Posted on May 28, 2022
A photographer's journey to reconnect with his Chinese American identity
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https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2022/05/28/ [login to see] /a-photographers-journey-to-reconnect-with-his-chinese-american-identity
Growing up in Queens as a young Chinese American, An Rong Xu internalized a shamefulness when he realized the way that he and his culture were negatively perceived through American eyes. Hearing so many offensive stereotypes targeting his identity, Xu grew resentful of his Chinese heritage.
It wasn't until his senior year of high school that Xu began to find some acceptance of who he is and where his family came from. He worked in Chinatown at an after-school center that he used to attend, helping kids with their homework. Xu saw himself in these kids. He was once one of these children, not yet aware of the journey he would make to figure out who he was and how he would struggle to grasp that truth. But it was during this time that he reconnected with himself and his own identity in the hope of creating a future where our differences don't set us apart.
Growing up in Queens as a young Chinese American, An Rong Xu internalized a shamefulness when he realized the way that he and his culture were negatively perceived through American eyes. Hearing so many offensive stereotypes targeting his identity, Xu grew resentful of his Chinese heritage.
It wasn't until his senior year of high school that Xu began to find some acceptance of who he is and where his family came from. He worked in Chinatown at an after-school center that he used to attend, helping kids with their homework. Xu saw himself in these kids. He was once one of these children, not yet aware of the journey he would make to figure out who he was and how he would struggle to grasp that truth. But it was during this time that he reconnected with himself and his own identity in the hope of creating a future where our differences don't set us apart.
A photographer's journey to reconnect with his Chinese American identity
Posted from npr.org
Photography
China
Immigration
Queens
Heritage
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Xu rarely saw himself reflected in mainstream media. He shares these photos as a reflection of himself and of others who face similar challenges trying to create a way where these communities can hold their own space rather than trying to fit into a shape or mold that has already been established.
He doesn't claim to speak for all Chinese Americans when he makes his work. He emphasizes that these images stem from his own perspective and experience but with that, he hopes to stretch the cultural narrative of what it means to exist as a Chinese person in the United States.
"With my work, I tried to find the duality and how we perceive our identity, and then how the world perceives us and how we are trying to make our place in this world, but we're still caught in the shadows of a society that [isn't] ready to see us," Xu says."...
..."Xu rarely saw himself reflected in mainstream media. He shares these photos as a reflection of himself and of others who face similar challenges trying to create a way where these communities can hold their own space rather than trying to fit into a shape or mold that has already been established.
He doesn't claim to speak for all Chinese Americans when he makes his work. He emphasizes that these images stem from his own perspective and experience but with that, he hopes to stretch the cultural narrative of what it means to exist as a Chinese person in the United States.
"With my work, I tried to find the duality and how we perceive our identity, and then how the world perceives us and how we are trying to make our place in this world, but we're still caught in the shadows of a society that [isn't] ready to see us," Xu says."...
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