Shades of Yellow with CulturedGen

Linda Yi is an ABC'ish writer, webcomic artist, and the creator of Panda Cub Stories. Originally from Chengdu, Linda moved to the states when she was 4. It was the summer before college when she realized that she had lost touch with the Chinese language. That eventually led her on the journey of relearning Mandarin, teaching the language and gaining a loyal following of Chinese Americans and Mandarin learners.

Dorcas Tang is a third-generation Chinese-Malaysian artist and photographer who currently calls Sydney, Australia home. Her first documentary photo project, Los Paisanos del Puerto, offers an intimate glimpse of the historical Chinese community in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Through her work, she seeks to question ideas of belonging, constructions of memory, and investigate intersections of cultural and gender identity. She explores these themes through the transnational Chinese diaspora spanning from Central America to Southeast Asia.

Fraser is a New Zealander, born to an Australian mother and a Malaysian-Chinese father. In his twenties he made an unconventional switch from pursuing professional rugby to the learning and teaching of Qigong. He shares what prompted his transition away from competitive sports, what life lessons he gained from Qigong, and what exactly is qi(chi).

A recent Oxford grad, Jiaqi grew up in a multicultural community in Geneva. When in high school, she co-founded Sine Theta, an international print-based creative arts magazine made by and for the Sino diaspora. Her journey with Sine Theta led her to discover the potency of the diaspora identity, and how the diaspora angst can be channeled to a powerful reimagination of a freer and more just future.

Tara was adopted from Ningbo by an American family at the age of four. She started a podcast called Adopted Babies from China to connect with other Chinese adoptees around the world. Tara opens up on why she is not actively looking for her birth parents, what she thinks about China's One Child Policy, and why people should stop telling adoptees how lucky they are to have been adopted.

Amelia is an Australian born Chinese, who inherited a Vietnamese last name and is often told that she does not look Chinese. But it was her discovery of her father's Vietnamese refugee diary, that connected all the dots for her. Through her father's fine penmanship, she fell in love with Chinese calligraphy. That eventually led to her to start Tranliagraphy, her Chinese calligraphy business three years ago with the goal of sharing her modern interpretation of calligraphy with others in her community and around the world.

Michelle is a Chinese American, who uses Tiktok to share Chinese dance with the world. A third year student at UC Berkeley, Michelle is the head choreographer for Berkeley's Fei Tian dance team, and an asexuality activist who openly shares her experiences and advocates for the awareness of LGBTQIA community. We discuss the challenges she faced growing up as an American-born Chinese, and the intersectionality of her ethnicity and her queer identity.

Natalie Cheung is a British-born Chinese, and the woman behind Yellow Bee Pod - a podcast that sheds light on the highs and lows of the East + Southeast Asian diaspora in the UK and beyond. We talked about our definition of Chineseness, how we can appreciate diversity within the Chinese community without stepping on each other, and embracing the cross-cultural identities of Chinese and Asian diasporas.

Bernice moved to the U.S. hardly speaking english. A gifted student who aced all her exams growing up, she is now tech executive at Hulu and a part time stand-up comedian. She shares how her Chinese upbringing became a source of inspiration for her comedy and how she uses comedy to bridge cultural gaps between Americans and Chinese. 

Before we kick off the series, I spoke with Boying, our very own creative designer. The way we met online and our immediate connection is very similar to what I've experienced with other Chinese diasporas, many of whom you will get to meet in this series. We talk about how we met, her journey in finding her own style through her background in traditional Chinese art and western design techniques; as well as how she views the similarities and differences between Chinese and western design aesthetics.