Vanishing Chinatown: The World of the May's Photo Studio
Vanishing Chinatown: Preview
August 25, 2021
At a time of public outrage over anti-Asian hate crimes, this new documentary shines a light on everyday life in San Franciscos Chinatown a century ago. Hundreds of photographs, serendipitously rescued from a Chinatown dumpster, chronicle the lives of an immigrant community from an insider's perspective. Through images from the early to mid-1900s, they reveal the artistry of a preeminent photographer of the time, preserving community life from civic parades to small businesses to fantastic Cantonese opera scenes.