UPDATE: CHSA is open to the public with new museum hours:
Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am to 5pm.
UPCOMING EVENTS
"Mysteries from My Childhood" Book Talk: John T. Lee
Sat., September 12, 11AM
Collections
CHSA values the importance of our collections. Currently, as we continue our efforts in developing the collection capacity of nearly 22,000 Chinese and Chinese American historical artifacts, CHSA is currently not accepting donations of personal artifacts. Unsolicited objects shipped or brought to the Museum cannot be accepted and will be treated as abandoned property and potentially discarded.
Additionally, to better serve you, we are pausing all requests to view our collections at this current time while we work on our collections modernization project.
Thank you for your cooperation and support. We look forward to sharing with you and keeping you updated on our progress as we modernize our collections and archives.
JOIN CHSA
Your participation is essential in keeping CHSA vibrant as membership dollars are used for developing and presenting our programs and preserving our collection. Your support will allow us to promote the history, culture and legacy of Chinese in America for generations to come!
Click and watch the video to get to know more about our tours
Donate to CHSA
As a non-profit organization, Chinese Historical Society of America relies on the generosity of the community, individual members, corporations, foundations and public agencies to support our mission of being a steward of the Chinese American narrative. Your support is crucial in helping CHSA promote the history, culture, and legacy of Chinese in America.
Donate to CHSA
As a non-profit organization, Chinese Historical Society of America relies on the generosity of the community, individual members, corporations, foundations and public agencies to support our mission of being a steward of the Chinese American narrative. Your support is crucial in helping CHSA promote the history, culture, and legacy of Chinese in America.
Online Gift Shop
Our onsite and online gift shop feature original publications and books on Chinese American and Asian American history, art, and culture, as well as works and pieces by local artists, and other merchandise that promote the legacy of the Chinese in America. Additionally, it is home to our We Are Bruce Lee merchandise.
Bruce Lee T-Shirt
Jake Lee Prints
CHSA Tote Bag
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Looking for a special, creative, and purposeful gift for the holidays? Give the gift of a CHSA membership.
A membership is a meaningful gift that supports our mission while providing the recipient with great benefits, including:
- Unlimited access to CHSA Museum and its exhibits.
- Discounts on CHSA-led events
- Special access to members-only activities and previews
- Discounts at the CHSA gift shop
Spread the joy with CHSA membership today!
For details, visit CHSA.org/membership
Looking for a special, creative, and purposeful gift for the holidays? Give the gift of a CHSA membership.
A membership is a meaningful gift that supports our mission while providing the recipient with great benefits, including:
- Unlimited access to CHSA Museum and its exhibits.
- Discounts on CHSA-led events
- Special access to members-only activities and previews
- Discounts at the CHSA gift shop
Spread the joy with CHSA membership today!
For details, visit CHSA.org/membership
CHSA is expanding our gratitude for a successful 2025 by extending our museum admission discount through the entire month of December.
Now you can enjoy discounted museum access through the end of the year!
Discount tickets are now:
- Youth $3
- Students/seniors/military vet: $8
- Adults $10
To purchase tickets or learn more about admission, visit CHSA.org.
CHSA is expanding our gratitude for a successful 2025 by extending our museum admission discount through the entire month of December.
Now you can enjoy discounted museum access through the end of the year!
Discount tickets are now:
- Youth $3
- Students/seniors/military vet: $8
- Adults $10
To purchase tickets or learn more about admission, visit CHSA.org.
GivingTuesday is the annual global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.
Your support on this day of global generosity is crucial for CHSA to continue our mission of preserving and presenting content to produce and showcase the importance of the history of the Chinese American experience.
Every donation, no matter the size, helps us to support our museum, our programs and events, artifacts and resources, in order to educate, enlighten, and entertain our network and community.
Please consider making a contribution this Giving Tuesday by clicking the link in bio.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community.
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#GivingTuesday2025 #ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPINonprofits
GivingTuesday is the annual global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.
Your support on this day of global generosity is crucial for CHSA to continue our mission of preserving and presenting content to produce and showcase the importance of the history of the Chinese American experience.
Every donation, no matter the size, helps us to support our museum, our programs and events, artifacts and resources, in order to educate, enlighten, and entertain our network and community.
Please consider making a contribution this Giving Tuesday by clicking the link in bio.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community.
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#GivingTuesday2025 #ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPINonprofits
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, CHSA Museum will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 27-28. We are truly grateful and appreciative of all your support and wish you quality time with family, friends, and food.
We will resume normal operations on Saturday, November 29.
Happy Thanksgiving from CHSA!
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, CHSA Museum will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 27-28. We are truly grateful and appreciative of all your support and wish you quality time with family, friends, and food.
We will resume normal operations on Saturday, November 29.
Happy Thanksgiving from CHSA!
CHSA Spotlight
INSIDE CHINESE THEATER
by Nancy Yunhwa Rao
In the mid-19th century, Chinese opera theater was a significant performing art form in California, in brick-and-mortar homes like Hing Chuen Yuen and Donn Qui Yuen in San Francisco. As Chinese theater became more popular, Chinese actors advocated for their art alongside appeals for civil rights.
In her book Inside Chinese Theater, author Nancy Rao draws on personal diaries, newspapers, and artifacts to place Chinese theater within the everyday lives of San Francisco. She also examines the costumes, singing, staging, and storytelling that impacted mainstream reception and influenced how Chinese communities saw themselves.
Join CHSA for an insightful and eloquent journey into the early decades of Chinese opera in America with author Nancy Rao.
WHEN: December 7, 2pm
WHERE: CHSA Museum
For more information, visit link in bio.
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#InsideChineseTheater #HistoryOfChineseTheater #ChineseHistoryInAmerica ChineseAmericanHistory AAPIHistory AAPIBooks AAPIAuthors CHSAMuseum ChinatownMuseum CHSAEvents ChinatownSF SanFranciscoChinatown
CHSA Spotlight
INSIDE CHINESE THEATER
by Nancy Yunhwa Rao
In the mid-19th century, Chinese opera theater was a significant performing art form in California, in brick-and-mortar homes like Hing Chuen Yuen and Donn Qui Yuen in San Francisco. As Chinese theater became more popular, Chinese actors advocated for their art alongside appeals for civil rights.
In her book Inside Chinese Theater, author Nancy Rao draws on personal diaries, newspapers, and artifacts to place Chinese theater within the everyday lives of San Francisco. She also examines the costumes, singing, staging, and storytelling that impacted mainstream reception and influenced how Chinese communities saw themselves.
Join CHSA for an insightful and eloquent journey into the early decades of Chinese opera in America with author Nancy Rao.
WHEN: December 7, 2pm
WHERE: CHSA Museum
For more information, visit link in bio.
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#InsideChineseTheater #HistoryOfChineseTheater #ChineseHistoryInAmerica ChineseAmericanHistory AAPIHistory AAPIBooks AAPIAuthors CHSAMuseum ChinatownMuseum CHSAEvents ChinatownSF SanFranciscoChinatown
ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the unexpected facilities maintenance in our CHSA Museum’s Choy Gallery, the CHINESE LAUNDRIES IN THE U.S. exhibit will be temporarily closed to the public.
We apologize for this inconvenience. CHSA will be offering discounted admission to the museum through the end of the year.
We thank you for your patience and understanding as we address onsite needs to ensure the safety of our exhibits, our visitors, and our museum.
For more information and updates, please visit CHSA.org.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the unexpected facilities maintenance in our CHSA Museum’s Choy Gallery, the CHINESE LAUNDRIES IN THE U.S. exhibit will be temporarily closed to the public.
We apologize for this inconvenience. CHSA will be offering discounted admission to the museum through the end of the year.
We thank you for your patience and understanding as we address onsite needs to ensure the safety of our exhibits, our visitors, and our museum.
For more information and updates, please visit CHSA.org.
This month marks the 85th birthday of Bruce Lee.
Join CHSA for our annual Free Admission Day on Wednesday, November 26, in honor and celebration of the international icon.
Complimentary museum admission includes free access to the landmark We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family exhibition and the collaborative The Underground: Bruce Lee art gallery. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the life and legacy of this Chinese American martial artist and actor who was born in San Francisco Chinatown in 1940.
Visitors can also enjoy special Thanksgiving Week discounts on items in the CHSA gift shop, including customized We Are Bruce Lee apparel and memorabilia.
For more information, visit CHSA.org.
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#BruceLee85 #BruceLeeBirthday #BruceLeeAnniversary #BruceLeeHistory #WeAreBruceLee #UnderTheSkyOneFamily #CHSAMuseum #ChineseAmericanHistory #ChinatownMuseum #ChinatownSanFrancisco #SFChinatown
This month marks the 85th birthday of Bruce Lee.
Join CHSA for our annual Free Admission Day on Wednesday, November 26, in honor and celebration of the international icon.
Complimentary museum admission includes free access to the landmark We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family exhibition and the collaborative The Underground: Bruce Lee art gallery. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the life and legacy of this Chinese American martial artist and actor who was born in San Francisco Chinatown in 1940.
Visitors can also enjoy special Thanksgiving Week discounts on items in the CHSA gift shop, including customized We Are Bruce Lee apparel and memorabilia.
For more information, visit CHSA.org.
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#BruceLee85 #BruceLeeBirthday #BruceLeeAnniversary #BruceLeeHistory #WeAreBruceLee #UnderTheSkyOneFamily #CHSAMuseum #ChineseAmericanHistory #ChinatownMuseum #ChinatownSanFrancisco #SFChinatown
In gratitude for another wonderful year supporting CHSA’s leadership in showcasing and spotlighting Chinese American history, we are having a Thanksgiving Week sale on select items in our gift shop. Enjoy discounts of 25% on books and 10% on remaining items in store or online.
Take advantage of this opportunity to jumpstart your holiday shopping at the CHSA gift shop...from books by Chinese American and AAPI authors, apparel, jewelry, stationery, and We Are Bruce Lee items. Don’t miss out!
Stop by the store on Wednesday & Friday during Thanksgiving week or visit us online at CHSA.org.
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#HolidaySale #ThanksgivingWeekSale #GiftShopSale #CHSAGiftShop #CHSAMuseum #ChinatownMuseum #SanFranciscoChinatown #ChinatownSF
In gratitude for another wonderful year supporting CHSA’s leadership in showcasing and spotlighting Chinese American history, we are having a Thanksgiving Week sale on select items in our gift shop. Enjoy discounts of 25% on books and 10% on remaining items in store or online.
Take advantage of this opportunity to jumpstart your holiday shopping at the CHSA gift shop...from books by Chinese American and AAPI authors, apparel, jewelry, stationery, and We Are Bruce Lee items. Don’t miss out!
Stop by the store on Wednesday & Friday during Thanksgiving week or visit us online at CHSA.org.
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#HolidaySale #ThanksgivingWeekSale #GiftShopSale #CHSAGiftShop #CHSAMuseum #ChinatownMuseum #SanFranciscoChinatown #ChinatownSF
CHSA Program Announcement!
Book talk with Nancy Rao
After the Gold Rush, Chinese opera found brick-and-mortar homes in San Francisco theaters such as Hing Chuen Yuen and Donn Qui Yuen. But troupes had already followed Chinese immigrants to mining and railroad towns and across the American West. As Chinese theater became part of California and San Francisco culture, popular Chinese actors advocated for their art alongside appeals for civil rights.
Author Nancy Rao draws on personal diaries, newspapers and artifacts to place Chinese theater within the everyday lives of San Francisco. She also examines the costumes, singing, staging, and storytelling that impacted mainstream reception and influenced how Chinese communities saw themselves.
Join this book conversation, as Nancy Rao excavates and contextualizes the important history of Chinese Opera Theater, bringing to light the ways it became woven into the financial, political, social, and family life in California and beyond in her book Inside Chinese Theater.
WHEN: Sunday, December 7, 2PM
WHERE: CHSA Museum
For more information, visit link in bio.
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#ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPIHistory #ChineseAmerica #ChineseOpera #SanFranciscoBookTalks #CHSAMuseum #CHSAEvents #ChinatownSF #SanFranciscoChinatown
CHSA Program Announcement!
Book talk with Nancy Rao
After the Gold Rush, Chinese opera found brick-and-mortar homes in San Francisco theaters such as Hing Chuen Yuen and Donn Qui Yuen. But troupes had already followed Chinese immigrants to mining and railroad towns and across the American West. As Chinese theater became part of California and San Francisco culture, popular Chinese actors advocated for their art alongside appeals for civil rights.
Author Nancy Rao draws on personal diaries, newspapers and artifacts to place Chinese theater within the everyday lives of San Francisco. She also examines the costumes, singing, staging, and storytelling that impacted mainstream reception and influenced how Chinese communities saw themselves.
Join this book conversation, as Nancy Rao excavates and contextualizes the important history of Chinese Opera Theater, bringing to light the ways it became woven into the financial, political, social, and family life in California and beyond in her book Inside Chinese Theater.
WHEN: Sunday, December 7, 2PM
WHERE: CHSA Museum
For more information, visit link in bio.
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#ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPIHistory #ChineseAmerica #ChineseOpera #SanFranciscoBookTalks #CHSAMuseum #CHSAEvents #ChinatownSF #SanFranciscoChinatown
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
Dead Man’s Gold and Other Stories (2001)
by Paul Yee
Award-winning author Paul Yee’s collection of 10 original ghost stories dramatizes the tumultuous history of 140 years of Chinese immigration to North America—from the poor village men who first arrived during the Gold Rush to the new immigrants who arrived from Hong Kong in the wake of the Communist victory in China. These fictional stories are told in the style of the traditional folktales shared in the bachelor halls or by grandparents at family banquets—ghost stories in a popular Chinese narrative form.
The stories’ characters are all Chinese immigrants—men and women, rich and poor, greedy and good, young and old—struggling to make new lives in North America. And yet wherever they go, they are followed by reminders of their home country—the curse of a betrayed friend, the ghost of a faithful spouse, the spirit of a dead parent.
Complemented by eerie, evocative artwork by award-winning illustrator Harvey Chan, these stories provide readers with a New World mythology of the Chinese immigrant experience.
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#ChineseAmericanGhostStories #GhostStories #ChineseAmericanFolktales #ChineseAmericanBooks #ChineseAmericanAuthors #AAPIAuthors #CHSAMuseum #CHSAArchives #CHSABooks #ChinatownSanFrancisco #SFChinatown
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
Dead Man’s Gold and Other Stories (2001)
by Paul Yee
Award-winning author Paul Yee’s collection of 10 original ghost stories dramatizes the tumultuous history of 140 years of Chinese immigration to North America—from the poor village men who first arrived during the Gold Rush to the new immigrants who arrived from Hong Kong in the wake of the Communist victory in China. These fictional stories are told in the style of the traditional folktales shared in the bachelor halls or by grandparents at family banquets—ghost stories in a popular Chinese narrative form.
The stories’ characters are all Chinese immigrants—men and women, rich and poor, greedy and good, young and old—struggling to make new lives in North America. And yet wherever they go, they are followed by reminders of their home country—the curse of a betrayed friend, the ghost of a faithful spouse, the spirit of a dead parent.
Complemented by eerie, evocative artwork by award-winning illustrator Harvey Chan, these stories provide readers with a New World mythology of the Chinese immigrant experience.
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#ChineseAmericanGhostStories #GhostStories #ChineseAmericanFolktales #ChineseAmericanBooks #ChineseAmericanAuthors #AAPIAuthors #CHSAMuseum #CHSAArchives #CHSABooks #ChinatownSanFrancisco #SFChinatown
Arthur Sze is a second-generation Chinese American poet, professor, and translator. He was born in New York in 1950 to scholarly parents (his mother earned an MBA from Columbia; his father a doctorate in chemical engineering from MIT).
Sze attended UC Berkeley, where he studied Chinese language and literature, with focus on translation of poetry from the Tang dynasty. After graduating with a degree in poetry, he moved to New Mexico, where he served as a visiting poet in the poetry-in-the-schools program. He then became an instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts. In 2006, Sze was named the first-ever poet laureate of the city of Santa Fe.
Sze’s earlier poems were influenced by the minimalism of classical Chinese poetry, featuring short lines and stanzas and singular imagery. Among his published collections of poetry are, The Willow Wind (1972); Two Ravens (1976); Dazzled (1982); River, River (1987); and Archipelago (1995), which won an American Book Award. He later published The Silk Dragon (2001), a book of Chinese poetry translations that included poems by Li Qingzhao, a rarely translated 12th-century female poet. In 2010, he edited the volume Chinese Writers on Writing, and in 2024 he published another edition of Chinese translations, The Silk Dragon II.
In 2025, Sze was appointed U.S. poet laureate, making him the 25th person to hold that post since its creation in 1985 and the first Asian American to hold the post.
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#ArthurSze #USPoetLaureate #AmericanPoets #UCBerkeleyAlums #ChineseAmericans #ChineseAmericanHistory #ChineseAmerica #AsianAmericanStudies
Arthur Sze is a second-generation Chinese American poet, professor, and translator. He was born in New York in 1950 to scholarly parents (his mother earned an MBA from Columbia; his father a doctorate in chemical engineering from MIT).
Sze attended UC Berkeley, where he studied Chinese language and literature, with focus on translation of poetry from the Tang dynasty. After graduating with a degree in poetry, he moved to New Mexico, where he served as a visiting poet in the poetry-in-the-schools program. He then became an instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts. In 2006, Sze was named the first-ever poet laureate of the city of Santa Fe.
Sze’s earlier poems were influenced by the minimalism of classical Chinese poetry, featuring short lines and stanzas and singular imagery. Among his published collections of poetry are, The Willow Wind (1972); Two Ravens (1976); Dazzled (1982); River, River (1987); and Archipelago (1995), which won an American Book Award. He later published The Silk Dragon (2001), a book of Chinese poetry translations that included poems by Li Qingzhao, a rarely translated 12th-century female poet. In 2010, he edited the volume Chinese Writers on Writing, and in 2024 he published another edition of Chinese translations, The Silk Dragon II.
In 2025, Sze was appointed U.S. poet laureate, making him the 25th person to hold that post since its creation in 1985 and the first Asian American to hold the post.
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#ArthurSze #USPoetLaureate #AmericanPoets #UCBerkeleyAlums #ChineseAmericans #ChineseAmericanHistory #ChineseAmerica #AsianAmericanStudies
Update: CHSA’s upcoming book talk with Gordon Chang has been postponed. Originally scheduled for this Sunday, this event has been moved to next February.
This in-depth program will spotlight Gordon’s new book, War, Race, and Culture, which spotlights 15 essays he published during his career. With a personal reflection on his life as an Asian American activist and scholar, this book covers a range of experiences and social issues ranging from racial attitudes of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower; the history of Chinese Exclusion; the relationship of Chinese Americans and China; and Chinese American art history. Dr. Chang will share his life story and how it intersects with the development of the writing of Asian American history.
Admission
General admission: $15
Admission + copy of the book: $51
For more information, visit link in bio..
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#BookTalkSanFrancisco #ChinatownEvents #SanFranciscoChinatown #ChinatownSF #CHSAMuseum #ChineseAmericanHistory #EthnicStudies #AAPIStudies #AAPIAuthors #AAPIBooks
Update: CHSA’s upcoming book talk with Gordon Chang has been postponed. Originally scheduled for this Sunday, this event has been moved to next February.
This in-depth program will spotlight Gordon’s new book, War, Race, and Culture, which spotlights 15 essays he published during his career. With a personal reflection on his life as an Asian American activist and scholar, this book covers a range of experiences and social issues ranging from racial attitudes of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower; the history of Chinese Exclusion; the relationship of Chinese Americans and China; and Chinese American art history. Dr. Chang will share his life story and how it intersects with the development of the writing of Asian American history.
Admission
General admission: $15
Admission + copy of the book: $51
For more information, visit link in bio..
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#BookTalkSanFrancisco #ChinatownEvents #SanFranciscoChinatown #ChinatownSF #CHSAMuseum #ChineseAmericanHistory #EthnicStudies #AAPIStudies #AAPIAuthors #AAPIBooks
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