Aja Dawson and her mother, Barbara, explore their family's heritage in dishes such as jerk fried egg rolls and chen pi ji-style chicken wings in an intimate 35-seat space that used to be a boba shop.
I spent the first half of 2025 in Paris, and while I loved living in a walkable city overflowing with art and culture, I often found myself craving a taste of home. Fortunately, Paris has not one but two Chinatowns: Belleville and the 13th arrondissement. Belleville is an artsy, historically progressive neighborhood shaped by centuries of immigration from Europe, Africa, and Asia. At its center is Parc de Belleville, known for its rotating street art and sweeping sunset views of the Eiffel Tower.
Jolene Foo's route to Chinese drama fandom happened after moving from her native Malaysia to Norway in her late 20s. Foo, who grew up as a "third-generation Chinese kid," was looking for a way to reconnect with her homeland. Her friends recommended Chinese dramas, or C-dramas for short. "What really drew me in was the cultural dimension," she told DW. "As someone who is of the Chinese diaspora, watching C-dramas became a way of reconnecting with my roots."
Pei Lulu is the pride of her divorced parents. Her life in Boston is supported by her mother's salary from a job at Tsinghua University and her father's business of sculpting Buddhas and dragons for overseas clients. That Lulu has managed to study abroad-at Harvard, no less-is already an achievement. But she's also particularly dedicated, even among her extraordinary peers. When her wealthy friend Rachel vacations in Newport or goes skiing in Vermont, Lulu is content to stay on campus, reading books in the library.
The only citywide festival of its kind in the nation is a celebration for the Chinese diaspora, signifying a time when the boundary between human and spiritual realms is thinner.