OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ✨
CHI Archives is a living archive dedicated to sharing and preserving stories of the Chinese diaspora across the Americas and beyond.
We’re inviting you to submit photos, videos, and personal memories that hold cultural history
migration, family traditions, community life, joy, and loss.
EN/FR/ES/PT/中文 accepted
Link in bio to submit
Thank you for building this archive with us❤️
🇨🇺🇨🇳 “My story reflects a little-known chapter of the Chinese diaspora in Cuba. Before the Castro era, Havana’s Chinatown became one of the most important outside of Asia, with associations, businesses, and a very active cultural life. Places such as Zanja Street, along with family businesses like my grandfather’s, were part of a vibrant community fabric that was largely lost following the economic changes after 1959.
Chiong Wayow was my paternal grandfather. He was born in Canton and, at just 12 years old, fled communism and emigrated to Cuba with an uncle. At that time, the island was prosperous and welcomed those seeking a better life. Havana’s Chinatown was one of the largest and most vibrant in the Caribbean and Latin America.
My grandfather learned Spanish perfectly and, after achieving some stability, traveled to Hong Kong to find a wife. He returned with my grandmother, Wong Ming Ye, who was pregnant with their first daughter, Amelia. Together they built a life, started their own business, and acquired a grocery store in the heart of Havana, at 417 Soledad Street, which they named “La Nacional.”
They had three children: Amelia, Rafael, and Guillermo (my father). They lived modestly but steadily until 1959, when Fidel Castro’s government nationalized private businesses, and my family lost everything except one of their homes.
My grandmother often said she knew war. She suffered deeply during World War II, especially due to the Japanese invasion, and remembered the terror and hunger it brought. Yet she said she had never experienced hunger like what she endured in Cuba in the early 1990s.
Both of my grandparents passed away without ever returning to their homeland. Our uncle, Bartolo Wong Ching, was the last family member to visit Hong Kong, in 2000. I remember him saying, with amazement, that he could not recognize the city since he had left it in 1954. He was a beloved chef in Havana and passed away on August 11, 2018...”
1. Varadero, Cuba, circa 1954
2. my grandfather in his grocery store, La Nacional, 50s / Chiong’s family
3. my grandfather Cuba’s citizenship
4 & 5 Chiong’s Family in 1981 & 1958
6. My parents & me
Ingrid Chiong
Update: All Advance Tickets are SOLD OUT
This month we celebrate Rumba’s 10th anniversary. More than a decade of Rumba. Every month. A beautiful and true labour of love and we literally wouldn’t be here without you 🫶
We’re definitely in our feels (in a good way) and we’ll delve into nostalgia and memories throughout the month, but for now let’s focus on the party 🎉
To celebrate a decade of Rumba it is our supreme honour to present the return of the Queen herself: @_giafu .
Gia needs no introduction, but we’re going to sing her praises anyway. A Hong Kong-born DJ, music producer, and cultural researcher, she’s known for her deep-rooted work in Latin music, particularly salsa and its associated rhythms.
In addition to the worldwide fame she’s garnered for her electrifying DJ sets, she leads Canton Mambo 曼波, a multidisciplinary project connecting communities through music, dance, and cultural exchange. The initiative champions cultural dialogue and unity, with her single “Canton Mambo” blending salsa with GuZheng.
The anniversary celebrations are all happening on Friday, May 15th at our beloved home, @cafeteria____ . Tickets available now. They will sell out *immediately* (not hyperbole, people). So, get them quickly and come celebrate more than a 10 years of Rumba with us. We promise it will be a special night ❤️🔥
Poster design by the incredibly talented @kristianbolanos
#giafu #salsa #toronto #event #party
Is there a rhythm or sound that pulls us toward a place we never knew we belonged?
For @_giafu , the answer lives between the strings of a guzheng and the heat of a salsa horn section.
From her grandmother’s legacy in Chinese cinema to the world’s biggest stages, her journey is a masterclass in the divine play of culture, identity, and sound.
Swipe through the Listener’s Guide before our episode arrives.
Coming soon. Link in bio.
Photography: @lamma
🇨🇺🇨🇳 “Fermin Huey Ley is the Cuban Chinese Frank Sinatra, his parents came from China in 1902 the year Cuba gained independence from Spain in the 60s and 70s Fermin used to dance the rumba to the conga along the malecón. now at 67 he no longer dances but he still sings for us at Lung Kong (a charitable clan association run by Alejandro Chiu) where he goes for lunch every day.”
Footage courtesy of the Chinese Restaurants documentary series - chineserestaurants.tv
by Cheuk Kwan
🇵🇪🇨🇳🇺🇸 “My grandfather immigrated from China to Lima in the 1950s, leaving behind his wife and kids in China. He was on the search for a better life, and saw opportunity in Peru. He gradually brought them over to Peru and they resided there until the 1970s. While in Peru, my entrepreneurial grandfather tried his hand at a few different types of business including a shoe store and a restaurant. He learned the craft of cooking pollo a la brasa during his time in Lima. My grandfather came to NYC with his business partner/friend in 1973 in pursuit of the American dream and opened the first Chifa restaurant in our family which focused on Pollo a la brasa. When his kids were able to immigrate to the US, they also followed in my grandfather’s footsteps and opened their own pollo a la brasa restaurants. All of these restaurants were/are primarily takeout/counter-service and “old-school”. When we were looking to open Johnny’s, we wanted to honor our heritage and family legacy but also do a few things that were a departure from what our family had previously done
1) make Chifa “cool” and more modern, and incorporate ideas, foods, etc from our upbringing in the US and
2) offer a sit-down dining experience with a full bar with fun cocktails (none of our other restaurants served alcohol.
Johnny’s is a celebration of our heritage, serving Chinese-Peruvian-American food in one of the most amazing cities in the world.”
Stephanie @johnnysbk
Johnnys BK
642 Lorimer St, Brooklyn NY 11211
1. Grandma & grandpa in their first restaurants in the US
2. Some of my aunts & uncles in our family’s restaurant in Peru
3. Grandma & grandpa in their first restaurants in the US
4. Photo from Johnnys BK ig
5. 3rd generation owners of Johnnys BK
6. Photo from Johnnys BK ig
The Web Series’s Season 2 is almost here!
Episode 1 “From Discovery to Devotion” Features @_giafu & @brendanavarreteoficial
This new episode asks what it means to find something that was always yours, and discovers that the distance between two worlds is often shorter than either expected.
Special thanks to @thisconventillo for opening their beautiful space for a perfect setting. To @arturonunezspeaks for his powerful support of @frequentseat and for @cucu_earcandy for having the perfect taste and the best vibes to connect not just with music but with others.
Coming soon to our YouTube channel. Subscribe and follow the story. Link in bio.
Videography: @anmsty@animositty@abreuhermes@lerickkkkkkkkk@camionthecam
Sound: @sierra.sounds
Edit: @juanrangel968 x @gnomografo
#FrequentSeat #BrendaNavarrete #GiaFu
🇵🇷🇨🇳 “My parents moved from Guangdong, China to Puerto Rico in the 1990s with my brother in search of work and opportunity. They first worked at our relatives’ restaurant in Humacao and Caguas before opening their own in Ponce in 2000. A year later, they had me 💁🏻♀️
I basically grew up in that restaurant - doing homework in the dining area, talking to customers, taking orders, peeling plátanos, and celebrating all my birthdays there after closing time. At a very young age, I navigated both cultures and languages: Cantonese at home and Spanish everywhere else. Our menu was a blend of Chinese and Puerto Rican flavors like mofongo con pepper steak, arroz chino con carne frita, tostones al ajillo (my all-time favorite) 😋
Growing up in Puerto Rico shaped me in the best way. I learned Spanish, built lifelong friendships, and experienced the warmth of Boricua culture. But being part of a very small Asian community also meant standing out. As a child, I was often teased for my small eyes. Kids would pull their eyes, call me “chinita,” and asked if I ate dogs and cats. At the time, it was painful. I didn’t understand why looking different made me a target. Back then, I just wanted to blend in. I didn’t want to stand out.
Now I realize that being Chinese is such a beautiful thing.
At 13, my mom and I moved to the States for better education and so I could learn English, a transition that broke me in ways I didn’t expect. I didn’t want to leave my home. Eventually, my whole family sold the business and relocated. But Puerto Rico will always be home - it’s where I learned resilience, language, what it means to live between cultures, and how identities can blend in unexpected and beautiful ways 🤍
Puerto Rico raised me. China rooted me. Chicago shaped me.
Now, I’m proud of every part of who I am 🇵🇷🇨🇳
@amylinlinn Amy Lin
First Saturdays at Brooklyn Museum, featuring Gia Fu on March 7th, 2026! The footage can now be downloaded for yourselves via the Google Drive link in my profile description!
This was such an amazing night, full of culture and love. It was so packed I believe half of Brooklyn was in the room 😂
Gia played her awesome beats, for both the Salsa & House crowds! Everyone was engaged in the class thanks to @lfmstudionyc , we all had a great time. It may looked like I was always recording, but trust me I danced for a total of 90 minutes 💃 🕺
Capturing moments like these literally puts a smile on my face, and I hope it puts a smile on yours :)
Thank you @brooklynmuseum for opening your space once again to dance and for all that you do for the community, and thank you @_giafu@cantonmambo for always bringing the music to our lives 🎶
As always, stay safe, have fun, and I’ll see ya on the dance floor!
#dancing #mambo #kennysalsa #brooklyn #nyc
