From The Peopling of New York City
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Chinese Immigrants' Cultural Contributions
Movies
Much of the Chinese contribution to the area of acting and production come in the form of Chinese Martial Arts movies, including “The Chinese Connection” (1972), “Enter the Dragon” (1973), and “Drunken Master” (1979). The stars of such movies are well-known actors and martial artists such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and John Chang. Some American movies that have been affected by these Chinese Martial Arts movies include “Rush Hour” and “Matrix.”[1]
Music
Contemporary Chinese Contributions to the area of music can be found by looking into the major Chinese musical artists of our time.
Musical Artists
Yo-Yo Ma (Classical) - 馬友友 was born in Paris, France on October 7, 1955 to Chinese parents and had a musical upbringing, as his father was a music professor, and his mother was a professional singer. His family moved to New York when he was four years old, and he is now a highly accomplished violinist, violist, pianist, and of for what he is most well-known for, a well-revered cellist. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music and Columbia University before ultimately enrolling at Harvard University to receive his bachelor's degree in 1976.
Jin (Hip-Hop) - 歐陽靖, the Asian-American Hip Hop Artist, was born in Miami, Florida on June 4, 1982 to Chinese parents who owned their own restaurant. In 2001, his family moved to Flushing, Queens as he decided to go to Forgo College (http://www.sfbg.com/39/03/art_music_jin.html) versus performing freestyles and selling his own mix tapes on the streets. Jin is an American songwriter, rapper, actor, and born-again Christian.
Coco Lee (R&B) - Ferren Lee-Kelly was born in Harbin, China on January 17, 1976 as the youngest of 3 children. At age ten, after her father passed away, their family moved to San Francisco, California. She attended Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School in San Francisco and later the University of California Irvine, graduating in 1992. Coco is a Chinese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and the only Asian artist to have multiple top-three singles in the MTV Asia Hitlist. (http://www.cocolee.net/profile/biography-e.html)
William Hung (Pop) - 孔慶翔 was born in Sha Tin, Hong Kong on January 13, 1983 and moved to Camden, New Jersey States, in 1993. He studied at University of California, Berkeley, and later dropped out to pursue his music career. He is most well-known for his performance on the third series of American Idol in early 2004 with his off-key audition performance of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs."
Culinary
A Major Culinary Artist of our time is Ming Tsai.
Ming Tsai - 蔡明昊 was born in Newport Beach, California on March 29, 1964, and raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he attended The Miami Valley School. Ming is an American fusion cuisine chef and restaurateur who currently hosts two cooking shows – "Ming's Quest" and "Simply Ming." He has also previously hosted "East Meets West" on the Food Network, for which he won an Emmy Award. Ming speaks four languages: English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese.
Architecture
A Huge Chinese Contributor to the area of Architecture is Leoh Ming Pei.
Leoh Ming Pei - 贝聿銘 was born in Canton, China on on April 26, 1917. He is a Pritzker Prize-winning Chinese-born American architect, and the picture on the right is an example of one of his many works, known as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio.
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