historic Chinatown after undergoing drastic development and rising property values since the early 1970s. Most of them are seniors living in the Wah Luck House, a building of affordable housing units, and have been pushing for the right to remain in the neighborhood.
The film follows a retired nurse as she advocates for affordable housing and a Chinese grocery store in DC Chinatown. A Taishan immigrant leads the Wah Luck House Tenants Association’s fight for tenant rights. A martial arts teacher from Hong Kong keeps the culture heritage alive through traditional Chinese martial arts and lion dance. Through the stories of three residents and their activism, the documentary takes an intimate look at the past, present and future of a changing neighborhood from the perspective of its underrepresented immigrant community.
Just like when the 1960s Civil Rights Movement inspired many Chinese Americans into action, today’s D.C. Chinatown community has overcome the political and cultural isolation and reached out to nonprofit and legal organizations for education and representation in their on-going activism for equality and justice. The film also sparks the important conversation of what the future will hold for Chinatowns across North America.
Nate Langston Palmer
