FINAL BOOK DOCUMENTATION:
350 words description of our book:
Our group made our book based on Chinatown. We wanted to explore different aspects of Chinatown, such as the history of Chinatown, interesting facts of Chinatown, photos of Chinatown, general information and issues in Chinatown as well as food in Chinatown. We also wanted to make our book interactive, therefore we incorporated a variety of different interactive pages to make the book more interesting, then made a document, which included the size of the book we wanted it to be, roles for each person, etc, which can be seen in the screenshot below:
We made small changes during the process of making the book, but the idea stays the same. I was in charge of making four pages in the book, which talks about the general information of Chinatown, such as a map showing all the restaurants and stores in the area. I made this page interactive by laying two layers of transparent plastic pages on top of the actual map, the lower one documents the restaurants and the top layer shows all the stores and important locations in Chinatown. I was also in charge of researching issues in Chinatown, that’s when we found out about the continuous poverty cycle for Chinese immigrants who live in the area. A typical example that shows this issue is the cubicles which they live in for generations. I did further research on the issue and made a floor plan for what a typical cubicle would look like, then found images online about the horrible conditions these cubicles are like. This information filled up two of my pages. Originally, for the last page, I wanted to a Chinese calligraphy interactive page, where people can use it to practice Chinese calligraphy. Making this page would need a special cloth for calligraphy practicing which I could not find here in New York. Therefore, instead, I did a page which I listed all types of stroke orders in Chinese characters and made examples for all of them. I also helped with knitting the cover, which I did using red yarn. The reason for using red yarn for the cover was because red somewhat symbolizes China and their superstitious beliefs. Knitting itself is something I love doing and to me is a very Asian thing to do. My grandma does it, my mom does it and I do. Many Asian families know how to do it, therefore I thought it would align with the community we are making a book of. Also, it just gives a nice texture to the book.
What I have discovered and uncovered on my color walk, and how it relates to my writing in Seminar:
first color that caught my eyes
was yellow.
It’s a special color here, because I rarely see it anywhere else.
They were the colors of the signs, with red Chinese characters.
These signs made me homesick, they reminded of Hong Kong.
The bright yellows signs in the old streets of Mongkok, Causeway Bay, Yau Ma Tei…
They made me homesick…
Then red caught my eyes,
it’s the color of the buildings, doors, old elevators, varnish, even plastic bags.
Red was everyone, filled the street,
syncing with the season, the red bricks, perfect with fall
Red reminds me of China,
it reminds me of Spring Festival
and of course, red envelope money!
I was walking and walking and then I peeked inside a market
the smell of seafood was really strong
inside was a mysterious color of neon purple,
the light reflected onto the white brick walls,
It’s the color unique to Chinatown, and very common in Hong Kong,
the neon purple reflected on different foods in the market,
raw meat and seafood,
they looked poisonous from the light…
Once I walked out
the sun was setting,
Tinted the streets with dark brown and different shades of maroon,
The streets looked magical,
along the sides gray and blue doors
can be seen here and there
with golden shimmer,
it’s the magical hours
An excerpt from my seminar writing:
Consumption in New York is expensive. It’s not a myth anymore. I tried my best to save money, but honestly, it’s one of the hardest tasks. I have been obsessed with doing acrylic nails for the past two years. I wandered everywhere for a cheaper place to continue my unhealthy and time consuming obsession, however, no matter where I go the prices were ridiculous. Some friend recommended me to check out Chinatown, it’s known for cheap alternatives.
I have been to Chinatown a couple of times. People on the streets speak cantonese to each other, which reminds me so much of home. The yellow and red signs, the Chinese characters were always familiar to me ever since I was a child. I was excited to visit again, and of course, to continue my obsession under a budget.
