Chinatown 2.0

Professor Anne Chao is a Chinese modern historian that lectures at Rice University. She is also manager of the Houston Asian American Archive, an oral history archive that looks to document the challenges faced and contributions made by the Asian American community.

As the daughter of a Taiwanese diplomat, Anne moved between Congo, Australia, Washington DC, and Taiwan as a kid. Her Ph.D. dissertation was on the social networks of Chen Duxiu, co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party and publisher of the influential magazine Xin Qingnian, or New Youth.

In this interview, we covered her multi-continental childhood, views on Asian’s involvement in politics, a history of discrimination suffered by Asian Americans, inspiring stories from the Houston Asian American archive, and her work on Chen Duxiu.

Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) oral histories: https://haaa.rice.edu/

Intro * Multi-continental childhood between Congo, Australia, Washington DC and Taiwan * Nativism, liberalism, populism of major Western countries today * Black Lives Matter awakens Asian Americans to more active political participation * A brief history of discrimination of Chinese, Japanese and Indian Americans * Asians’ general inactiveness in the American political process * Age-old question of mainstream assimilation for Asian Americans * Stories from Houston Asian American Archive * China’s history around the rise of Chen Duxiu and his publication 新青年

Jie Zhang has been an instructor, administrator and leader of American education institutions for more than three decades. She began her career teaching math to prisoners on Rikers Island (New York). Her most well-known positions included principal of the Ivy League feeder Stuyvesant High School, and principal of the now Chinese company-owned New York Military Academy, which US President Trump attended. She recently returned to China to run two international high schools.

Besides recounting her eclectic career, she also shared stories of helping prisoners get high school degrees, challenges in teaching American high schoolers as a foreigner, her firsthand experience dealing with pressure to democratize enrollment at magnet public schools, making decision to return to China despite overwhelming opposition from family and friends, and cherishment of the exciting work environment and an energetic team of coworkers at the two Chinese schools she now manages.

Jie Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jie-zhang-67a97620/ * Stuyvesant High School ("Stuy"): https://stuy.enschool.org/ * New York Military School: https://www.nyma.org/ * Hongwen School: http://www.hongwenschool.com.cn/

0:00 Teaser 1:01 Host monologue 4:32 Guest self-intro 11:20 Pressure of running international schools amid China-US tension 15:55 Coronavirus deepened financial woes of US private schools (pre-college) that preceded the pandemic 22:04 Journey to State University of New York at Stony Brook and family ties to Chinese Physicist CN Yang 27:50 First job teaching math at a prison in Rikers Island in New York City 35:54 Transition to teaching regular schools, and challenges of teaching Americans as a foreigner 42:53 Her son (Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, startup) and daughter (Berkeley, speech pathology studies) 45:18 Transition from purely instructive to administrative roles 51:56 Willingness to take risks plays big role in advancing her educational career from teaching at schools to leading schools to returning to China 1:01:03 Assignment to “clean up” Stuyvesant after test-cheating scandal as interim principal 1:06:15 Natural esconsement to permanent principal as the first China Mainland born principal at Stuyvesant 1:09:36 Her response to public pressure to remove academically focused entrance tests for magnet schools like Stuy in the name of equity and inclusiveness 1:21:44 Chinese parents’ general anxiety and formulaic approach on getting kids to Ivy League 1:32:33 Kids at the academic “bottom” 5% at Stuy still do well in life 1:40:49 Leaving Stuy partially due to significant red tape and a lack of autonomy 1:46:00 Move to lead recently out-of-bankruptcy New York Military Academy, increasing communication with China education institutions not previously available at public school 1:50:00 Growing interest and increasingly clear reasons for leading American-style secondary education in China 1:55:11 Making decision to return to China at late 50s against overwhelming opposition from family and friends 1:59:28 Contrast the more lively, positive and cooperative Chinese colleagues with American colleagues seeking stability and resisting change 2:03:47 Clash with the ways of Chinese education admin lifers from local public school system 2:10:28 Strong pride in being able to make unique and significant contribution, and fierce love for passionate and diligent colleagues 2:13:08 Managing and dealing with people at work is just as hard between America and China 2:17:32 Strong chemistry between energetic Chinese subordinates welcoming western management methods and expat leaders tired of managing uninspiring and inert public sector Americans 2:25:30 Emphasis on mutual respect regardless of status as her management style 2:32:32 Anecdote of helping a sincere and unassuming Chinese grandpa on high speed train, as an illustration of her drive to excel in positions with no direct fame or monetary reward

Morgan Jones is a Black American that previously spent six years in China as a radio host, movie production assistant and EMBA English teacher. He is a “Chinese son-in-law” (中国女婿), a self-described Tiger Dad (“虎爸”) and a fluent Mandarin speaker.

He got his EMBA from Cornell and bachelors from Middlebury College, or 明德大学 in Chinese.

This episode was recorded in Mandarin. We discussed Morgan’s adventures in China, takeaways from his marriage to a Chinese woman, his relationship with Chinese in-laws, growing up Black in the US, and other American race issues such as affirmative action and recent police involved incidents.

We discussed:

Jing Cheng is the co-founder and CEO of the largest North American Children's Chinese magazine, Pipa Magazine. She shares her inspirations for starting the publication, the challenges of running the business of print media against digital headwinds, and her philosophy and suggestions for Chinese immigrants raising bilingual kids. To learn more about Pipa Magazine, visit: pipamag.org You can also subscribe to their WeChat public account by searching for 小枇杷 Jing shared with us: * Pipa Magazine as a companion to kids and bridge to communicate with older generations * Why young kids like to read the same books repeatedly * Self-identity for kids with Chinese heritage * Learning Chinese culture in addition to the language * Maintaining emotional intimacy between first and second generation immigrants * Immigrant parents need continual self education to keep up with kids' American ideas * Pipa Magazine's way of teaching Chinese language in the context of Chinese culture * The development of Pipa Magazine as a business since 2012 * The difficult business of the Chinese culture-themed magazine * Pipa Magazine as between a nonprofit organization and a commercial business * How donations can help Pipa Magazine's missions Jing shared with us: * Pipa Magazine as a companion to kids and bridge to communicate with older generations * Why young kids like to read the same books repeatedly * Self-identity for kids with Chinese heritage * Learning Chinese culture in addition to the language * Maintaining emotional intimacy between first and second generation immigrants * Immigrant parents need continual self education to keep up with kids' American ideas * Pipa Magazine's way of teaching Chinese language in the context of Chinese culture * The development of Pipa Magazine as a business since 2012 * The difficult business of the Chinese culture-themed magazine * Pipa Magazine as between a nonprofit organization and a commercial business * How donations can help Pipa Magazine's missions

Rui Ma is an investment banker (Morgan Stanley) turned VC (500 Startups) turned podcast host (Tech Buzz China). Her show covers current tech trends in China, with a focus on power players such as ByteDance and Alibaba. Her diaspora journey included a childhood in the China countryside, college and grad school education in the US, a career of finance/tech in Shanghai/Beijing, and podcast operations from Silicon Valley.

We discussed Bytedance ban, Niall Ferguson's "TikTok = China's digital imperium ambitions" quote, Chinese female diaspora experience, China's sexist society, the notorious 996, her podcast-turned-business and more!

Tech Buzz China podcast: https://pandaily.com/podcast/ Rui’s newsletter: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/techbuzzchina/ Rui's twitter: https://twitter.com/ruima

Rui shared with us:

Childhood in China's countryside, California education, work in China, return to Silicon Valley