Coming Out of The Shadows: Students speak openly about being undocumented

By Shanshan Wang Audio by Ya Zhou For many years, Tamara Montes De Oca, a senior in communications at Northeastern Illinois University, never told others about her undocumented status. “I hid it because I never wanted to be treated differently. I wanted to be given the same challenges and opportunities as everyone,” Montes De Oca […]

From Vietnam to Old Town: Café owner shares her story

Cassava Café

By Carlos D. Williamson and Ya Zhou    Video by Vishakha Darbha Vung Nguyen has been a survivor her entire life. Even when she was forced to move from her home country to a refugee camp as a girl, she remained optimistic. After her family moved to the United States, Nguyen hoped her situation would […]

China clamps down on homosexual content on TV and online

By Jenny Lee and Ya Zhou Vulgar, immoral and unhealthy. That is how the Chinese government views homosexuality, and that stance became more apparent after the release of a new set of guidelines by one of the main media censorship bodies last December. Reflecting that homosexuality impairs public morality and social stability, the eight-page document […]

Imperial Lamian: traditional Chinese food in a “modern, hip space”

By Ya Zhou Chicagoans can dine on authentic and modern Chinese cuisine at Imperial Lamian‘s first U.S. location in the heart of Chicago’s bustling River North neighborhood. The restaurant takes its name from lamian, a traditional Chinese food with a history dating back to the 16th Century. The process of making lamian involves taking a […]

Workers accuse the Marshall Hotel of wage theft, other labor problems

By Ya Zhou Workers and tenants of the Marshall Hotel rallied recently outside the single-room occupancy hotel, accusing the owners of wage theft and improper personnel policies. Joined by other supporters, including members of Arise Chicago, a nonprofit that works on wage theft and labor issues, the group demonstrated in heavy snow outside the SRO […]

Gay Chinese Americans are caught in a tug-of-war

By Jenny Lee and Ya Zhou Disoriented by the constant tug-of-war in China over homosexuality, gay Chinese Americans are looking for support in the United States, where same-sex marriage is legal. What they are facing is the conflict between their gender identity and the traditional values their parents hold, but with family lying at at […]

Demonstrators boo Latino officials for endorsing Chinese-American candidate Theresa Mah

By Ya Zhou Shouting “sold out, sold out,” a group of protesters loudly booed and nearly prevented congressman Luis Gutierrez and other local elected officials from announcing their support of Theresa Mah, a Chinese-American candidate running for 2nd District state representative. The endorsement of Mah took place in the Plaza Tenochtitlan in Pilsen on Monday […]

Chinatown forum airs issues in state representative race

By Xiao Lyu and Ya Zhou More than 100 people attended the 2nd district state representative candidate forum at Chinatown’s Pui Tak Center on Monday night. The forum, organized by the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), invited the two candidates running for the seat to openly discuss their proposals and respond to […]

New $650 Air Jordan shoes will launch Jan. 30

By Ya Zhou Michael Jordan’s latest sneaker won’t go on sale till the weekend, but eager buyers were already lined up downtown by mid-week. Approximately 100 lawn chairs were set up in a line outside Nike’s Jordan Brand retail shop on South State Street, with a handful of eager buyers waiting for the release of […]

Chinese in US fight the coronavirus at home with charter plane of medical supplies

By Yun Hao Medill Reports Chen Cui, a volunteer from Seattle and CEO of marketing company Matone, burst into tears as the plane finally started to pull out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport at about 10:30 p.m. on Jan 28. He and other volunteers had worked hard to collect the medical supplies on the plane. […]