NextGen Journalists
22 March 2010
Freedom of Information in Hong Kong
24 March 2010

April 13: A History of Chinese in America

Filmmaker Nancy Tong and cultural critic Ang Sze Wei will co-present a talk on the history of Chinese people in America on Tuesday, April 13 at the Agnès b. CINEMA! at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.

Nancy Tong is a visiting associate professor at the JMSC where she teaches documentary film history and production. She splits her time between New York and Hong Kong.

Personal Stories: A History of Chinese in America will be a screening of seven video segments written by prominent Chinese American authors and playwrights followed by a discussion. The videos are currently installed at the newly-opened Museum of Chinese in America in New York.  Each video highlights early Chinese American immigrant life and how U.S. discriminatory laws shaped these personal stories.

The speakers will explain the creative process that went into producing these clips, how they were historically important and why they continue to resonate in the present day.

Nancy Tong has been making documentaries for more than 30 years, and her work has been screened at international film festivals and broadcast on HBO, PBS and European TV stations.

Sze Wei Ang teaches globalization, literary ethics and the intersections of history and fiction at the University of Hong Kong. She was previously a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Comparative Literature at UCLA and received her doctorate from Cornell University.

The event is presented by the Asia Society Hong Kong Chapter.

There are some free tickets for JMSC students on a first come, first served basis. Sign up at hk@asiasoc.org and mention it is for event Personal Stories: A History of Chinese in America.

Date: Tuesday, April 13

Time: registration 6.30pm; screening and discussion 7 pm.
Cost: $100 for Asia Society members/full time students. $150 for non-members (members get priority)