October 28, 2021

90: Chinese American Christians from the Deep South: An Interview with Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam

41 minutes

Why is there a Chinese museum in the middle of Mississippi?

That’s the question Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam asked when they visited his grandfather’s home in Mississippi—yes, Mississippi. It turns out there was a whole community of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans who made their home in the American South.

The history they uncovered during their journeys turned into Far East Deep South, an award-winning documentary feature film that followed the Chiu family as they uncovered their lost family history. The film, directed by Larissa, interviews local residents, historians, and of course, Baldwin’s own family. It also shows the racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South, including the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

In this interview with SOLA video manager Jason Chao, Baldwin and Larissa share how they discovered this amazing story, and how it has helped them to redefine what “American” and “American Christianity” means. They also challenge Asian Americans to ask questions of previous generations to learn their stories.

Our “Artists in Motion” series hopes to platform Asian American Christian artists, as well as encourage all artists to root their identities in Christ and use their callings to share art and truth with the world.

Watch the video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/IUi7-BR19mk

Read the transcript on our website:

https://sola.network/article/chinese-american-christians-from-the-deep-south-interview/

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