MOCA CINEMA – History of NYC’s Chinatown: The Toishanese Migration
Documentary Screening and Filmmaker Q&A
April 29, 2026, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to a special screening of History of NYC’s Chinatown: The Toishanese Migration, a newly released documentary from NYC Media that traces the origins of one of New York City’s most enduring neighborhoods. Through sweeping historical insight and intimate community voices, the film centers the Toishanese immigrants who helped build not only America’s railroads, but the foundations of Chinatown itself.
Across decades shaped by exclusion and resilience, early arrivals forged a world of their own through family associations, storefronts, dialects, and traditions. Within a few dense blocks, they created networks of care that sustained generations and preserved cultural memory. Over time, those roots extended beyond Manhattan, shaping new Chinatowns in Sunset Park, Flushing, and Elmhurst, each reflecting new waves of migration and evolving identities.
Featuring appearances from MOCA and members of the community, the film offers a glimpse into a living history still unfolding. Following the screening, stay for a conversation with producers Andrew Chow Guidone and Joy Lau, joined by community members Virgo Lee and Chester Lee featured in the film. Together, they will reflect on the process of documenting Chinatown’s layered histories and the urgency of preserving stories that are too often left untold.
About Andrew Chow Guidone
Andrew Chow Guidone is an Emmy award-winning television director, producer, filmmaker and editor. A native Brooklynite with a passion for telling human stories, he’s produced sociological and immigrant-themed documentaries, narrative work and episodic programming. These themes can also be found in his work for local television, news magazines, lifestyle programs, commercials, PSAs and video installations. His work has been seen on PBS, BET, VH1, Food Network and NBC and across cultural institutions nationwide.
Joy Lau is a creative producer, architect, illustrator, artist, and educator. An Emmy-nominated filmmaker, her work focuses on collective storytelling, cultural memory, and creative opportunities for bringing together communities to nurture dialogue and understanding. A New Yorker born in Hong Kong with a formative stint in Southern California, Joy’s various experiences of assimilation have shaped her commitment to building bridges across cultures. Her work is grounded in the belief that sharing stories across communities can bring about empathy, deepen connection, and support more just and inclusive futures.
About Virgo Lee
Mr. Chester Lee was born and raised in NY Chinatown in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He retired from AIG as an internal management consultant and senior project leader focusing on business process and technology improvements. Before that, he worked at IBM as Program Director of Electronic Commerce Operations, and previously at Citibank in consumer banking in several executive roles including Service Quality Director for Private Banking.
Mr. Lee is an active member in the NYC Chinese American community and former chair of the Chinese American Planning Council. He is a past president of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, a former board member of Brooklyn Ecumenical Cooperatives, a faith-based organization which owns 1,000 apartments for low-income residents in central Brooklyn, and a former trustee of the Brooklyn Historical Society. Mr. Lee is a founder and former board member of the First American International Bank, a community bank serving the Chinese American community in NYC, before its merger in 2018 with Royal Business Bank based in LA. Mr. Lee has extensive small business experience, having been involved in various start-ups including fast-food hamburger restaurants, an FM radio station in Long Island, and a graphics art supplies retail store in midtown Manhattan.
Mr. Lee is a graduate of Columbia University with a B.S. (‘70) in chemical engineering and MBA (‘74) in finance. He served as past president of the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association and was a founding member of the Asian Columbia Alumni Association in 1995. Mr. Lee was a recipient of the University’s Alumni Medal for Distinguished Service in 2008.