Abstract Both Chester and Michael are extremely active in the Chinatown community. Michael heads the nonprofit group Apex and is a community leader in Chinatown. Chester has also worked with many nonprofits and believes it is important for people to share their gifts and help others. He views giving as a habit formed slowly over time that can have a large impact on various organizations. Michael attributes his inspiration in nonprofit work to witnessing his parents work in the community and his own...

Abstract Dr. Fred Hu is a renowned Chinese economist who obtained his PhD in Economics from Harvard University and now runs Primavera Capital Group, his own capital investment firm. Today, he speaks to us about his childhood in the 1970s during Mao culturally repressive programs of Mao, his ascension to university right after the reopening of the higher education system and studying abroad at Harvard University in the 1980s. He then expands on his career choice in Economics and talks about his time...

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In this interview, Tina and John Yuan share the journey of their families from China to Taiwan, where they were born, to the US, where they met and built their own family. They mention their parents’ experiences in China, their early childhood in Taiwan, culture shocks when migrating to the US during the 1970s, adolescent school years, the encounters of Chinese communities, and fostering their son as a Chinese American.

Abstract Long-time MOCA supporter and board member June Jee talks about her grandparents and her early life growing up in Hong Kong. After moving to the US in 1964 she discusses growing up in New York’s Chinatown and her family life in the US. She explores instances of racism and her brushes with the Chinatown gangs. She also talks about her career working at Verizon and her community engagement efforts. The conversation is concluded with her discussing her philanthropic efforts and how she sees the...

Abstract Lucy Kan sits down with MOCA to discuss her family’s journey from China, then to Peru, and eventually to the United States. She discusses her grandfather’s beginning in the Peru and the shop he owned there, and then how her father eventually moved back to China to start his family. Lucy describes growing up trilingual in Peru, speaking Chinese at home, Spanish with her classmates, and doing her homework in English. She discusses being one of the few Chinese people living in her community in...

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Margaret Lam, MOCA 8th Annual Celebration of Community Heroes Honoree in 2019, distinguished philanthropist and Vice President of the New Jersey Chinese-American Chamber of Commerce. Margaret talks about growing up in Hong Kong and her journey to the US. She goes on to discuss her assimilation into American culture and how she went about bringing together the NJ Chinese community.

Abstract For over forty-five years, Ming Cho Lee has served on the faculty at Yale School of Drama, including as the co-chair of the design department. As a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2002 and the Tony award for lifetime achievement in 2013, Ming Cho Lee is one of the most acclaimed living set designers in the U.S. He is originally from Shanghai but moved to Hong Kong during his childhood, and went to the United States to attend Occidental College in 1949. He then attended UCLA and...

Abstract Mynoon F. Doro, born in Kaohsiung Taiwan, immigrated to Bay Ridge Brooklyn as a junior in high school with her family. She begins by sharing her experience with the English school system and the discrimination she faced when applying to college. Despite her guidance counselor’s doubts, Mynoon and her brother gained admission to Columbia University where they both majored in engineering. She continues her story where she attends graduate school at Yale and begins working abroad for AT&T....

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Rita and Patrick Lee are first-generation Chinese Americans. In this interview, they address memories including Patrick’s journey from Hong Kong to America, the development of Patrick’s financial career, his business philosophy, their parenting philosophy, and their Chinese identity. They also bring family photos to the interview and give a short description to each of them.

Abstract Richard Wong, later changed to Richard Ong, was born to a paper son who later became naturalized through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. His mother was able to come to America through the War Brides Act of 1945. His family eventually settled in a suburb in East Rockaway New York, where they worked and lived in and behind a laundromat. Richard became a Catholic during his childhood years. He later went on to attend Princeton, describing his suburban upbringing as an experience...