“Pushing Hands: Tai Chi in Chinatown Draws Both Young and Old”

May, 28, 2016 – Hoodline

Visit Chinatown in the early morning, and you’ll may come across Chinese elders stepping through the graceful and deliberate movements of tai chi in Portsmouth Square or Washington Square Park. But despite its reputation as a popular activity for the elderly, this Chinese martial art is enjoyed by both young and old folks alike.

Originating in traditional Taoist and Confucian philosophies, the internal martial art of tai chi today includes five schools based on variations of a parent style founded in Chen Village in China’s Henan Province in the 17th century.

“From a hang-up to a cultural phenomenon: Jim Wong-Chu on Asian Canadian literature”

Apr. 16, 2016 – The Georgia Straight

From a hang-up to a cultural phenomenon, Ricepaper founder Jim Wong Chu talks about the rise of Asian-Canadian literature, and his part in its history

Put up or shut up: Ricepaper magazine founder Jim Wong-Chu discusses the rise of Asian-Canadian literature.PHOTO BY NIKKI CELIS, 2016

Step into your local bookstore and you can find the names of Asian-Canadian writers shelved beside their literary peers.

 

Writers such as Bharati Mukherjee (now American), Terry Woo, Wayson Choy, Larissa Lai, Madeleine Thien, Rohinton Mistry, and Anita Rau Badami can be found alongside the likes of Joseph Boyden, Alice Munro, and Margaret Atwood. More than 20 years ago, Asian-Canadian literature wasn’t as prominent as it is today. In reality, it was still in its infancy: born out of growing frustration and the need for expression.

“The Dichotomy of Identity: Jim Wong-Chu”

Apr. 13, 2016 – The Georgia Straight (Video)

Asian-Canadian literature pioneer talks about the ongoing struggle of identity in this short-doc

For minorities in North America, the divide between racial identity and cultural identity has always been an issue. What makes someone Canadian (or American)? What does it mean for someone to feel out of place in a country that he or she should consider home?

In this Straight short-doc, Vancouver poet, author, and editor Jim Wong-Chu explains how the experience of alienation is much stronger for those who were born into a Canadian minority community than for those who have immigrated here.