Revitalizing Nightlife in San Francisco's Chinatown | The Express Way with Dulé Hill

Official website: to.pbs.org/3TwQDsm | #ExpressWayPBS
San Francisco Chinatown’s golden era saw showgirls, Broadway stars and businessmen nightly, but by the 1970s, the entertainment scene had disappeared. Now, a multigenerational alliance has formed to revive its historical vitality.
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#sanfrancisco #chinatown #cabaret
Dulé meets the vivacious and charming Grant Avenue Follies, a cabaret troupe made up of Asian senior citizens. Their founder is Cynthia Yee, aka “Empress Yee.” At the age of 10, Cynthia’s mother snuck her into a Chinese nightclub, and she’s been hooked ever since. Cynthia reminisces with Dulé about her time as a dancer in the Golden Age of Chinatown's nightlife from the 1930s-60s, where clubs were frequented by Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart. Through the troupe, Cynthia keeps the legacy of Chinese nightclubs alive and works to revitalize Chinatown today.
Dulé learns the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the economic stability and physical safety of Chinatown’s residents. Stores were shuttered seemingly overnight as gross receipts saw an estimated 40-70% decrease. Along with business closures, the pandemic brought an alarming surge in violence against Asian Americans, often inflamed by hateful rhetoric that placed blame on China and Chinese Americans for the pandemic. The deaths of Michelle Go and Vicha Ratanapakdee galvanized the residents of Chinatown to take action and stand up to Asian hate.
Some of those young residents include rapper Son of Paper, and activist Tâm Ngô, who came together through the organization “Dear Community,” which was founded during the pandemic to fortify Chinese American culture in Chinatown through arts and community programming. Their activism has helped ensure elders in the community are physically safe, and that local businesses are protected financially. They work with older shop owners to host events that bring young people back to clubs and restaurants, reviving the historical and cultural vitality of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
The Express Way with Dulé Hill
Multi-talented actor and performer Dulé Hill (“The Wonder Years,” “The West Wing”) and director Danny Lee (“Who Is Stan Smith?”) take audiences on an emotional and celebratory road trip across the nation to explore the transformative power of the arts. Along his journey, Hill travels to California, the Appalachian region, Texas and Chicago to connect with local visionaries, activists, changemakers and pioneers who are using their artistic passions to foster connection, deepen empathy, and create meaningful change within their communities.

[@clarencetse]

Makes me homesick. Great video, thanks PBS.

[@andersonic]

Grant Avenue Follies are living legends with deep ties to the city. I've seen them dazzle crowds at street festivals and even punk clubs.

[@Bill-cv1xu]

I left my heart in Sam Francisco...😂

[@warrenleezy]

What "Dule" means in Cantonese Chinese? (Hint: add the word Lomo after)😅🤣😂 Just kidding, Yo! This is fabulous. The other parts of this doc also feature: a deaf dancer in Oakland and Lgbt mariachis.

[@lindaklein6426]

We need to get rid of all ghosts before we move forward in harmony

[@BabyGirlDontEvenPlay]

I'm tired of the language of community. Let's just all be Americans so we can move forward as a nation.

[@lindaklein6426]

We must get rid of the ghost before we move forward and harmony