Luo Yang’s Seven Chinatown Portraits

Luo Yang’s Diaspora Birds returns to Manhattan’s Chinatown with seven new portraits of women whose lives connect Asia, migration and New York. Photographed in restaurants, shops and streets, the series treats Chinatown not as a nostalgic backdrop but as a living place of work, friendship and memory.

Building on Yang’s earlier portrait projects in China, Diaspora Birds follows people navigating identity across cultures. These images resist a single definition of Asian diaspora, instead showing how home is continually shaped through personal histories and everyday encounters.

FiFi Zhang is a Shanghai-born, NYC-based electronic producer, vocalist, DJ, and visual artist. Signed songwriter at 88rising, her self-produced debut album, FLEETING HEARTS, earned Best Electronic Album at the 2025 HMA Awards. “Chinatown feels like a time capsule of my homeland, China, with its traditional Cantonese restaurants, newly opened bubble tea shops, fashion boutiques, and the lingering scent of the fish markets. I love playing table tennis in Chinatown, walking along Allen Street, and ending my day with a great meal at August Gatherings.”
Yuhee Yang is a dancer, choreographer, and movement director originally from Jeju Island, South Korea. “Chinatown is where I go to ground myself and recharge. The chaotic, vibrant energy of the neighbourhood always makes me feel inspired and connected to New York.”
Shien Lee was born in Taiwan and currently resides in Brooklyn. She is the founder of the Red Pavilion in Bushwick, a beacon of AAPI culture and resilience. “I surround myself with incredible Asian female artists through my club, and I was actually brought on to the project through another Chinese female photographer that shot our opening party – so being chosen by Luo Yang to work on this project felt especially special.”
Ruoyi Jiang is the founder of NYC Chinatown boutique Chop Suey Club. Born in Beijing, she was a professional golfer and scuba diving instructor before earning her BFA in photography from NYU. She is a leading voice in Mahjong culture and the author of Mahjong For Dummies. “I was a fan of Luo Yang already, so I was really excited to meet her and be photographed by her! Our store actually carried her photo book, Girls, when it first came out. I love her perspective on Asian femininity, she understands how strength and individuality manifest in Asian women.”
Natasha Jen is an award-winning designer, educator, and partner at Pentagram. “NYC’s Chinatown is messy, crowded, imperfect, and comforting. It reminds me of Taipei. They share a certain density, directness, and sense of everyday life happening all at once. I go there when I want something specific to eat, but also when I want to feel briefly closer to home.”
Jacky Lee was born in South Korea in 1957, she was relinquished by her Korean mother at age five alongside her younger sister and adopted by a Black military family. “As a biracial adoptee, being photographed by an Asian woman was really meaningful. I felt embraced.”
Bea was raised in Flushing, Queens. Ever since she was little, she was interested in creating, from drawing to crafting to gardening with her grandparents. “I worked at a boutique in Chinatown for almost 10 years, and it’s how I met and made most of my best friends today.”

All images courtesy of the artist. © [Luo Yang].

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