Spotlight Archive

“A Memories Chase” With Timothy Den of Ohvaur

By
Guest Contributor
Date: April 28, 2013Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags: , , , , , , , , ,
“A Memories Chase” With Timothy Den of Ohvaur

What’s your story? It’s the simplest of questions with the most complex of answers guaranteed. For many Asian Americans, the answer begins with our parents emboldened by the pipe dream of a better life for themselves and their family. The roads leading towards this dream were tumultuous for so many generations preceding us, wrought with unfathomable hardships and obstacles.  For Timothy Den of the Chicago and Miami-based independent band, Ohvaur, these roads were a reality he experienced first hand. The truth is, such roads and journeys are never ending and have everything to do with our personal ongoing stories. With Ohvaur’s newest record “A Memories Chase”, Den looked to the past, present, and future for inspiration, how he remembered the past, how he experiences the present, and how he hopes for the future. I spoke with Den to try and gather some further insight into his incredible story and how it lead to “A Memories Chase”.

Listen to “A Memories Chase”

Read Timothy’s Open Letter

Andrew: As I was reading the open letter you posted accompanying the album, I frankly had difficulty pinpointing you geographically throughout the whole story. How did such a whirlwind experience affect who you are today?

Timothy: Moving around so much as a kid was really a jarring experience, but it’s made me adaptable. I feel like I can adapt to any scenario or circumstance just because I’ve done it all my life. I don’t know what it’s like being in one place at all. i get restless and curious.

A: So how did you find time to incorporate music into your life amidst all that?

T: As a kid, I did nothing else, I didn’t care about school. Even as I was entering college at Boston University, I still didn’t care. By the time I was a junior, I was touring and missing classes. I loved going to school, but I was really just a hoodlum kid from Miami, real typical Miami scumbag. I really credit Boston for turning me into a decent person but I learned far more from being in a touring band than in school. I saw the country. That process itself is a challenge, you forgo your friends, your family, and any sense of stability. Your life belongs to the road.

After doing that for so long, I got burnt out on it real bad. I didn’t find stability until I moved to Chicago. I chose stability, I chose to be in love. It was freeing in a way, because if you’re doing music professionally, how well it’s received has a great influence on you. Music became something I could do purely. It was super freeing to do whatever the hell I wanted at my own pace.

With the “Asian mindset”, in my opinion, you could be good at anything as long as you try hard. I’ll do what it takes to make money as long as I can make my art pure. Even in terms of writing, when you’re young there’s so many in the moment things you can write about. Now in my mid thirties it’s become more of a struggle. What do you write about? What else is there to say? That comes into play when I write music now.

Especially these days, I’m finding less and less time to do music. When we started Ohvaur, we didn’t really know how we would pull it off. Half the band are traditional rock musicians and the other half are more on the electronic side. With this project, I was at a place in my life where I didn’t want a fully committed band. With my last band, we all worked terrible jobs and toured for months at a time, doing press, and doing interviews. I just really wanted to get out of that cycle.

At the time of starting Ohvaur, I had moved to Chicago, started my own business, and met my wife, so the band had taken a much more hands-off approach. We got together when we had time, so it took forever for us to figure out what we were doing, how the sounds would mesh together. Once we figured out the technical aspect is when I started focusing on the music, albeit on my own time. I was spending half the year in South America working with my father and the other half in Chicago. So I’d work a full time job all week long, an then lock myself in a room on weekends and just make music. Build up the tracks and then send the files to the guys. It was a super international process. The electronic guys live in Miami. We’d send stuff back to each other while I was in Peru, and when I got back to Chicago I’d rerecord with the guys here as demos. It was a whole two years of just doing that. Since the album’s been done, especially with a new son, I just haven’t even had time to touch music.

A: So do you feel that this new record serves as a summation of your journey thus far, encompassing your music, touring, traveling, and conflicting cultures?

T: I really do. It’s a summation and a closing of something I’ve carried with me for 20 years. I have plans to keep making music, but I’m not surprised if this is the last thing I do. What more do I have to say right now musically? That’s on my mind all the time. If I’m going to create something, I want it be something worth creating with something substantial to say.

A: What purpose does the album serve for you? Is it closure? Tribute? Remembrance?

T: It’s exactly all of those things. It’s documenting, it’s sharing something that’s bizarre. Lots of people are multicultural, but I have yet to meet a person that mirrors my experience. It’s rarely such a combination of three cultures. There’s a song on the album called “Not one single part”. There’s a line that says “two thirds outsider, one part lie”. In any contact I find myself in regarding culture, that’s generally how I’ve been perceived. My face is Taiwanese, I’m six-foot-three, two-hundred pounds, and I obviously don’t fit the general mold. My grandparents were all northern Chinese and came to Taiwan after the Communist take over. I barely have any pure Taiwanese blood. My other cultures also play into it. In Peru, my sense of humor and the way I speak Spanish is very Latin-American. I was a six foot tall Taiwanese guy in a sea of Amerindians. Here in the Midwest, it’s a whole another story too, with people presuming who you really are and what your identity is in relation to other Americans here. With all those things blended together, it’s like I’m always out of context wherever I am. But all of those things are huge parts of me, yet it’s never that simple. Each culture comes with its own expectations. I never fall into any category easily.

A: At the same time, I feel like having these multiple aspects of identity is in a sense, a privilege, something that I value greatly. Especially considering that my being here, was the result of years and years of struggle at the hands of my parents and their predecessors.  I think it’s a bit difficult for some people to grasp the concept of a multifaceted identity.

T: Absolutely, what really motivates me are the people that came before me. In my open letter, both sets of my grandparents went through unbelievable hell to get out of China and start over in Taiwan. My father moved to South America without speaking a single word of Spanish. He slept on park benches to save a single American dollar. Looking back on their struggles, it’s like what I have I ever done that is even close to that? How could I complain about anything? What do I think is hardship? I constantly keep that in the back of my mind. It’s a reoccurring Asian theme, facing insurmountable hardships but just gritting your teeth and pushing through it.

A: At what point in the writing process did you realize that this was a story you had to tell?

T: The whole issue of identity is something I’ve always grappled with. Back in my college days is when I really started thinking that I wanted to tell the story of me and my family’s tumultuous journey. But as a 19 year old, I really couldn’t trust myself to do it. I felt that it would come off overly cheesy or melodramatic. I kept putting it off, but it would slowly show up in a lot of the things I was writing at the time.

For “A Memories Chase” one of the guys in the bad had come up with the title, and it resonated with me. At the time, I finally started becoming comfortable going back to places from my past such as South America or Taiwan. By that point, after nearly 20 years away, being back almost seemed like a fuzzy dream.I was in my thirties going back to places I hadn’t been since I was a child thinking I would remember all these specific things, but did I really have those memories? It’s like I had created a mental picture for myself so I had something to hang onto, instead of it washing away with time. To walk the same streets as I did 20 years ago, it hit me. These memories are real. I lived here at one point in time. It was the smells, the noises, the humidity, the traffic, sensations so specific you couldn’t just replicate that anywhere. All of those leftover feelings made their way into the song, all those places you once called home.  Even though they no longer resemble the memories you previously had, they’re still very much a part of you.

With “Tracks in America”, I wanted it to have the feel of a chain gang, like migrant workers on railroad tracks. As cheesy as it may sound, our immigrant parents came here to lay their tracks for those that follow. It  was kind of a starting point for the story, the commonality of immigration throughout history.  I’m not an expert on human migration, but I can at least tell what I know. It morphed into a mission statement of my experiences and stories. At a certain point, it dawned on me that this was shaping into the story that I’d always wanted to tell. It was finally the right time for me.  Initially I was really really worried about doing it, but I just had to think, now or never.

A: Is there a lasting message that you want to get across with the record?

T: I would hope that the record resonates with people of multicultural ethnicity, and to those who aren’t, at least try to offer some sort of glimpse into that existence.There’s all these questions at the emotional core of the album. What does home mean to you? What is your identity? What makes you feel like you belong and why? Do you feel like you’re American/Asian-American? What does that further mean? These are all questions that I constantly ask myself. I’m all these different things, but what does that mean? How does that define me? What can I call home? How did you get to that home? For so many here in America, they left their homes to come here and at a certain point, you have to realize this is your new home. How do you define home? and how does that home define you?

A: And you end off the album with “Home”. Tell me about that particular track.

T: There’s a lyric in the song. “I’ve spent years struggling to reclaim places that I called home. Then I will never belong because my home will always be with you” It addresses all these questions. Can I be more American? Can I be more Taiwanese? Can I be more South American? What can I do to feel more at home in these different cultures? That track is like my own declaration. Start your own chapter, start your own history. Don’t look back so much because at some point you have to start your own journey. You can become the starting point for your next generation. For me, that song is about my wife. It doesn’t really matter where I came from or where I belong, or what culture I came from. This person is my home and where I belong, and she makes me whole. That song closes out the album specifically for that reason. Despite all these questions, I’ve finally found a home in my wife and my child.

Andrew Lo relocated to the Midwest from Los Angeles and currently resides in the windy city of Chicago. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. He is a self-described music obsessive and spends much of his time creating and consuming anything music related.

An Interview with Julie Wu, Author of The Third Son

By
Anna
Date: April 23, 2013Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags: , , , , , , ,
An Interview with Julie Wu, Author of The Third Son

Author Julie Wu has crafted a beautiful story in her debut novel The Third Son. It’s a compelling tale of a boy named Saburo set against the backdrop of occupied Taiwan and America at the dawn of the space age. TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s editorial director Anna Wu sat down with Julie to talk about the book, her inspirations, and her path to becoming an author.

* * *

Anna Wu: Julie, you have written an absolutely beautiful novel. For our readers who haven’t read the book yet, could you give us a short summary?

Julie Wu: Thank you! The novel is about a young man’s struggle to overcome oppression by family, society, and culture, and how, with the help of the girl he loves, he finally finds the strength to believe in himself and become truly free. It’s set against and echoes the modern history of Taiwan, from the Japanese occupation to the Nationalist takeover, and it’s also the quintessential immigration story, traveling to the US at the dawn of the space age.

A: I am perhaps most impressed by your delicate balance of history versus the emotional journey of the central character Saburo– the core of the novel, really. The Japanese Occupation, 228, and the White Terror period in Taiwan all play out in the background while being intertwined with Saburo’s story. Could you speak a little bit about the history and research that informed your novel?

J: My primary interest in writing really is in writing a great story. I never had any interest in writing a history book, for example. That said, I was amazed by what I did uncover about Taiwan’s history. My parents had told vague stories about the different occupations, but I couldn’t find more information for the longest time. This was due to censorship, of course.

I started finding out more with the advent of the internet. I bought an old copy of George Kerr’s Formosa Betrayed in about 2001 and found a number of other documents online. Since then, the information available has really exploded. But then I still found that people in the West are largely ignorant of Taiwanese history. I find it outrageous that so many people were killed and tortured and incarcerated without anyone knowing, and I did feel it was important to illuminate this part of history, to at least get the ball rolling so that people will start to understand the Taiwanese point of view.

A: I have Formosa Betrayed too! An old library copy since it’s out of print.

J: Same. An old library copy.

A: So let’s back up a little bit. Could you tell us a little bit about what led you to become a writer and how you came to write this novel?

J: I always loved to read, and I did write stories as a child, as many children do. I majored in Literature in college basically because I loved to read, and I didn’t have any other plan than that.

I went to Harvard, and in my Freshman expository writing class my first assignment was to write an autobiographical essay. I wrote what I realize now would be considered creative non-fiction and the teacher pulled me aside to tell me how much she loved it and to suggest that I join the creative writing section instead. I didn’t want to, though, because, being practical, I knew I needed help with essay writing. Later, I wanted to take a short story class but you had to submit something to get in, and I didn’t have anything to submit.

I was, I suppose, too intimidated at Harvard to try writing– [writer] Allegra Goodman lived in my dorm and had already published, and others were already writing novels. I tried writing a couple short stories after college but they were really bad, and it wasn’t until I was about 22 that I had that vision of a little boy in Taiwan–it was so vivid I rushed immediately to write it all down, and that’s when I realized that that was how to write–that it wasn’t just pushing words around, it was about having a vision and really communicating that vision to other people.

A: Had you always known you wanted to write a novel?

When I had that vision of the little boy in Taiwan, my first thought was to write about him. Being young and full of optimism, and having read and enjoyed mostly novels, I immediately embarked on a novel. I didn’t really know what I was doing, though. I quickly became mired in problems for multiple reasons:

One reason was that I realized my plot was really dull. My boy was supposed to be Taiwanese-American, and I wanted his sister to travel back to Taiwan for a funeral, so I asked my parents all kinds of questions about Taiwan and their family background. It immediately became obvious to me that their lives were much more interesting than the plot of my book. That stopped me short, because I didn’t want to write a biography. I wanted to be, you know, Tolstoy.

So, yes, I guess I did always have in mind a novel, because I simply love novels–I love the immersive nature of them. They’re really the original virtual reality programs, made to run on your brain. So in order to write the book I wanted to write, I basically had to grow both personally and as a writer to be able to incorporate the best elements of my parents’ histories into a fully formed novel.

A: So your parents’ story became the inspiration for tthe book. How much of the book is fiction vs. reality in the end?

J: I’m saying that my book is inspired by my parents’ story, but it is not really my parents’ story. The general emotional journey is very much my father’s, but everything else–dialogue, everyday detail, details of the story, details of character, is fictional. Of course, I made every effort to make sure the historical facts were as accurate as possible. I had two different historians read the book to make sure of that.

A: What have your parents said about the book? I assume they have read it?

J: My parents have read multiple drafts of the book, multiple times. It’s impossible for them to have an objective view of it, of course, because it is kind of their story but isn’t really at all, but overall they’re very proud of me for writing it. My father in particular has a very emotional response when he reads it. He also understands why I wrote it as a novel, and appreciates that this way it’s a page turner with broader appeal than it would have been if I’d just stuck to the facts. My parents are also very proud that I have written about February 28th and the White Terror. At first they were afraid there would be repercussions, but I think after a recent visit to Taiwan, they are reassured that there is free speech there now.

A: This is not directly related to the book, but I noticed that you’ve had multiple lives outside being an author. You graduated from Harvard as an undergraduate, you completed medical school at Columbia, and I even saw that you’ve done opera rather seriously in the past. Are you a practicing physician now? Could you round out your bio for us?

J: I am not practicing medicine right now. You’re right that I have done a lot of different things, but not all at the same time. When I was young I played violin quite seriously and wanted to become a violinist, but felt limited by my technical ability–there was no way I would be able to make it as a soloist, and I didn’t relish the idea of being in the middle of an orchestra and worrying about bowing exactly like everyone else. When I started to study voice in college, I didn’t feel those kinds of limitations, and I also loved the aspect of singing that involved interpreting the lyrics. So after college I did enroll at the Indiana University at Bloomington in a Master’s program in vocal performance. I didn’t have the greatest experience there, though, and started feeling, as one of 200 lyric sopranos in the middle of a country that generally hates opera, irrelevant. While I was there I started to write and knew that was what I wanted to do ultimately, but I was afraid that if I pursued an MFA in writing that I would be insulated from life and having nothing to write about.

It was at that point that I went to medical school. I did a residency in internal medicine, and then did primary care for a few years. I really, really enjoyed my patients, but when I had my children I basically had to decide how to allot my time. I really wanted to write my book by then, and I couldn’t personally write, take care of my kids, and practice medicine at the same time, so I stopped practicing medicine.

If you talk to writers you’ll find that a lot of them have tried out multiple careers. It’s part of being curious and being able to imagine yourself in a lot of different people’s shoes, and not feeling fettered to one particular path. It’s also part of being American, I should say. Not too many educational systems in the world other than ours will accept a literature major into med school.

A: That’s pretty incredible! You’ve had great success in being able to pursue many avenues. Just one final question. Has there been a most surprising moment or biggest realization in the process of creating this book?

J: Well, the whole process has been a continuous journey of discovery. But I’ll say there was one moment that hit me, which was when I called my parents from Indiana to interview them and found out that they’d both had brothers who had died young, and they’d never told me or my siblings about them, ever. I think that was the moment that I realized there was a lot more to my parents than I had thought. And indeed, as I asked more later, I found out much more.

The Third Son comes out on April 30, 2013.
 Purchase The Third Son on Amazon
Visit Julie Wu’s author website at http://juliewuauthor.com/

Fashion Trending with Designer Jason Wu

By
Kristina
Date: March 26, 2013Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
Fashion Trending with Designer Jason Wu

Outside of the fashion corners of Paris, Milan, London and New York, it isn’t often that one comes across a Fashion Runway Showcase here in San Francisco, let alone that of acclaimed New York-based Taiwanese Canadian designer, Jason Wu. Honored and ecstatic, Creative/Editorial Director (and professional photographer) Anna Wu and myself attended to cover this fabulous event hosted by the San Francisco Opera Guild and Neiman Marcus – Union Square at the San Francisco City Hall, on behalf of TaiwaneseAmerican.org.

What should we expect? How should I dress? Who would we meet? I had absolutely no idea, but I knew I was in for a pleasant surprise.

Background
I, like many others, have heard of Jason Wu’s success as a designer particularly because Michelle Obama on many occasions chose to wear his designs at big events such as the first and second presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. (Who knows, maybe the First Lady would show up at the fashion show?) With my limited budget, however, I could never afford his high-end designer outfits. But this is what the Fashion Industry is like. Anyone, women or men, can admire the trendy creations, yet only a handful of people are able to obtain what they like.

Perhaps Jason Wu sees and understands this. Through his Jason Wu for Target limited-edition collection of women’s ready-to-wear and accessories in 2012, he sought to make fashion more accessible to the everyday mainstream consumers.

Perhaps this practicality is the influence of his humble Asian-Canadian upbringing. Born in Taipei, Taiwan and brought up by Taiwanese parents, Jason Wu and his family moved to Vancouver, Canada when he was nine, where he began learning how to sew, draft patterns, and sketch in fashion proportions by using dolls as mannequins. At the age of 14, he studied sculpture in Tokyo, Japan and then spent his senior year of high school in Paris, France, where he decided to become a fashion designer. Wu then moved to New York City and enrolled in the prestigious Parsons School of Design.

He often finds inspiration on his travels to Asia, Europe and Latin America, and his designs demonstrate a blend of Asian and Western fashion – “merging American sportswear with old world sophistication and establishing a supremely feminine, modern sensibility.” I couldn’t wait to see what Jason Wu has in store for us at the fashion show!

Arrival
Founder and Director of TaiwaneseAmerican.org, Ho Chie Tsai, accompanied us to City Hall, as we were carrying two bags worth of (heavy) professional photography equipment. Anna and I walked up the front steps of City hall and, taking a deep breath, entered a world of magnificent beauty and glamour.

A blend of natural lighting radiating from the floor-length windows and red spotlights from above filled the large room. The glass crystals on the chandelier in the center of the hall glistened and sparkled every so often. Anna immediately switched to photographer mode and her camera shuttered away – I couldn’t wait to see the beautiful photos she captured!

Reception
While we were admiring the scene around us, servers constantly attended the guests and offered a variety of fancy and delicious appetizers that I couldn’t stop eating: ceviche, apple covered chicken and pistachio, bite-sized tacos, fried zucchini balls, and fried squash balls. Drinks were also provided at every corner, and by the end of it all, my stomach was feeling really guilty.

Mingling with others who arrived early, Anna and I met a couple of media press folks who represented news sites such as World Journal. We were delighted to find a few other Asians and Asian Americans in the large crowd, though they were mostly attending as media.

Perhaps this was a tipping point that signaled a new and interesting dynamic of a growing Asian interest in haute couture. Or was it symbolic of a growing Asian American interest in an Asian success story in a non-traditional field? Or maybe a little bit of both?

Fashion Runway Show
Ten minutes prior to showtime, everyone was ushered into the runway room and took their seats. I took a few minutes to get settled in my seat and snap a few photographs here and there. Suddenly the music faded, the lights dimmed significantly, and a wave of silence filled the room. As quickly as the audience’s silence turned into anticipation for the main event, a blast of rhythmic beats and spotlights filled the room. Beautifully dressed models elegantly made their entrance on to the stage, and the show began.

I was awestruck and absorbed into the beauty and sheer elegance of the runway show. My gaze followed each model as they strut their way down the aisle, posed and showed off Jason Wu’s magnificent designs, and returned to disappear behind the entrance opening.

By no means a fashion connoisseur, I can only attempt at describing the high-fashion event and the amazing designs presented to us. Most of the designs in the beginning of the showcase played with black, white, and different shades of grey. Yet the sudden addition of red and blue onto the runway immediately caught my eye. Even after launching his Jason Wu for Target collection and his contemporary label Miss Wu in January 2013, Jason Wu continues to design amazing outfits that are simple yet elegant, innovative yet conservative. The fashion show was glamorous, just like on TV and in the movies.

Thirty or so outfits later, the show came to an end. It was at this time that we expected to see Jason Wu briefly popping out his head with a kind wave, as he has done so in previous shows, often letting his work speak for itself. But to the audience’s pleasant surprise, Jason Wu walked half-way down the runway stage and blew us a huge kiss. (Anna claims that his kiss was directed at her. Uh huh, sure.) The audience clapped and cheered, while the media section flared into life to capture all that they could of the man we’ve all been waiting for. It was great to see Wu break out of the Asian stereotype of humility and finally embrace the spotlight!

And with that, Jason Wu stole the spotlight.

Auction and Donation
After the fashion show, the president of the SF Opera Guild, Karen J. Kubin, spoke a few words and introduced the fundraising aspect of the evening’s event. All proceeds and donations went towards supporting the SF Opera Guild’s award-winning music education programs for children. Two amazing live auction packets (New York Fashion Week & Opening Night at SF Opera’s 91st Season Celebration) were bid and sold in a heartbeat. In addition, thousands and thousands of dollars were raised as generous benefactors showed support for these programs. I was touched by their generosity and excited for the children that will benefit from the donations!

Celebration
The evening concluded with a festive cocktail buffet that was fancier than anything I’ve ever experienced. (I won’t get into the details. That deserves its own article.) Delicious food, loud music, moody lights, gorgeous decorations – the night was definitely one to remember. Anna and I couldn’t stop taking photographs of anything and everything we came across. It was a memory we wanted to last and to share with many others!

It is folks like fashion designer Jason Wu, NBA basketball player Jeremy Lin, and culinary artist Eddie Huang, second generation Asian Americans/Canadians, who draw more ethnic diversity into a variety of arenas. Their passion and dedication in pursuing their dreams are what inspire the coming generations to do the same. As intimidated as I was being one of the few Asian/Asian Americans at the fashion show, I was encouraged knowing that Jason Wu has opened doors for us and has further demonstrated that anyone can pursue the Arts. Here, Jason Wu is designing cutting-edge fashion, being judged and critiqued by an entire world of fashionistas, yet he does not falter and perseveres – how admirable!

Although Jason Wu gives off the impression of being shy, quiet, and reserved in demeanor, he expresses himself in excellent work and shows an appreciation of others and their work. As with other notable Asian American designers from past to present, such as Vera Wang and Alexander Wang, the question remains as to how Wu will fare in the ever-changing fashion industry? And in the bigger picture, how will new and upcoming designers of Asian descent be received in the future by both critics and audiences alike? Perhaps only time will tell.

We certainly hope for the best, and we on behalf of TaiwaneseAmerican.org are proud to support Jason Wu and all his future endeavors!

Special thanks to the San Francisco Opera Guild and Neiman Marcus – Union Square for inviting us to attend Jason Wu: The Art of Fashion as media.

—

Photographs courtesy of Anna Wu Photography. Visit Anna’s blog for more photos of the event.
Written by Kristina Lin
Edited by Ho Chie Tsai

Ai-jen Poo: Inspiring Across Generations

By
Pamela
Date: March 4, 2013Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
Ai-jen Poo: Inspiring Across Generations

I had the opportunity to connect with Ai-jen Poo, activist and keynote speaker at the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) East Coast Conference in New York City. Ai-jen serves as the Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Co-Director of the Caring Across Generations campaign. She was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and was featured on Newsweek’s 150 Fearless Women list.

Learn more about her story of how her Taiwanese roots influence her inspirational work:

To be honest, I felt a bit starstruck interviewing Ai-jen Poo. For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with someone I truly admire.

I first heard about Ai-jen Poo through Time’s 100 Most Influential People feature. I had previously been inspired by female Asian figures, but Ai-jen’s story resonated deeper with me. I felt connected to her because she was a woman inspired by her Taiwanese American heritage and she attributed her successes to kind-hearted role models. But it was the fact that she cared for one of the most vulnerable populations that intrigued me most. Working with domestic workers was a foreign idea to me, but after hearing her story, the idea wasn’t so foreign anymore.

Her work opened my eyes up to seeing how Taiwanese Americans have a role in helping the community beyond themselves and taught me just how influential one person and one’s stories can be. A nanny’s story motivated Ai-jen to become a labor organizer; now her efforts have won rights for thousands of workers nationwide, and the tale of it all plays a role in shaping my goals and dreams of today. I was grateful to have the privilege of interviewing her, and am now even luckier to share her story with the Taiwanese American community.

Visit the National Domestic Workers Alliance website: http://www.domesticworkers.org

Special thanks to TaiwaneseAmerican.org staff members Kristina Lin for filming the interview and HoChie Tsai for editing the footage.

Taiwanese American Ang Lee Wins Best Director Academy Award for Life of Pi

By
Ho Chie
Date: February 25, 2013Posted in: SpotlightTags:
Taiwanese American Ang Lee Wins Best Director Academy Award for Life of Pi

TaiwaneseAmerican.org congratulates Director Ang Lee for winning his 2nd Academy Award for Best Director!

On Sunday, February 24th, 2013, Taiwanese American director Ang Lee was awarded his 2nd Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing for his vision and work on Life of Pi (2012). It seemed to be a surprise moment for Mr. Lee, though many in the Taiwanese American community and among his fans around the world rooted for this win, the 4th Oscar recognition for the film and the most of any film in competition that evening. It was widely believed that Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg was the frontrunner for this category for his film Lincoln (2012).

In Ang Lee’s acceptance speech, he widely praised his producers, cast and crew, his wife and family, and Taiwan and the city of Taichung:

“Thank you Movie God. I really need to share this with all 3000, everybody work with me on Life of Pi. I want to thank you… I really want to thank you for believing this story and sharing this incredible journey with me… I can not make this movie without the help of Taiwan. We shot there. I want to thank everybody there… especially the city of Taichung… My family in Taiwan, my wife… I love you… Thank you, Academy. Xie xie. Namaste.”

Without a doubt, many Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese, and other supporters were extremely excited about this moment, not only because of Ang Lee’s much-deserved recognition, but also because Taiwan and city of Taichung received so much praise during this worldwide broadcast. As one TaiwaneseAmerican.org Facebook commenter Julian Bush wrote, “I think that’s the first time Taichung has ever been namedropped at the Oscars.” Another fan Chi Lu posted her praise for Ang Lee in Mandarin, “台灣之光,” which translates to “Glory of Taiwan.”

Within hours, TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s own Facebook post about the win received over 400 “Likes” and reached over 11,000 views, an impressive number given that our Facebook Page has just over 6000 followers to date. In addition, as we tracked responses, positive comments and “Taiwan pride” posts lit up Facebook feeds. As one of our staff members Eric Kao noted, “My news feed just blew up with Ang Lee posts.” Will Tiao, executive producer of Formosa Betrayed (2009) posted, “I had a feeling this would happen… Congrats to Taiwan’s Ang Lee for his Oscar win for Best Director of Life of Pi — extremely well deserved!”

Most of the film’s principal photography, production, and filming took place in various locations and sets in Taiwan, including Kenting National Park, the Taipei Zoo, and Taichung, Taiwan. Other locations included Canada and parts of India.

Adapted from Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, Life of Pi tells the story of an Indian man Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, who recounts an event that occurred to him at the age of 16. When his family decides to move from India to Canada, they encounter a tragic ship accident, leaving Pi as the lone human survivor among a handful of zoo animals. Through this epic journey on the sea trapped in a lifeboat, he must find a way to survive alongside another survivor… an aggressive Bengal tiger who he names Richard Parker. It is a story that explores themes of perseverance, faith, and truth.

Ang Lee, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Tisch School of the Arts of NYU, has directed an impressive, yet diverse array, of award-winning films such as The Wedding Banquet (1993), Eat Drink Man Woman (1995), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Best Foreign Language film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Hulk (2003). He previously won the Academy Award for Best Director for Brokeback Mountain (2005).

We at TaiwaneseAmerican.org look forward to seeing what else Mr. Ang Lee has in store for the future. Congratulations on this awesome recognition! Again!

http://www.lifeofpimovie.com/
http://www.facebook.com/LifeofPi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_lee

Composer George Shaw Closes the Year on a High Note

By
Ho Chie
Date: December 18, 2012Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
Composer George Shaw Closes the Year on a High Note

TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s Ho Chie Tsai takes a moment to catch up with composer George Shaw, who he interviewed back in 2009. Since then, George has continued working on musical scores for film, TV, and new media. Best known for his collaborations with YouTube stars, George has composed various music that has been featured in videos by NigaHiga, Kevjumba, Wong Fu Productions, Michelle Phan, and Mystery Guitar Man.

Now, at the close of 2012, George has two major releases: The Christmas Album, a charity CD collaboration with the Irvine Young Concert Artists, and Spoiler Alert, a 28-track album of his original works.

H: Hey George! Great to catch up with you again. It looks like you’ve been busy!

G: Busy and tired. Really looking forward to spending the holidays catching up on sleep!

H: Just in time for the holidays, you produced this recent Christmas album with some talented YouTube stars and young musicians. Tell us a little bit about how this project got started?

G: I was talking to Albert Wu, the executive director of the Irvine Young Concert Artists, about ways to get his students excited about music. And of course a lot of the YouTube singers are really popular amongst the teens, so we wanted to get them involved. I suggested maybe they do a Christmas album and invite some singers to perform.

H: It’s so cool that you pulled in some well-known YouTube stars, including Jason Chen, Clara C, David Choi, and others. How did you connect with them and get them involved?

G: They’re such great people, and I think what really hooked them in, was the fact that this was raising money for charity, and it was a chance to inspire young musicians. Plus, who doesn’t like Christmas songs, and the opportunity to record with a live orchestra a Capitol Records?

H: Awesome! And all this benefits good causes too, right? I see that proceeds will go towards relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and CD’s will be donated to the families of victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

G: Yes, we really poured a lot of time, effort, and talent into this project! I barely slept from Thanksgiving till the day we released this album on December 15th. I’m just happy we finished it just in time to share with everyone for the holiday season.

H: Our hearts go out to all those who have suffered this past year. You and all the talented folks involved are doing such wonderful work. We’ve always been amazed with the quality of your musical scores, which leads us to this next question: How did your latest album Spoiler Alert come about?

G: It started with orchestral suites that I created for some of the scores I composed for some of the popular YouTube videos that I’ve done with Ryan Higa, Wong Fu Productions, and Michelle Phan. Then I started to realize I had enough material that I’ve composed over the last five years, including lots of demos and cues that were cut out of movies, to compile a full orchestral album. So I raised some of the funds on Kickstarter, and was able to go into the studio to record the album.

H: Looking at some of these individual tracks, I’m curious as to how you are inspired to compose for a certain movie or scene? What’s the process that happens?

G: I would say I just watch the scene and imagine what I would hear if I was simply sitting in a dark movie theater and watching the film. Sometimes, it’s a happy accident, where I run the scene and improv on the piano and just see what happens. If it’s something I like, I will go back and refine it until I get something that really works for my tastes.

H: Thanks for the insight. That’s so interesting! Music definitely makes the movies we watch feel that much more complete, and I certainly appreciate your work. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to update us on your latest projects.

G: Always a pleasure to share!

Visit George Shaw’s website at: http://georgeshawmusic.com
Purchase the Christmas Album at: http://irvineyoungconcertartists.bandcamp.com/
Purchase Spoiler Alert at: http://georgeshaw.bandcamp.com/album/spoiler-alert

Catching the Invisible Light

By
Ho Chie
Date: November 15, 2012Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
Catching the Invisible Light

Erin Li is a 2nd generation Taiwanese American filmmaker. TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been pleased to support her work in the past, which includes L.A. Coffin School, a film about a recently transplanted grandmother who enrolls in a school that claims to teach people how to start life anew. Her most recent film, To the Bone, tells the story of a preteen migrant farmworker who attempts to defy the status quo with unintended consequences for herself and her family. It was one of six films greenlit and commissioned by Film Independent to explore themes of California and democracy. We’re pleased to catch up with her once again on yet another project that features a Taiwanese American scientist’s work on transparent solar cells.

H: Hi Erin! It’s great to see another interesting film that you’ve produced and directed, Catching the Invisible Light. Can you tell us how you came across this opportunity?

E: Thank you, Ho Chie! I heard about the Focus Forward Films competition while screening another film I recently directed at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Focus Forward was specifically looking for three-minute documentary films that highlight a technological innovation that could revolutionize the way we live in the future. I’ve been working on a feature script (for COFFIN SCHOOL) and wanted to work on a short form project in tandem. I thought that this would be a perfect project to tackle over the summer.

H: I definitely enjoyed L.A. Coffin School. It’ll be interesting to see how you develop that into a fuller feature. For this short project, how did you choose this particular topic on nanotechnology and solar cells?

E: I brainstormed, researched, and considered a wide range of possible topics to explore. I’ve always been interested in nanotechnology and came across the California NanoSystems Institute and their solar cell project. Transparent solar cells that capture infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, would allow us to capitalize on the abundant surface area on skyscrapers, car windows and windshields, etc. Right now, solar panels are most commonly found on rooftops; this innovation expands the potential of solar energy to a whole new level. In addition to windows, people could potentially have transparent solar cells on their laptop screens, tablets, smart phones, car windows, etc.

As a resident of Los Angeles, the city’s high pollution, smog, traffic and sky-high gas prices can be a bit much. When I lived in Hong Kong, I very rarely saw a clear, blue sky. So the prospect of implementing alternative, clean energy seems logical and very attractive to me and I feel it would ultimately create a healthier environment for everyone.

H: Agreed! And it’s admirable that you chose to highlight this technology. I certainly learned something new. Is this your first time doing a documentary?

E: I absolutely love working on documentary films! In the past, I’ve mostly worked on the producing side of feature documentaries. This is my second documentary project as a director; I filmed the first one in college. My favorite aspects of working on docs are being immersed in a new environment, learning about a topic and finally sharing it with the world. In the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of learning about various, fascinating aspects of American history – topics ranging from amazing female jazz instrumentalists who suffered discrimination in the 1920s, to Iceberg Slim, the most notorious pimp in the U.S. who became a renowned street lit author; from former Mayor Tom Bradley to the crack cocaine epidemic of South Central Los Angeles in the ‘80s. And it isn’t a passive learning experience; you’re doing research, obtaining rare footage, stills, interacting with interview subjects as well as the audience. Filmmakers who work on independent documentaries also tend to be extremely passionate about their projects and the subject matter. It isn’t just a project to earn a buck (since indie docs typically have extremely low budgets) – it is a story that they HAVE to tell the world. And those are the types of stories that I gravitate towards.

H: What did producing this project entail? And did you come across any major challenges?

E: A large part of documentary filmmaking is obtaining access to interview subjects. At the time, I was living in Westwood at the time, so I thought, why not UCLA? They’re right in my backyard.

H: It’s interesting to know that Dr. Yang Yang is of Taiwanese heritage also, and here you are as a Taiwanese American filmmaker who is able to highlight some of his work. What are your thoughts about this synergy within our Taiwanese American network?

E: It was definitely a happy coincidence. I discovered more about Professor Yang’s background when prepping for the film shoot and told him about our shared heritage. He was very supportive of the documentary and was interested in my other films as well. I think it really shows how diverse we are as a community. I feel that it is important to support members of our community, especially when there are so few. After all, I still meet people who aren’t sure where Taiwan is located!

H: So, this project is in competition for an audience award, correct?

E: Yes, Catching the Invisible Light is a Semi-Finalist in the Focus Forward competition and up for an Audience Award. Hopefully the film will raise more awareness about the possibilities and benefits of alternative, clean energy.

H: Excellent! Well, we hope our viewers enjoy this film as much as I did. And it’s always great to be able to support you and your projects.

If you enjoyed this film, please go to and be sure to VOTE for Catching the Invisible Light. The VOTE button shows up when you hover over the video while it plays, and also shows up at the end. Voting lasts until December 20, 2012.

Hey Lianne! How about that Video Interview?

By
Ho Chie
Date: October 25, 2012Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
Hey Lianne! How about that Video Interview?

TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s Ho Chie Tsai interviews internet celebrity, model, and former host of NMA.tv, Lianne Lin. Together, they swat at flying insects, while she talks about her background in the arts and evolving career path in the media.

With over 1.7 million followers on Google+, there’s no doubt that her wry yet witty sense of humor, her gorgeous looks, and her time spent as an NMA host has drawn a huge fan base worldwide.

Her latest project is the development of her own YouTube channel “Hey Lianne”. Be sure to check her videos out!

Visit her at:
http://heylianne.com/
http://www.youtube.com/heylianne
https://plus.google.com/+Lianne

Support:
NMA.tv

Culture and Language in David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish’

By
Kristina
Date: October 11, 2012Posted in: SpotlightTags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Culture and Language in David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish’

I’m no avid theatergoer, but I do love entertainment! Watching David Henry Hwang’s new comedic play, Chinglish, with a few TaiwaneseAmerican.org staff was definitely one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had all summer.

We follow an American man on his business trip to China, where he is faced with language barrier, cultural differences, and conflicting values, all of which made signing a contract for his family’s sign-making firm way more complex than he thought. I truly enjoyed the play’s hilarious bilingual script and accurate portrayal of how translation does not equal comprehension, and how comprehension does not equal translation.

Growing up in the States with Taiwanese parents who expected me to converse with them only in Mandarin, I am lucky enough to understand both Mandarin and English. This made my theatrical experience all the more amusing, as I tried to translate along with the actors and actresses on stage. Hearing the characters translate in the literal form from one language to another and watching the confused expressions of those who cannot comprehend the misinterpretation was a “Laugh Out Loud” experience. Yet once in a while, I would rack my brain, searching through all those years of SAT vocabulary, textbook material, and dictionary usage to find the proper word, phrase, or description to explain, but nothing satisfactory comes to mind. Quoting the script, “that word doesn’t exist in English.” I’m glad it’s not just me! It was one of those times when I have to say: I know exactly what you mean, except I don’t know how to translate that.

Beyond just the linguistics, Chinglish did a wonderful job highlighting the differences between Asian and American cultures. Through a series of manipulation and deceit, director David Henry Hwang portrayed the importance of relationship and honor in Asian society. He juxtaposes this Eastern value with the Western value of justice and honesty by developing a complex romance between an American businessman and an Asian bureaucrat. Yet their inability to express themselves through the prominent language barrier presents cultural misunderstandings. In Chinglish, language is a means to understanding culture.

Definitely watch Chinglish if you get the chance. If it doesn’t get you thinking, it will at least keep you thoroughly entertained!

Chinglish is now playing at the Berkeley Rep in Berkeley, California, through October 21, before heading to Los Angeles and on to its international debut in Hong Kong.


An image from after the show with the cast members of David Henry Hwang’s “Chinglish.” A lot of the cast members are Taiwanese Americans themselves! From left to right: Ho Chie Tsai (TaiwaneseAmerican.org staff), Kristina Lin (staff), Vivian Chu, Michelle Krusiec, Alex Moggridge, Brian Nishii (front), Larry Lei Zhang, Anna Wu (staff), and Elizabeth Wang (staff).

TW in da House: Baohaus NYC

By
Ho Chie
Date: September 11, 2012Posted in: Featured, SpotlightTags:
TW in da House: Baohaus NYC

TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s special correspondent Jessica Kung chats with Baohaus’ co-founder Evan Huang about the inspiration for their Taiwanese-themed restaurant. Evan and his brother Eddie started their trail-blazing journey in 2009 with a smaller shop in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Baohaus, now based in the Gramercy district, specializes in variations of “gua bao” or “koah-pau”, the melt-in-the-mouth delicious Taiwanese-style pork belly bun.

Look back to our first article about Baohaus accompanied by scrumptious pictures of delicious buns from 2010:
http://taiwaneseamerican.org/ta/2010/05/13/true-fusion-baohaus-nyc/

Are you hungry now? Next time you’re in NYC, be sure to visit Baohaus. There’s a good chance you’ll catch either Evan or Eddie in the haus! Say hello, and tell them we sent you!

http://www.baohausnyc.com
http://www.facebook.com/baohausnyc

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