Participation in cultural heritage is a universal human right. Yet, the world of all things heritage is far from accessible. Many stories remain untold, and many of us are unaware that we are heritage practitioners ourselves. These are just a few of the main issues that heritage professionals have encountered for ages.
I have always been fascinated by the stories from diaspora communities in the Netherlands, particularly from Chinese and other Asian communities, because of my own background. These stories have been underrepresented for years. I played with the idea of researching those untold stories for quite some time, and PAC offered me to lead this project that was the perfect accumulation of my past experiences, as both a sinologist and heritage expert.
With the project Azië x Nederland, we aim to bridge the knowledge gap about the age-old connections between Asia, the Netherlands, and the Asian diaspora in the Netherlands through the art of storytelling.
This pilot edition featured several stories set during the Second World War, highlighting people of Asian descent who lived near the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam. They were resistant fighters, average citizens, and some even collaborated with the Nazis.
As a project leader and cultural programmer, I helped conceptualise this project, conducted research on the stories in collaboration with several institutions, including the CIHC and the Amsterdam Committee for May 4 and 5, oversaw all communication efforts, and produced the exposition. Together with colleague Kin Mok, we designed the exposition that was on display at the Nieuwmarkt in May 2023. Click here for the stories.





Photography by Jessy Wong