New Sampan Article: Celebrate World Baijiu Day

"The most interesting feature of Chinese life to me was that on board their boats, or sampans, as they are called....Upon these boats live whole families of three and even four generations."
--The Fall River Daily Herald, November 20, 1888

As I mentioned previously, I have a new writing gig, contributing to Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England. I've previously written six articles for Sampan, including:

In Search of the First Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown

Malden’s First Chinese Restaurant

Quincy's First Chinese Restaurants

Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 1)

Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 2).

Anita Chue: Another Influential Woman Restaurateur in Chinatown,

My newest article, Celebrate World Baijiu Day, is now available. Baijiu is the most popular spirit in the world, with over 11 billion liters produced, and nearly all made in a single country, China. Despite its great popularity, many Americans know little, if anything, about it, and it’s time to enlighten people about the wonders of this fascinating spirit, known as Baijiu.

Since 2015, World Baijiu Day has been held annually on August 9, a holiday intended to raise awareness of baijiu. August 9 is this Sunday! This holiday was created and organized by Jim Boyce, who runs the blog Grape Wall of China. Baijiu events are held all over the world, and have been previously held in Boston and Cambridge. This year, Sumiao Hunan Kitchen will be celebrating locally so you can visit their restaurant to experience Baijiu. 

Check out my new article in the Sampan for more information on Baijiu. You can also read my 11 other articles about Baijiu on my blog. Get over any preconceptions about Baijiu and explore its diversity. I'm sure there's a flavor profile that will appeal to you.

I'm currently working on a new article for the next issue of Sampan, which will be published later this month.

What is a "sampan?" The newspaper's site states, "A sampan is a popular river boat in traditional China. This small but useful vessel, by transporting cargo from large boats to the village ports, creates a channel of communication among villages." And like that type of boat, Sampan delivers news and information all across New England, and "acts a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area."

Sampan, which was founded in 1972, is published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, "The newspaper covers topics that are usually overlooked by the mainstream press, such as key immigration legislation, civil rights, housing, education, day-care services and union activities. These issues are crucial to the well-being of Asian immigrants, refugees, low-income families as well as individuals who are not proficient in the English language."

There is plenty of interest in Sampan which will appeal to all types of readers, from restaurant reviews to historical articles, from vital news stories to travel items. In these current days when racism and prejudice against Asians and their restaurants is high, it's more important than ever that accurate information about the Asian community is disseminated and promoted. We need to combat the irrational prejudices that some possess, and support our Asian communities just as we would support any other element of our overall community. We are all important aspects of a whole, and we need to stand together.

Support Sampan!