Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai

This is an episode from a podcast called Inheriting from our friends at LAist Studios and the NPR Network. Hosted by NPR's Emily Kwong. Inheriting is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, exploring how a single event can ripple through generations.

Bảo Trương’s parents both fled Vietnam in 1975 following the war. His father Thuận was a pilot for the South Vietnamese Air Force and left the day before the Fall of Saigon, evacuating almost 100 people to Thailand on a plane. Thuận has now been settled in the U.S. for decades, but he still writes songs mourning the Vietnam of his childhood – a country that, to him, no longer exists because it is still under a communist government. On the flipside, his son Bảo wants to live in the Vietnam of today, a yearning his father doesn’t understand. In this episode, the father and son sit down for a frank conversation about the country they both long for, in different ways. 

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The E. Kong Yick building houses the only pan-Asian Pacific American community-based museum in the country, The Wing Luke Museum. And it’s an anchor in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. The Wing began in an old mechanic’s garage, exhibiting old folk-art relics from Asia. This episode tells the story of how The Wing transformed from a traditional museum into a BIPOC-owned building, community, and movement … and how people responded when it was threatened. 

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This episode of Ten Thousand Things is about the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. It was recorded before 26 members of its 52-person staff walked out on May 22nd, in protest of a new exhibition entitled “Confronting Hate Together.” 

Staff returned May 29 and leadership continues to work to resolve the dispute. As of June 18, the museum is operating with limited hours. 

As you’re about to hear, The Wing is a beloved Seattle institution that has been no stranger to turmoil and disruption. Regardless, its strong relationship to the community has allowed it to grow and thrive.

If you want to learn more:

• Wing Luke exhibit shows how Black, Asian, and Jewish Seattleites confront hate together 
• With 'heart, sensitivity, and delicacy,' Wing Luke Museum plans to re-open after staff walkout 
• Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum closed after staff say exhibit 'frames Palestinian liberation' as antisemitism 

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Ben Noble, Christopher Wohrle, From Somewhere Quiet.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

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Some trees are just special. One tree in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District has reached legendary status. The loquat tree is an artifact of the Engs, a pioneer Chinese-American family who planted the fruit seed in their front yard. The tree has thrived for over 60 years, nourishing the family and the community. Now, it stands as a legacy tree in the C-ID, accessible to a new generation and the tree’s arboreal descendants grow all over the city, forming their own non-human diaspora.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Ben Noble, Christopher Wohrle, From Somewhere Quiet.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the sweet story of a viral and photogenic ube cheesecake. To many Filipino-Americans, ube is not a trend. It’s a staple. Yet here in the United States, it was known for decades as an ethnic specialty ingredient. That is, until Chera Amlag got her hands on it and made it the star of her Hood Famous cheesecake. When Chera’s homemade ube cheesecake became a culinary phenomenon, ube was transformed. Chera’s cheesecake put Filipino culture and identity in the spotlight through her imaginative use of ube. And her collaborative approach has strengthened the Filipino-American community. 

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Young Collective, Olive James, Sonny Oh, N. Kerbin.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Tiffany Ran left for college, her mom gifted her a Tatung cooker. The Tatung is a unique kitchen appliance that would be familiar to anyone with ties to Taiwan. Everyone uses it slightly differently, as its versatility is passed down by word of mouth. Tiffany’s Tatung has accompanied her throughout the chapters of her unfolding adulthood. It has offered nourishment and comfort to her through the years, from broths to rice to Eggo waffles (not recommended). And it is the foundation of her burgeoning culinary career. 

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Young Collective, Jonny Southard, N. Kerbin.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janet Lee, a freshman at Bryn Mawr, was heading home for Christmas break when she was detained by the police for alleged drug smuggling. Janet wasn’t carrying any drugs. But the treatment she received from the Philadelphia police department and from her own community would change her life forever. In this episode, we’ll explore the pain of being accused of being someone you are not and fighting to reclaim the story that sets the record straight.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Abigail Osborn, PRAANA, Wild Pony, Brique a Braq, Jordan Critz.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jenny Liou is good at many things. She is a poet, an English professor, and former MMA Cage Fighter. It would be easy to see the cage as a place of limitation. But for Jenny, the cage was a place of freedom, where she could showcase her athletic skills. It was a place where her jiu-jitsu training allowed her to stay grounded and see her opponent’s weaknesses. Jenny rose in the sport’s ranks while teaching college English, a symbiotic balance of mental and physical strength. But the pressures of the sport ultimately confined her, until she gained the strength to give up the fight and step out of the cage. 

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Deraj, Wild Pony, WOLVES.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We might wear a mask to fit in, to fulfill someone else’s expectations, or to navigate a white-centric world. For Shin Yu, the mask was real. It was a white plaster mold of her face that hung on her in-laws’ wall, a reminder of all the “saving face” she has done trying to fit in. Last year, she decided to ask for the mask back. This is a personal interview with Shin Yu about learning how to let down the mask, while embracing vulnerability and our true selves. 

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Wild Pony.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leanna Keith knew the flute was her instrument. But she was discouraged from trying it in middle school by a white teacher who said her anatomy (a teardrop lip) would not allow her to master the instrument. Today, she is a professional musician, breaking the mold with her contemporary flute performances. This story looks at the uniqueness of our individual anatomies and what it’s like to be made to feel imperfect.

Ten Thousand Things is produced by KUOW in Seattle. Our host, writer, and creator is Shin Yu Pai. Whitney Henry-Lester produced this episode. Jim Gates is our editor. Tomo Nakayama wrote our theme music. Additional music in this episode by Dexter Britain. Sunborn, Red licorice, Vanra, Ezzy, AND Leanna Keith.

And of course, we don't exist without listeners like you. Support Ten Thousand Things by donating to KUOW.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This season on Ten Thousand Things:
We're back with season three! This season features the stories of trailblazing Asian American women and the resilience of Asian American communities, even in the face of endangerment. Three of this season’s stories take place in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District Neighborhood, with help from the Wing Luke Museum. Featured guests include poet and former MMA cage fighter Jenny Liou; Seattle chef Tiffany Ran; and flutist Leanna Keith; among others. 
New episodes drop on Tuesdays.

Ten Thousand Things:

In many Chinese sayings, “ten thousand” is used in a poetic sense to convey something infinite, vast, and unfathomable. For Shin Yu Pai – award-winning poet and museologist – the story of Asians in America is just that. Ten Thousand Things is a podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life and the stories they reveal, created and hosted by Shin Yu Pai and produced by KUOW (Seattle’s NPR station). Ten Thousand Things is a vibrant, diverse, and bittersweet celebration of Asian America ... and a challenge for us all to reimagine stories of the past and future.

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