Anne Ho is a longtime resident of Chinatown in New York City. Ho reflects on how her family moved to the United States and her early childhood growing up in Chinatown. She discusses the garment factory her mother worked at along with her daily routine living in Chinatown. She continues the discussion of garment factories by stating their importance of Chinatown during her childhood along with how Chinatown has changed overall. She then goes to discuss the development of Confucius Plaza and the types of people that lived there. Ho predicts how Chinatown will change in the future. She shares a story of going back to China and meeting her family. Lastly, she states the subjects that should be included in exhibitions and museum archives.

In this oral history Don Kao discusses his life living in Chinatown along with his involvement in Asian American and gay rights activism organizations. Kao first discusses his family background along with the professions his parents had. He compares the different cities he grew up in along with the schools he went to during his childhood. The interview continues as Kao comments on the racism in the community he grew up in along with meeting other Chinese Americans. His experiences during the gay rights movement, being among individuals of the gay community, and other collaborating with Asian Americans is discussed in depth. Lastly the interview concludes with Kao reflecting on living with HIV and AIDS along with others he knew in the gay community that contracted these infections.

Henry Chang is a detective novel author and was born and raised in New York City Chinatown. In this oral history he shares a background of his family history along with when he came to Chinatown. Chang was involved in the creation of Yellow Pearl along with the civil rights movement. Chang discusses the significance Yellow Pearl has on his life along with a poem he wrote for the publication. He recounts on the ways he documented the history of Chinatown and the process of putting this history into his books. Lastly, he discusses the ways Chinatown is changing along with his favorite restaurant Grandpas.

Marcella Dear, a longtime friend of MOCA and a generous donor of over 900 objects, joins us to discuss her exciting life and her memories of Chinatown. Marcella goes into depth about many of the objects she donated, and discusses not only their significance as sentimental objects but also how these objects were used in their original setting, at the Rice Bowl restaurant on Mott Street. Marcellas father founded the Rice Bowl, and she discusses her childhood growing up in and around the restaurant. She fondly remembers her regular clients, who came to feel like family to her over the years. She talks about her father and his eminent role within the community, both when she was growing up and afterwards. She remembers how he wanted to build a museum to house all of his collections and to share cultural treasures with the Chinatown community. She talks about how Chinatown has changed, and about how the immigrant experience has also changed. She discusses the importance of the neighborhood associations in helping new immigrants with paperwork in English and by helping them acclimate to life in the U.S. Marcella talks about her life as a young person, going to college at NYU and having parties and socials for the Chinese students at NYU and the neighboring city schools. Marcella briefly discusses the gang wars and the impact this had on the neighborhood. She ends her interview talking about memorable places in Chinatown and what they mean to her.

Husband and wife Daniel Carter and Marilyn Sontag sit down with Tomie Arai to discuss their lives living at 218 Centre Street, and all of the changes in the neighborhood that they have watched since they moved in in 1970. They begin by discussing their lives prior to their move to New York City, and how they found their apartment, which was actually designated as an artist residence, through word of mouth. Marilyn is a visual artist, and Daniel is a composer and musician. The couple discuss the changing borders of Chinatown over the years, and they describe the location of their residence as right on the border between what is left of Little Italy and Chinatown. When Marilyn and Daniel elaborate on the changes in Chinatown through the years, they stress that the main change is the expansion of Chinatown. They share anecdotes from their life in the seventies and share stories behind artifacts that they kept for sentimental reasons, such as old street signs, a piece of cast iron from their building after a remodel, and photographs, among other treasures. They discuss what it has been like to be a part of the Chinatown community peripherally, and they share many anecdotes about their life together living in the same place for 45 years.

In this oral history husband and wife Tom and Pamela Lee share their experiences living and working in New York Chinatown. Tom and Pamela discuss their childhoods and how they came to live in New York. They both reflect on working at the butcher shop owned by his family. Tom also discusses the farm his father operated along with the tasks his mother completed at their family business. The couple also contemplates how Chinatown has changed over many decades and the cultural differences each generation of Chinese Americans experience.

Tomie Arai and Janice Lau sit down with Wing Lee to discuss his life and his experience growing up in and around New York Citys Chinatown in the 60s through the 80s. Wing talks about what it was like as a kid being raised in the US with Chinese parents, and growing up on the streets of Chinatown. He talks about the schools he went to in the area, and all the spots the neighborhood kids used to hang out. Later on in his late teenage years, he describes the experience at a popular neighborhood bar called Grandpas. Wing describes the atmosphere at Grandpas, the regulars there, and how he was eventually asked to design a t-shirt for the bar as well as a large mirror to hang in the space. He touches on the gang presence in Chinatown in the 70s, and describes the changes he has seen in the neighborhood since his youth. He feels hopeful for the future of Chinatown and believes that the quality of life has improved for your average Chinatown resident. He is excited that the area is now taken seriously politically and that Chinatown has Asian and Chinese representation within the city government. Wing is an artist, and he is excited to see the museum documenting this important community history.

Jeannie Lee Jackson is a Chinese American and native New Yorker. She recounts the origins of her seemingly unusual surname for her ethnicity. She recalls her childhood in Brooklyn, growing up as the only Chinese person in her school, working in the family laundry business, and the role Manhattan Chinatown played in her life. As a former member of the Ging Hawk Club, she remembers the social activities she engaged in and how it led to her serendipitous meeting of her husband. Jeannie chronicles raising her children whilst moving to various neighborhoods throughout the city and the change in demographics, affluence, and challenges to the economy. She details effects of crime due to gang activities during the 1970s. She describes starting the Chinese American Lioness Club and how the service organization improved the social welfare, public safety, and health care amongst senior citizens. She recalls the momentous events of September 11th and its impact on the city but specifically Manhattan Chinatown. She describes the confusion, fear, and how the neighborhood came together in its aftermath.

Jeannie Lee Jackson is a Chinese American and native New Yorker. She recounts the origins of her seemingly unusual surname for her ethnicity. She recalls her childhood in Brooklyn, growing up as the only Chinese person in her school, working in the family laundry business, and the role Manhattan Chinatown played in her life. As a former member of the Ging Hawk Club, she remembers the social activities she engaged in and how it led to her serendipitous meeting of her husband. Jeannie chronicles raising her children whilst moving to various neighborhoods throughout the city and the change in demographics, affluence, and challenges to the economy. She details effects of crime due to gang activities during the 1970s. She describes starting the Chinese American Lioness Club and how the service organization improved the social welfare, public safety, and health care amongst senior citizens. She recalls the momentous events of September 11th and its impact on the city but specifically Manhattan Chinatown. She describes the confusion, fear, and how the neighborhood came together in its aftermath.

Jeannie Lee Jackson is a Chinese American and native New Yorker. She recounts the origins of her seemingly unusual surname for her ethnicity. She recalls her childhood in Brooklyn, growing up as the only Chinese person in her school, working in the family laundry business, and the role Manhattan Chinatown played in her life. As a former member of the Ging Hawk Club, she remembers the social activities she engaged in and how it led to her serendipitous meeting of her husband. Jeannie chronicles raising her children whilst moving to various neighborhoods throughout the city and the change in demographics, affluence, and challenges to the economy. She details effects of crime due to gang activities during the 1970s. She describes starting the Chinese American Lioness Club and how the service organization improved the social welfare, public safety, and health care amongst senior citizens. She recalls the momentous events of September 11th and its impact on the city but specifically Manhattan Chinatown. She describes the confusion, fear, and how the neighborhood came together in its aftermath.