What's it like for the children of Chinese immigrants in America? How has the country treated them historically? What does it really mean for them to have been called the "model minority"? How have they fought for their rights when they were excluded after all they've given the country? Can there be a link between your trauma and your purpose? Let's watch a short documentary about one woman's trauma turned into passion turned into heroic activism and a beautiful story of human triumph! And let's discuss in depth. This might get emotional.
What does it mean to grow up between worlds, and how do inherited histories shape the emotions we carry into adulthood? How does a community build a life in a place that benefited from its labour yet never fully welcomed it? In this Watch & Talk session, Mai, an emotions coach and a third-culture Chinese person, invites you to sit with these questions as we watch Love, Chinatown, a poignant short documentary that traces the journey of a woman born and raised in Boston’s Chinatown. Her story reveals a community that helped build the city while navigating exclusion, resilience, and the quiet strength required to claim space where belonging was never guaranteed.
In between and after the screening, Mai will guide a deep discussion that goes far beyond the surface. Together, we'll explore the origins and hidden implications of the term “model minority,” and how a phrase often framed as praise is, in reality, a subtle insult that flattens, erases, and harms Chinese people. You’ll also unpack the documentary’s powerful portrait of an activist who transformed personal trauma into courage, advocacy, and a life dedicated to defending the rights and dignity of her community. Expect a conversation that is emotional, insightful, and culturally important, one that leaves you thinking long after the evening ends.
在美国长大的华裔孩子,到底是怎样的处境?这个国家曾经如何对待他们?所谓的“模范少数族裔”到底意味着什么?明明为这个国家做了那么多,却仍在被排斥,他们又是怎么争取自己的权益的?创伤和使命之间,真的会有联系吗?让我们一起看一部关于一位女性如何把创伤变成热情、再变成行动力的短纪录片,一段非常动人的华人故事。之后我们会深入聊聊,其中可能会有些情绪激动的瞬间。
在这场 Watch & Talk 活动里,Mai——一位情绪教练、也是一个典型的“第三文化”华人——会带我们一起思考:在两种文化之间长大意味着什么?我们继承的历史又如何塑造我们成年后的情绪?一群人如何在一个靠他们劳动成长的地方建立生活,却从未被真正欢迎?纪录片《爱,唐人街》(Love, Chinatown)讲述了一个在波士顿唐人街出生、长大的女性,透过她的故事,可以看见一个社区在排斥与抗争中,如何努力让自己“有位置”。
影片中和观影后,Mai都会引导大家深入讨论。我们会聊“模范少数族裔”这个词从哪里来、话里有哪些隐性伤害,以及为什么这个看似夸赞的标签,其实是一种削弱、扁平化、甚至伤害华人的方式。我们也会探讨片中那位女性如何把自己的创伤转化成勇气、倡导,以及为社区权益奋斗的力量。这将是一场有情绪、有洞察、也非常有文化意义的对话,会让你在结束后久久回味。