About this Event
Cantonese opera has been part of New York’s story for more than 170 years. Beginning in the 1850s, touring troupes performed in Chinatowns across the United States from San Francisco to Chicago, New York, and even Spokane (plus smaller cities in between). In 1853, the 40-member Tong Hook Tong opera company appeared at New York’s Niblo’s Garden, one of Manhattan’s grand theaters. By 1890, Chinatown’s Doyers Street had its own dedicated opera house, founded by cultural activist Wong Chin Foo. These performances helped build community through music, theater, and tradition that continues to resonate today.
This special evening brings that legacy to life:
- Dr. Nancy Yunhwa Rao shares highlights from her acclaimed new book .
- Celebrated theater artist Ping Chong and his sister Betty Chong share stories of their family’s arrival in the 1930s as members of a Cantonese opera troupe from Canada and performing in New York.
- Cantonese opera performer Mee Mee Chin shows vintage costumes from her collection and performs some classic opera songs.
Copies of Dr. Rao’s book will be available for purchase and signing.
Tea and typical Chinese opera snacks will be served.
* Pear Garden was China's first royal performing arts academy dating to the Tang Dynasty. Today the phrase ‘Pear Garden’ is used to refer to Chinese opera in general and performers are commonly known as ‘Children/Disciples of the Pear Garden’
Nancy Yunhwa Rao 饒韻華 is a Distinguished Professor of Music at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. Her book, , tells the story of iconic theater companies and the networks and migrations that made Chinese opera a part of North American cultures. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Nancy Yunhwa Rao has produced award-winning research on a range of topics, including gender and music, sketch studies, music modernism, cultural fusion in music, racial representations, and the music history of early Chinese Americans. Rao’s earlier book, Chinatown Opera Theater in North America (Illinois University Press, 2017), received the Music in American Culture Award, American Musicological Society; Lowens Book Award, Society for American Music; and Book Award in Performance and Media, Associations for Asian American Studies. In 2024, Rao was named Honor Member of the American Musicological Society.
Ping Chong 張家平 iis an internationally acclaimed interdisciplinary artist. Since 1972, he created over 100 original works for the stage with the Ping Chong Company (now ) in New York City, and around the world. He is the recipient of two BESSIE awards, two OBIE awards, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellowship, and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Ping grew up in Manhattan Chinatown where he, sister Betty Chong and their siblings all worked in the family’s two local restaurants and cafe. And, according to Ping, “My mom was a diva. My grandfather was a very famous Chinese opera director-librettist. My father was a director-librettist. My mother was performing in Vietnam in the late ’20s, and my father was directing in Singapore and Malaysia in the ’20s.”
MeeMee Chin 陳美美 began her Cantonese Opera journey in 2004 as a way to support the oldest Opera Club in Chinatown, Manchee Benevolent Association. At first it was something for her to fill her Saturdays but it soon became a deep passion as she found her voice.
This event is part of the Chinatown Arts Festival, a month long celebration of culture in Manhattan's Chinatown. Showcasing both traditional Chinese arts groups and emerging Asian American artists, this year’s festival is packed with exciting programs for all ages. Check out our long list of free and low-cost events at
Think!Chinatown is a place-based intergenerational non-profit in Manhattan’s Chinatown, working at the intersection of storytelling, arts, and neighborhood engagement. T!C is the team behind neighborhood cultural programs like Chinatown Arts Festival, Chinatown Night Market, Chinatown Block Parties, Chinatown Storytelling Festival, and more. Find more at
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Think!Chinatown's Studio, 1 pike street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
