a cultural world created by Yayun
A respite for the foreign born to reconnect to sights, tastes and sounds that once was familiar.
For the next generation, it is a zip code to learn a little about what home was like for their parents and grandparents.
I cried when Crazy Rich Asians rolled its ending credits, as I felt that there was finally a movie that I could call my own.
Awkwafina is the first woman of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe for her leading role in The Farewell and has been in hit movies such as @crazyrichasians and Ocean’s 8.
Constance Wu is the lead in Crazy Rich Asians and she did an awesome job of being Jessica Huang in the ABC sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat. She nailed it as every Asian Tiger Mom!
Breaking another Asian myth, Gemma Chan studied at Oxford and was a lawyer prior to being an actress. She’s played many roles in blockbuster such as Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, before being a part of the Crazy Rich Asian cast. She has really pushed boundaries, including her height!
Dim Sum is a hallmark meal in the Cantonese cuisine. The freshest dishes are prepared on a daily basis, and comparable to the Spanish tapas. They are small bites of a bigger idea, and is meant to be shared over tea & conversation.
There are some classic dimsum dishes that are expected to showcase the skills of the chef. The origins of the Egg Tart goes back to the colonial influences of the British and the Portuguese, and has remained a constant sweet tooth fix.
The panda is the favored animal of the Chinese culture. The lovable and jolly creature is a symbol or peace, harmony and friendship.
My affinity towards pandas started when I saw debut of 23 new panda cubs on Sept. 30th, 2016 on CCTV. This announcement helped pandas move one step back from extinction.
The Chinese celebrate birthdays with a ubiquitous lotus bun. It is a white dough shaped into a peach, where the fruit symbolizes longevity. It’s filled with a sweet lotus paste, which appropriately is served as a dessert after a lengthy eight course meal. Because nine is another analogy to living a long life. Oh, we are so poetic as a culture.
Indra Nooyi worked her way up to CEO @pepsi and has a higher than average tenure in the CEO position. She grew sales by 80% and created healthier initiatives within the company. Personally I admire the fact that she is also a mom, and was ranked third in the Forbes’ list of most powerful moms. Nooyi also played cricket and guitar for a rock band. I think that wins the cool mom award too.
Andrea Jung is a powerhouse in business by being the first CEO of Avon. Currently, she is leading the nonprofit organization, @grameenamerica. Both entities focuses on empowering women through entrepreneurship. Her efforts to support women has also continued through her leadership in fund raising over $1 billion for the Avon Foundation. She clearly has both outer and inner beauty.
Imagine if pandas roamed around New York City? What would they want to visit? More importantly, where would they want to eat?
New York Chinatown is not the oldest but it is the largest one in the US, with up to 100,000 residents. Keeping with the rich history is a vintage restaurant, Nom Wah Tea Parlor which has been serving traditional Chinese food since the 1920’s.
The Oculus was designed by the Spanish Architect, Santiago Calatrava. It was designed to look like a dove in flights, and serves as the transportation hub for the World Trade Center.
The High Line is a 1.45 mile recreational oasis that starts from Gansevoort Street to 34th street. In between the concrete slabs and remnants of the former railway, there is a fountain to dip your feet on a hot summer day and benchers to have a picnic.
Chloe Kim is a Californian native from Long Beach. She was the 2018 Olympic gold medalist and star of the Pyeong Chang games. The youngest woman to ever win an Olympic Snowboard gold medal.
Mirai Nagasu missed the Olympic Team in 2014, but she didn’t give up. In 2018, she not only qualified on the team but she also jumped into our hearts at Pyeong Chang with her triple axel. No doubt that she’s a fighter!
She is the Asian Gold Standard of over-achiever. With recognitions in figure-skating world championships, a graduate degree, and now in public service. She gets a thumbs up from every Asian mother!
A four-time Olympian, Julie Chu is the first Asian American female to play for the US Olympic Team. Tied second as the second most decorated US female Winter Olympian, Julie went onto play professionally for the Minnesota White Caps and the Montreal Stars. Now she coaches the Concordia Stingers and is married to a Gold Medal Olympian, Caroline Ouelette. And instead of baby booties, I’m sure their baby, is laced up with her own pair of ice skates.
My fascination with sea creatures come from living near water.
The panda mood now in New York.
As an ode to Peking Opera and to my mother, This is a collection inspired by a passion that my mother shared with me as a child. Instead of lullabies, I was often serenaded with scenes from the Butterfly Lovers.
The cherry blossoms are favored to highlight women, as it represent female beauty in the Chinese culture. The most decorated wardrobes often feature the flower, as well as the portraits that adorn these women.
Shanghai was the place of birth for both my parents. The city was always setting trends as being the international port and cultural gateway between China and the world.
In the 1920’s, New York was the capital of the West, and Shanghai was the capital of the East. It was an opulent time where the Chinese women aspired to modernize and to adopt foreign influences. What emerged was a unique bougie retro style, and a city of unique affluence.
