2013.022.004 Oral History Interview with Henry Chang

 

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.

0:00 - Introduction, background, where his family is from, describes a photograph of his family from the 1960s, growing up with a bicultural childhood.

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9:18 - Moving to Chinatown when he was five, getting an apartment in Chinatown, the photograph he brought of his family, the occupations his parents had, the civil rights movement, Yellow Pearl, hearing about Yellow Pearl for the first time.

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16:18 - Getting featured in Yellow Pearl, the relationship Tomie Arai and Henry Chang had working together, touchstone objects, process of noting down ideas as a writer.

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23:32 - Discussion of his copy of Yellow Pearl, being proud of Yellow Pearl, poem he wrote for Yellow Pearl, pushing against stereotypes, changes during the civil rights movement, various gangs in Chinatown in the 1960s and 1970s.

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32:00 - The violence in Chinatown, the process of documenting these stories, writing short stories and books, putting the history of Chinatown into his books.

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38:48 - The progression of Asian Americans, getting the opportunity to publish books, what he wishes to see in archives to preserve community history, the significance of the fortune cookies music group.

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46:39 - How Chinatown and Manhattan are changing, the families that have lived in Chinatown for many years, what his portrait would look like, grandpas as his location for his portrait, discussion of grandpas or golden star bar and grill, grandpas as a setting in his books.

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