Chinatowns across North America don’t just share a similar look – they also face similar existential threats and David-versus-Goliath-like battles for survival.
Urban renewal projects, she said, are disproportionately located in racialized or immigrant communities. “The Wings noodle building got bought, and I had a really tough time,” she said. “I couldn’t reconcile this idea that I was gonna film the erasure of my own Chinatown.” However, Cho’s film makes it clear that saving Chinatowns is about more than preserving buildings or their facades.
Cho’s film tour has taken her across North America, with stops in Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Los Angeles. Stops include a showing at the Edmonton Chinatown Multi-Cultural Centre on Sunday and at Hot Docs cinema in Toronto on May 30. The documentary is also scheduled for broadcast on TVO and Radio-Canada.