About us.

Think!Chinatown was started by Chinatown neighbors that got to know each other through community events. Now, we’ve grown to a network of dedicated volunteers from a broad spectrum of professional backgrounds: urbanists, artists, journalists, lawyers, architects, designers, tech specialists, photographers, poets… The one thing we all have in common is that we love Chinatown! Read about our mission here. Want to Join us? Let us know!

T!C Core Team

Yin Kong, Director/Co-Founder

Yin Kong 邝海音 is a community-based designer and curator living and working in Manhattan's Chinatown. Think!Chinatown is the culmination of her work in urban design, museum, culinary & cultural instruction, and community engagement. Previously an Urban Curator of the Dashilar Project, she consulted a municipal agency of Beijing on urban revitalization strategies in the city's historic hutong core. She also spent time teaching at the Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing and onboard Semester at Sea. She loves sharing Thomas Jefferson facts which she picked up at her time working at Monticello. Yin holds a Masters of Architecture, Urban Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and a Bachelors of Arts, Urban Studies from Columbia University. Her work has been presented at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2016 and the Shenzhen Biennale of Architecture 2007 & 2009. In 2019 she was a fellow of both the New Museum's IdeasCity and Coro's Neighborhood Leadership programs. In 2020 she was a David Prize finalist.

Amy Chin, President of the Board

Amy Chin 陳雪媚 is a cultural leader who has advanced the role of arts and culture in communities large and small for over 30 years, through leadership and service in organizations like the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation, the Cultural Arts Advisory Commission for the City of New York, the New York Chinese Cultural Center, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Also an experienced genealogist and researcher, Amy lectures and conducts workshops nationally and internationally. Amy’s grandfather came to New York in 1903 and lived on Pell Street. After a childhood in her father’s Chinese laundry in the Bronx and Sundays in Chinatown, Amy earned a degree in East Asian studies from Barnard College and speaks Toisanese, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Alice Liu, Community Outreach & Production Lead

Alice Liu is a native to NYC's Chinatown and grew up helping her parents, who emigrated from China, run their family business in the neighborhood. As a second generation small business owner, longtime resident, and active member of the community, Alice is deeply passionate about the intergenerational economic and cultural vitality of Chinatown. As Alice continues to learn more about community organizing and her heritage, she hopes to bring her skill sets back to the community and apply them to ensuring that Chinatown continues to be a space that is reflective of and accessible to immigrant families. In her spare time, she is usually making deliveries for her family's stores, drinking tea, or kicking it at her favorite local eateries.

Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan, Storytelling Team Lead

Rochelle Hoi-Yiu Kwan 關凱瑤 is a writer, audio producer, and cultural organizer. She brings together her backgrounds in social work and media to engage with communities to tell their own stories. During her time at StoryCorps, she built a community engagement program with AAPI communities through storytelling workshops, recordings, and listening events. She also is the Community Producer for the podcast Self Evident and consults with the Hunter College Asian American Studies Program to train students to lay the foundation for an Asian American Studies Oral History Archive. When she’s not thinking about storytelling, you can typically find her dancing or listening to family collections of records all night long.

Hai-Li Kong, Video Production Lead

Hai-Li Kong 邝海黎 is an editor, producer, and videographer who works mainly in the documentary space. She is also involved in new media and film programming for Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF). Her own personal films explore her family’s immigration story, which touches on China, Singapore, Canada, and the US. When taking a break from the computer screen, Hai-Li also enjoys getting her hands dirty at the pottery wheel.

Meg Chew, Civics & Communications Associate

Meg Chew 周凱慧 is a recent graduate from Barnard College where she received a B.A. in Urban Studies (Architecture). She's interested in how architecture and planning facilitates power, specifically looking at their connections with nationalism and colonialism. Her senior thesis examined the relationship between public housing, nation-building, and political exile in Singapore. Meg is usually at coin karaoke in K-Town, regular karaoke in Flushing, or karaoke-ing at home.

Jasper Yang, Financial Advising Volunteer

Jasper Yang is a student of public economics and a researcher in financial policy. He is passionate about converting academic research into real-life impacts. Since the start of the COVID pandemic, Jasper has been working with about 400 Asian small business owners to help them understand relief policies, while conveying their concerns to state and local agencies. In his spare time, he loves transcribing his favorite anime and game music onto the piano, re-watching William Shen episodes on Kangsi Coming, and exploring new bubble tea places.

ARTISTS WE’VE WORKED WITH

James Chan, Yao Xiao, John Lee, Lulu Meng, BaBan Music Society, Ling Tang, Meemee Chin, Spica Wobbe, Margaret Yuen, Eastern Fuzhou Opera Association, NY Classical Chinese Poetry Arts Association, Leise Hook, Hui Ma, Lilly Lam, Xinmei Liu, Louis Chan, Katie Salisbury, Luke Cheng, Simon Wu, Homer Shew, Alvin Eng, VotesArt, Andy Lin, Karl Orozco, Kat Lam, Rose Wong, Vanessa Nguyen, Sarula Bao, Jia Sung, Chanel Miller, A+A+A Studio, Interwoven, Christina Chung, Asian American Arts Centre, Mei Yin Ng, Ava Chin, Richard Chang, Ernest Abuba, Duy Vo, LES the DJ, Red Silk Dancers, Rajiv Fernandez, Naomi Lawrence, Prisca Choe, Corky Lee, Kamau Ware, Stephanie Cho, Jaqueline Tam, Treya Lam, Cindy Trinh, Ed Cheng, Fei Fei Yang, John Tsung, Xun Ye, Yan Sui, Ming Liang Lu, Meifang Shi and many more…

Our Board

Amy Chin President Independent nonprofit management consultant and genealogist

Lillian Cho Secretary Independent consultant

Olympia Moy [Co-founder of T!C] Director, Florentine Music School

Kerri Culhane Independent researcher, curator, author, and architectural historian

Kathleen Wah Lee Nonprofit management/marketing executive

Robert Lee Artistic Director, Asian American Arts Centre

PR SUPPORT

The HERE Agency

OUr FINANCIAL Supporters

2020

Individual donors: Amy Chin & James Lo, Elizabeth Ingriselli & Olympia Moy, May Ying Chen and Rockwell Chin, Melmie & Richard Young, Diego Segalini, Irving Lee, Jay Shek, Joyce Yu, Kathleen Wah Lee, Lillian Cho, Yin Mei, Alexandra Smith, Andrea Louie, Annesa Lau, Bayer Lee, Chester Yee, Darlene Wone, Elizabeth Furuya, Hayley Clark-Braverman, James Li, Jan Lee, Jennifer Lee, Karen Lee Lew & Derrick Biney Amissah, Lesley Wu, Marjorie Chung Davis, Melissa Liu, Robert Lee (Asian American Arts Centre), Yijin (Sally) Hong

Government and institutional funders: Asian American Impact Fund's North Star Fund, Citizen's Committee for New York City, City of New York - Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, Con Edison, DLJ/9 Orchard, John Wiley & Sons, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council - Creative Engagement, New York Community Trust, Ettie Chin Hong Fund, Office of the Manhattan Borough President Cultural Tourism Grant, RESIST, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, Walker Street Chung Pak Local Development Corp.

In-kind sponsors: Asian American Asian Research Institute, Brooklyn Crafted, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Good Tea Water, Hiro Sake, Ming River Baijiu, Mott Street Optical, Pearl River Mart, Po Wing Hong

2017-2019

Individual donors: Aaron Gans, Adam Weiss, Alan Chin, Alec Turnbull, Alex Ho, Alison Klayman, Aliya, Allin Dave Resposo, Amy Chin, Andrea Louie, Andrew Shiue, Angela Chang, Angie Baecker, Anh-Thu Nguyen, Anna Lee, Antonio Fong, Aries Liao, Barbara and Arthur Soong, Brian Sweeting, Bruce Allardice, Caroline Cheng, Caroline Shin, Carrie Su Collins, Catherine Lerza, Cathy Barbash, Celia Chong Wu, Charlene Wang de Chen, Chien Chien, Chien-Wen Kung, Chris and Sean O'Neil, Chris Chang, Christian Li, Christina Seid, Christine Allen, Christopher Lee, Christopher Yu, Chuck and Patricia Chang, Cody Reiss, Constance Sung, Corky Lee, Cornell Chu, Cynthia Yee, Dan Barish, Daniel Moy, Darby Li Po Price, David Chee, David Ngo, David Zax, Debra Chin, Dennis Tung, Diana Lee, Dominic Wong, Edward Cen, Elizabeth Lee, Emi Love, Emily Smith and Amos Irwin, Emmy Komada, Eric Hsu, Erik Ortiz, Evan Dong, Eve Cho Guillergan, Eveline & Shushan Chao, Evelyn Garcia, Felicia Lowe, Francis Chin, Frank Yee, Gabriel Halili, Gee Wey Yue, Geoff Lee, George Lam, Gin Gee Moy, Gloria Gong, Grace Pak, Guido Hartray, Hannah Kim, Helen Kwong, Heng Du, Henry Grabar, Holly O'Grady, Hsueh Tung Chen, Ida Leung, Jack Chin, Jackie Huey, James Boo, James Chan, Janis Chin, Jason Fong, Jeff Branzburg, Jennifer Kim, Jennifer Lai, Jennifer Sun, Jenny Chin, Jessica Lee, Jian Lann Chang, Jixia Miranda Zhou, Jodi White, Jook Leung, Joyce Yu, Juliana Han, Julie Azuma, June Lei, Justin Shockley, Kam Chin, Kamala Cesar Buckner, Karen Chan, Kate Rigg, Katie Salisbury, Ken Gray, Kenny Chen, Kevin Ramsey, Kristen Stewart, Kathleen Wah Lee, KW Chin, Kyle Dougsson, Lea Cloud, Leslie Li, Lillian Cho, Lina Wu, Lisa Gold, Louis Chan, Luke and Kathryn Appling, Lynn Hansell Perkins, Margaret and David Kiung, Marjorie Chung Davis, Mark Beckenbach, Matthew Bryant, Mee Mee Chin, Mel and Richard Young, Melanie Carr, Melinda Chu, Michael Feinberg, Michael J Hatch, Michelle Lee, Michelle Quintero-Millian, Mimi Liu, Minerva Chin, Miriam Benitez, Monica and Joseph Yang, Monona Yin, Ora Gelberg, Patrick Chen, Patrick Chew, Paula Jayne White, Peng Kong, Peter Tadao Gee, Philip Poon, Rachael Sherman and Karthik Chari, Rebecca Domo Blanc, Rei Kobayashi, Ricky Chin, Rita Young, Robert Lee, Robert Levinson, Rocky Chin, Ross Boucher, Rozina Leong, Ruth DeGolia, Ruthie and Ellen Glass Birger, Sam Chen, Sandra Danziger, Sandra Ung, Sara Porritt, Sarah Rich, Sebastian, Sharon Wong, Shuming Yang, Spica and John Wobbe, Stanley Ho, Stephanie Deangelo, Steve Juh, Susan Lee, Susan Lee and Benji Cheung, Swee Goh, Tammy To, Terrence Chen, Terrence Ma, Terry Ow-Wing, Theresa Chew, Thomas Wilkinson, Toby Turkel, Tsui Yuen-Pappas, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, Ulug Kuzuoglu, Victor and Lucy Kan, Victor Papa, Vivi Hu, Wendy Brawer, Whitney Hartstone, Wu Shuo and Fang Fang, Ye Ye, Yeeling Poon, Yin Mei, Zoe Zhang

Government and institutional funders: Asian Americans for Equality, Citizen's Committee for New York City, City of New York, Dept of Cultural Affairs Immigrants Initiative through Office of Councilmember Margaret Chin, City of New York, Department for the Aging through Office of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, DLJ/9 Orchard, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York Community Trust, Ettie Chin Hong Fund, Office of the Manhattan Borough President Cultural Tourism Grant through NYC & Company Foundation