Following the 1906 Earthquake, members of San Francisco's “Chinese Colony” reinvented their community as a fantasy land that catered to White tourists. This mysterious, exoticized and neon-lit ghetto was a deliberate strategy for collective survival. Dr. Tong's presentation will take us on a guided tour of "Chinatown after dark." The "Fake" version (1950s-1970s going forward) will be contrasted with the "Real" script (present day). Emphasis on how the "Real," while generally truthful, is uninformative -- lacking in cultural and historical understanding.
About the Presenter: Benjamin R. Tong, PhD. Emeritus professor, Clinical Psychology PsyD Program, California Institute of Integral Studies, SF. Retired faculty, Asian American Studies Dept., San Francisco State University. Author. Psychotherapist / psychoanalyst. Raconteur. Cabaret singer. Thespian (acting, directing and writing).