Pākē Diaspora

Photo to show members of the Yuen family of Kauai, part of the Chinese diaspora

The Ching, Yuen, and Namohala ʻohana of Hanapēpē, Kauaʻi in 1931.

Many people here in the Hawaiian Islands are (like myself) hapa-Pākē, people descended from Chinese who married into Hawaiian families. Lately, I have been getting questions from other Huáyì 華裔 (people of Chinese descent who do not live in China), especially American Huáyì and mixed-ethnicity Huáyì who would like to connect with their Chinese heritage. I thought I would share some of the resources I have found useful.

Bloggers and Vloggers

Melissa Au

I e-met Melissa Au on Facebook in a group devoted to decolonizing spirituality. She shared some New Year traditions which I have added to the holiday part of this page. She also has a great blog here.

Li Ziqi

I love this series of videos by Chinese YouTuber Li Ziqi 李子柒. Her parents died when she was small, so she was taken in by her grandparents. She worked from a very young age, then as a young adult became a vlogger highlighting food and handcrafts using traditional Chinese techniques, so there is a huge appeal for fans of fugu 复古, appreciation of tradition. I find her videos utterly charming and love to watch them. They give me a feeling like I am looking through an old family album of my great grandparents and their families in China coming to life. She has been accused of romanticizing and gentrifying traditional Chinese life. IMO, if she were an English or American movie star and had done the exact same thing, she’d be the next Gwyneth Paltrow. So, more power to Li Ziqi.

Xiran Jay Zhao

Another YouTuber I highly recommend is Xiran Jay Zhao. Her witty take on Chinese culture in movies dissects the cultural details with a well-researched scalpel. If you like these videos, you’ll increase the chances of getting more by supporting her at her Patreon page. She also has a dystopian novel described as a Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid’s Tale reimagining of China’s only female emperor Wu Zetian. Pre-order it here. I ordered mine already.

Tàijí Quán 太極

Tàijí has its foundations in Chinese martial arts, and is used by Chinese people around the world from all parts of society. It is an excellent exercise as well a great way to re-connect culturally as it integrates the mind, spirit, and body. Of course, the best is to find a good shīfù 師傅. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. This is my favorite YouTube tàijí teacher, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming 楊俊敏博士. His explanations are very clear and easy to understand, and you learn cultural thought and history of Tàijí. If you have Kindle Unlimited, the videos are included in your subscription.

I am researching which translations of things like the Yi Jing 易經, Lúnyǔ (Analects) 論語, etc. to list so that I only present those in which I am confident.

Feng shui 風水

Literally, “wind / water,” feng shui began as the science of locating villages, cemeteries, etc. in such a way that the seasonal winds did not do damage, and water was not a problem from either flood or drought. Over time this grew to be a way to make sure that the qì 氣 of a site and all the buildings and activities on it was aligned properly (well, that is a VERY short form!) The study of feng shui is another good way for Chinese diaspora people to get back in touch with our roots. I’m trying to find good resources for learning feng shui on one’s own, but so far everything has been bad, appropriative, or both. I will post as soon as I find something decent. If you find something you like, reach out to me on FaceBook – Leilehua Yuen.

Holidays

Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year

Although there is currently some controversy on whether to call the (approximately February) lunar holiday Asian New Year, Lunar New Year, or something else, I have made the editorial decision to call it Chinese New Year because I am only presenting Chinese perspective, not discussing the holiday as it is celebrated in other cultures. ~Leilehua Yuen

When I was a girl, each Chinese New Year my Tūtū-man, who was Hawaiian-Chinese, would take the whole family out to Sun Sun Lau for dinner. WOW! The food was SOOOOO good, and the table was full from end-to-end! Sun Sun Lau had a pond with water lilies and lǐyú 鲤鱼, Chinese carp. They were all different colors, so pretty! If I went to the counter, they would give me a 5-cent bag of fish food for them. Oh, and my Nana would take me out and buy me a new dress for the dinner.

Check out this guest post on Chinese New Year by blogger Melissa Au

Shopping

At this time, I do not recommend buying from China unless you personally know the artist and the story. Too often most of the money goes to various fees and duties which support a problematic government, and the artist earns very little. Instead, I recommend purchasing from people you can know personally and donating to NGOs which support human rights in China.

So, that said, I will be listing some great Huáyì artisans:

Lunar Juju

Lunar Juju makes adorable Lunar New Year stickers. I just bought some to give as LNY gifts. I’ll post pix when I get a chance.

That Asian Hair Thing

I’ve written a lot about this. I have to find everything and bring it over here.

Diaspora Authors

Lisa See

I met Lisa See some 25 years ago when we were at a conference. We immediately took note of each other, both being Huáyì of mixed heritage. I was quite taken with her personal backstory as well as her writing. I really love her historical fiction.

Ed Lin

Ed Lin is the first author, according to Wikipedia, to win three Asian American Literary Awards. He has written a lot of cool stuff, but I am especially intrigued by his coming of age YA novel, David Tung Can’t Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into An Ivy League College.

Let me know about more cool authors! FB me – Leilehua Yuen.

Just talking story

When I was in China on business, people assumed my name was Yuan Lihua (袁梨花) Pear Blossom. It’s actually 袁登呐, but I like Lihua since Leilehua is a garland of a native Hawaiian flower. And, since 袁 is the inner character for 園 (garden), I like that my name sounds like “pear flower garden.” One time I was working in the yard and wearing my dǒulì (斗笠) gardening hat, the conical hat farmers often wear, and a lady who saw me said, “Oh! You look so Chineesee! You should have a Chinese name! What should we name you for a Chinese name?”I just looked at her and said, “Wo shi Yuen Lihua. I already have a Chinese name.” So she said, “How did you get a Chinese name.” “From my Chinese grandparent.” She just sort of looked at me and wandered away. 😄

I will keep adding useful and amusing things to this page as I find them.

Aloha and 再見 (zàijiàn)!