A tribute to the power, grace, and beauty of San Francisco Chinatown’s nightclub performers in the 1930’s, "Chinatown, My Chinatown" reclaims an early jazz standard to illuminate a forgotten history.

Original Lyrics:

"Chinatown, my Chinatown

Where the lights are low

Hearts that know no other land

Drifting to and fro"

- "Chinatown, My Chinatown,”

song by Jean Schwartz and William Jerome (1906)

Originally written by Schwartz and Jerome, the song “Chinatown, My Chinatown” has been recorded and covered by numerous artists over the years, but never by a person of Asian descent – until now.

New Lyrics:

"Hearts that cry for our motherland

But tears no longer flow"

- “Chinatown, My Chinatown,”

lyrics by Preston Mui and Grace Yoo (2022)

Our reinterpretation of this song reclaims the narrative of the Asian diaspora in America. It speaks to Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants and their American-born children struggling to plant roots in a country that has constantly pushed them out to the margins of society. But we continue to persevere and overcome persistent narratives that we are foreigners in our own home - our motherland.