Did you break out the moon cakes this weekend? AsianinNY kicked off Chinatown’s mid-autumn festivities with their 4^th Annual Moon Festival and Fashion Show, as Saturday night’s event fused East Meets West in a blend of food, drinks, fashion, art, music and dance.

The celebration attracted a mix of young and old, from Chinatown and beyond, into the basement of the Chinese Community Center, a place long known to provide resources to the community. For one night it housed a packed gathering of 500-600 people, with many weaving through the crowds while waiting for the performers to begin. They bought moon cakes, sorted through jewelry and clothes, and even had their paper portraits made.

The organizers behind AsianinNY have been working to increase awareness about the Asian community and its traditions, so they were pleased with the diversity of the turnout.

“Right now there’s a divide within the Asian community,” said Chris Nicodemo, co-founder of AsianinNY. “Koreans are staying with Koreans, the Japanese are staying with the Japanese, the Chinese with the Chinese. We want to transcend the boundaries between cultures.”

Others also agreed on the importance of a more inclusive celebration within the community. “Young Asians are disconnected,” said Kuei Chen Fang of Jhen Tea, who was selling oolong-infused champagne for a Taiwanese charity. “Every time this day comes, we miss home. Asians come here [to the U.S.] but don’t want to forget the tradition.”

The Chinese moon festival, which falls on the 15th of the 8th lunar month—September or early October in the Western calendar—is a traditional lunar harvest celebration that holds great significance for the Chinese. Although considered a traditionally Chinese holiday, variants of the moon festival also exist for other Asian countries. Legends tell the importance of the moon festival, but during this time, families traditionally get together, have a feast and eat moon cakes.

While stand-up comedian Brian Jian, the event’s MC, doesn’t avidly celebrate this cultural holiday, he believes it becomes more significant as the years pass.

“My relatives never really told me it was the moon festival,” said Jian, a New York native. “They’d play mahjong and we kids would d–k around. Now when you’re older and you get together you can be like, ‘Oh, there’s a meaning behind it!’”

Various Asian dancers and singers took the stage to showcase their pride and love for this cultural tradition. Wearing flowing pink dresses, women from the New York Chinese Cultural Center danced elegantly to traditional Chinese music, Soon after, they changed for a more upbeat fan dance. Other performers included Japanese duo Ayano and Rie who performed a belly dance routine. The crowd also enjoyed the rhythmic sounds—and adorable faces—of the New York Crimson Kings Drum, Fife, and Bugle Corps as they played “America the Beautiful” among other recognizable tunes.

Then came the musical stylings of many singers. Acoustic duo Austin Luu and Izzy Salinel sang covers of contemporary hits like “Thunder” and “Superhuman.” Christian singer Eric G, Japanese pop artist Setsuko and hip-hop and rap trio (duo for the night since their third member was busy studying to be a doctor) Triangle Offense also took to the stage with a mix of covers and original tracks.

After this last round of performances, the organizers and volunteers stripped away the back half of the room and transformed it into a makeshift runway. Numerous models showed off their best strut as they showcased men’s and women’s designs by Gilbert Chen and Angela Gao.

The celebration ran over time but ended on a high note, as Chris Nicodemo and fellow co-founder Diana Lee, with tired but smiling faces, thanked everyone for making the night a success.

“As an Asian American born in the U.S., [I think] it is important to continue the culture and Asian festivities,” said Nicodemo. “I want it to be the old meets the new.”

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Wendy Wong is a contributing writer at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

A plan to place a Greyhound bus stop in front of Seward Park has been denied in face of opposition from local residents.

Greyhound and partner Peter Pan proposed launching YO! Bus to ferry passengers to and from Philadelphia 8 times daily. Ticketing offices would be a few blocks away on E. Broadway.

Amid protests from local residents, Community Board 3 unanimously voted against the plan Tuesday night.

Residents like Chuck Lin decried the stop’s proximity to Seward Park, which was opened in 1903 and is one of the oldest playgrounds in the nation. He worried that the buses would change the quiet nature of the neighborhod.

“The Park is our little place of serenity, to put a bus line there is really ridiculous,” said Lin, who lives in the neighborhood with his elderly father.

Greyhound had addressed some concerns from the public by reducing the amount of round trips to 8 from the original proposed 14. Christian DiPalermo, a representative for Greyhound/Peter Pan hoped to continue to alleviate concerns from the public.

“We have been anxious to talk to the community and have welcomed the opportunity to talk for awhile now,” he said.

Some promises Greyhound made include having staff monitor the area for loitering, using ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, and ensuring that buses only stand for boarding and departing.

Flyer in front of Seward Park

Nonetheless, local residents were still concerned about congestion, pollution, and increased hazards for children and the elderly. Getting to the park often means crossing the intersections of Essex, Canal, E. Broadway, and Ludlow, featuring traffic from six directions. With surrounding schools, day-care centers, and after-school programs nearby, children are often in the area.

Although the city has made safety improves, “it is still a dangerous intersection, particularly for children,” said Linda Jones founding member of Friends of Seward Park, which has an online petition that has accumulated over 1,200 signatures.

“Why not Allen St?” she offered instead.

Under the new permitting plan for curbside buses, which was signed by the state last month, companies are required to have permits for bus stops. Greyhound had proposed three locations to the Department of Transportation for approval, one of which was 62 Allen St and the other, 3 Pike St. DOT rejected them because of the operating M15 line and plans for a bike share program, respectively. Instead, they chose Essex St.

This regulatory legislation, which Community Board and residents of Lower Manhattan have been rallying for, reduces the “wild west” nature of curbside buses that had the DOT shut down 26 Chinatown bus companies. Greyhound is one of the first to apply for the permit. Proposals are then sent to community boards for comments.

Although Greyhound has said they would work with the community Kavi Reddy, resident on 7 Essex St, believes otherwise. Noting the high population of Asians and low-income and working class people, she said, “Greyhound has chosen this area because they are making a value judgment that some kids count more than others and that these kids don’t count.”

With the community’s resounding no, the Community Board rejected the Essex St location and suggested alternative locations with stipulations such as having a storefront with bathroom access.

“If we’re not here to speak up and to protect our own backyard, who’s going to do it? We’re not saying we should not have economic development or bus lines. All that we’re here saying is don’t put it right here. Not in front of the park, not in front of the children, and not in front of the oldest playground in the country,” said Lin.

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Wen Hao Wang is a contributor at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

Plenty of opening events to keep you occupied through the week into the weekend.

Locating the Sacred 

Sept 12-23, 2012

Coordinated by the Asian American Arts Alliance, Locating the Sacred is a city-wide arts festival celebrating the community and movement that brought Asian American artists together as a collective voice. This year’s theme is inspired by the controversy brought forth by the “Ground Zero mosque.” With this in mind, the Alliance’s goal is to create a public forum for Asian Americans to contribute to the critical conversation of what is considered sacred.

Opening for the festival Wednesday from 8-10pm  is a concert featuring two young groups that express their spirituality through music. Other events include Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai’s “Say You Heard My Echo,” on Friday 7-8:30pm and Saturday 2-3.30pm; 7-8.30pm.  Performed by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, YaliniDream, and Adeeba Rana, the spoken word poetry theater project tells the story of three Asian American women navigating New York City 10 years after 9/11.

See the calendar of events here.

Feast of San Gennaro

Sept 13-23, 2012

Mulberry St., Little Italy

A period of remembrance and faith for Italians, the Feast of San Gennaro will also be a time for festive merriment. On opening day Thurs 2-3pm contestants will scarf down as many cannolis as possible in six minutes. Play games to win stuffed bears, eat zeppoles, and enjoy the carnival-esque atmosphere.

Lowline Preview Exhibit

Sept 15-27 @ 12-6pm

Essex Street Warehouse, entrance on Essex and Broome Streets

Free

The Lowline project seeks to transform abandoned underground trolley terminal in the Lower East Side into the world’s first underground park. How can an underground park exist? Find out at the Lowline exhibit which previews the technology that will allow sunlight for plant growth. A calendar of events, including days of street fairs, here.

Gathering the Grassroots: The Frontline of Asian American Mobilization

Saturday, Sept 15 @ 12noon-8pm

Museum of Chinese in Americas

215 Centre Street

Free

In this day-long event held at MOCA, Asian American and Pacific Islander grassroots organization will be gathering to encourage dialogue between groups and the public. Participating will be East Asian, Pacific Islander, and South and Southeast Asian organizations. Learn about the issues surrounding these communities and the actions they are taking for social justice. Speakers will include Dennis Chin, Helen Gym, and Vijay Prashad.

Dumpling Eating Contest

Saturday, Sept. 15 @ 1pm

Smorgasburg

Williamsburg waterfront between North 6th and North 7th St., at the East River 

Registration may be closed to compete, but watch as 24 men and 24 women eat as many dumplings as they can in two minutes. Will they beat last year’s record of 69 dumplings in two-minutes for the male division and 37 in two minutes for the women’s? Then enjoy some dumplings yourself and other foods while you’re at Smorgasburg.

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Wen Hao Wang is a contributor at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

By Alison Kuo

These guys are the essence of what’s amazing about Columbus Park in New York City’s Chinatown, a place where old people congregate to jam Peking Opera. Jam hard, too. Their music is not for wimps. It is loud, percussive, and strange, full of high-pitched wailing and gender swapping, and sometimes you have to take your shirt off to do it.

Alison Kuo runs the blog Accidental Chinese Hipsters from her bedroom/art studio in Brooklyn. A native Texan with a Chinese father, she grew up highly valuing the perfect char siu bao.

Yesterday couldn’t be any more beautiful with the sun out and new plants in the bedding at Columbus Park.

Members of Asian Americans for Equality showed off their green thumbs on “Park Beautification Day” by planting and mulching at Chinatown’s popular park.  Herbs and flowering plants found new homes along the Worth Street side of the park as passersby took notice.

It was NYC’s Department of Parks and Recreation that provided the plants, mulch and tools.

“I used to live on Bayard Street and grew up playing in this park,” said Rico Chen, a 20-year-old volunteer. “This helps the community.”

Crystal Law, 16, said she would plant again next year. “It was fun!”

AAFE will be sprucing up other Chinatown parks in the near future. The nonprofit organization has a central office at 108 Norfolk Street in Manhattan. They also have an office in Flushing, Queens.

To learn more about AAFE, click here.

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Shirley Lew is a contributing reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at@ShirleyNLew. Continue the conversation by posting a comment here, on OurChinatown’s Facebook page, or on Twitter at @ourchinatown.

Photo: Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The traditional 15-day celebration of the Lunar New Year ends this Monday. While some students return to school as they would from any weekend, others have just touched down on a long-haul flight from the other side of the world.

During the New Year’s break, a handful of Chinatown parents find rare vacation time to take their children for a visit to China—and in an increasing number of cases, they come back with more children.

The NY Times recently reported that public elementary schools in Chinatown have in recent years seen a spurt of new student registrations after unofficial Lunar New Year vacations. In this weeks-long period, parents take advantage of the occasion by bringing back to the States children of who have been either left behind in their hometowns, or those of relatives.

According to Principal Amy Hom of P.S. 1, two new students have already been enrolled into the school since the 2012 Lunar New Year has begun.

Though recent studies have shown a slowed immigration population moving into Manhattan’s Chinatown, this developing trend of transplanting young Chinese students show that the attendance of first-generation scholars are in abundance in community public schools.

After a hard race, some runners would chug a bottle of electrolytes to replenish and recover sore muscles. Powered By Dim Sum (PBDS), a social running group does it differently. Instead, they’ve been dining post-race in local Chinese restaurants  to feast on dim sum since 2002. These runners are passionate about eating dim sum as much as they are about running.

Dishes of “ha-gow”, “shue-mai” and “fun-gor” are just some of the varieties of dim sum they may savor after they do a “PR” (personal record) or not.  During the “refueling”, usual conversations at the table may include discussions of future races and their trials and tribulations of the sport.

Earlier this month, approximately 40 of its 200 members (based on its Yahoo! group) ran and finished the ING NYC Marathon.  They traditionally would wear their red team shirt, but this year there was a change of color.  A last minute and unexpected sponsor,  Wilson Tang, owner of Nom Wah Tea Parlor located on 13 Doyers Street changed the color scheme.

Tang, a runner and ING NYC Marathon finisher learned of PBDS through his brother-in-law and an acquaintance whom are members.  Tang, however is not a member.

“I thought it would be really cool to get some exposure for the restaurant and to support the group.  Getting exposure for the restaurant has been in the works for a long time,” Tang said.  He added, “I thought the name of the running group, Powered By Dim Sum was just perfect.”

Talks happened quickly. According to Tang, everything came into fruition in about a week and a half.

A PBDS group leader, Warren Sze managed to get shirt sizes from most of its members in a week and a half before the marathon, even when Nom Wah’s sponsorship was not official. However, Tang went on to approach his friend, David Chan, a graphic designer to design the shirt in less than a week.

The sponsorship was finally and quickly confirmed and the  shirts were printed within days of the marathon. It happened was so quickly some members didn’t even realize there was  a sponsor till comments and photos of the new shirts started popping upon on Facebook.  By then, members who were in the dark about it were out of a coveted white technical shirt, including myself, a PBDS member. However, I hear Tang has reserved one for me even-though I didn’t run this year’s marathon.  Sweet.

“I’d like to thank Nom Wah Tea Parlor for providing us shirts for the ING NYC Marathon this year. Hopefully this relationship will lead to bigger and more fun things in the future,” said Jerry Loo, PBDS member and dim sum lover.  Loo also organizes the social fun-runs for the groups on occasion.

“I have a feeling we are going to collaborate some more.  I would love to do another shirt,” Tang said.

PBDS already knows that  running hard and strong for dim sum is tastier than a sticky tacky PowerBar after a race.  Sitting in an ice bath alone is no fun either.  They’ve proven that eating dim sum together improves the social aspect of running and may encourage members to run more often, if not faster.

So go ahead and run this week’s turkey trot then stuff  yourself  with dim sum for lunch.  Your appetite for turkey will not be affected.  I promise.

Powered By Dim Sum welcomes runners of any pace and ethnicity. Besides running, a love for dim sum is a must.  To join the group contact, PoweredByDimSum-owner@yahoogroups.com

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Photo: Alex Peng

The statue of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, located at Columbus Park, was dedicated at high noon on November 12th. State Senator Daniel Squadron, City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association President Jack Eng, and hunderds of community leaders attended the dedication ceremony.