Museum of Chinese in America

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Museum of Chinese in America MOCA is dedicated to preserving, illuminating, and celebrating the rich history and contributions of Chinese in America.
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By fostering understanding and greater recognition of our experiences, we endeavor to inspire and connect all Americans. Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/mocanyc
Check out our programs: http://www.youtube.com/mocanyc
Follow us on tumblr: chineseinamerica.tumblr.com
Follow us on Instagram!

Dr. Betty Lee Sung (1924–2023) was a pioneering scholar who helped establish Chinese American Studies as an academic fie...
10/21/2026

Dr. Betty Lee Sung (1924–2023) was a pioneering scholar who helped establish Chinese American Studies as an academic field. In 1967, she published Mountain of Gold, the first book on Chinese American history written by a Chinese American, drawing on a decade of research and interviews with Chinese American communities across the country. She later founded the first Asian American Studies course and program on the East Coast at City College in 1970.

As the daughter of a laundryman and paper son, Dr. Sung overcame significant barriers to pursue her education and spent more than four decades documenting Chinese American communities and advocating for their histories to be preserved. Her work helped create space for Chinese American voices in both academia and public archives.

Full story on Bio.

10/20/2026

“Each of them American born, each of them fated to learn that citizenship did not mean equality.”

The Moys of New York and Shanghai lived through the Chinese Exclusion Act, Prohibition, and World War II. Their family included Bill Moy, who helped put the first man on the moon, and Ernest Moy, a Medal of Freedom recipient.

📺 Courtesy of CUNY TV’s Asian American Life (Asian American Life ), historian Dr. Charlotte Brooks Charlotte Brooks (夏洛特布魯克斯) author of The Moys of New York and Shanghai, shares the family’s story and reflects on how much about Chinese American life in the 1920s and 1930s is still not well understood.

Preserving these histories is central to MOCA’s mission. Watch the Reel and keep learning at mocanyc.org.

10/16/2026

You move to a new country. Then you realize you’re not the same person anymore. 🌏

Meet Shan Y. Chuang (Shan Y. Chuang 小善 )one of the 7 artists in MOCA Performs: Echoes of Arrival – Becoming, a live ensemble show of real immigrant stories told through dance, music, acting, and stand-up.

Her story is about moving from Taiwan to New York, learning a new culture, and finding where she belongs.

”Don’t overthink it. Just come.“ 🎭

📅 Oct 16 & 22, Nov 6
📍 Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St
🎟️ Link in bio

An evening of gratitude at the iconic LALIQUE Townhouse. ✨Last Thursday, we gathered for an intimate preview of our 2026...
10/14/2026

An evening of gratitude at the iconic LALIQUE Townhouse. ✨
Last Thursday, we gathered for an intimate preview of our 2026 Legacy Awards Gala, Generation Impact, celebrating the supporters who make MOCA’s work possible and introducing MOCA Rising, the next chapter in our museum’s growth, hosted by JESSICA WANG our member of MOCA’s Advisory Board.

A heartfelt thank you to LALIQUE for welcoming us into a space that celebrates artistry, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, and to all our guests and supporters for being part of this special evening.

We look forward to continuing the celebration at the 2026 Legacy Awards Gala on October 29!

10/09/2026

How did New York City’s Chinatown become the community we know today?

Take a look at this clip from A Community Takes Root, Episode 2 of NYC Media’s documentary series History of NYC’s Chinatown, exploring how early Chinese immigrants built a community, established roots, and shaped generations to come.

🎬 Join us at MOCA on October 14 at 6:30 PM for a special screening of Episodes 2 & 3, followed by a conversation with the filmmakers and community members featured in the series.

Discover the stories, people, and histories that continue to shape Chinatown today.

📍 Museum of Chinese in America | 215 Centre Street
🎟️ Register now through the link in our bio!

Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee (1896–1966) was a pioneer for women’s suffrage, a groundbreaking scholar, and a dedicated leader ...
10/09/2026

Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee (1896–1966) was a pioneer for women’s suffrage, a groundbreaking scholar, and a dedicated leader in New York City’s Chinatown. At just 16, she led thousands of people on horseback in New York’s 1912 suffrage parade and continued advocating for women’s rights through her studies and public speaking. Yet, because the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented her from becoming a naturalized citizen, she could not vote herself.

Lee went on to become the first Chinese woman to earn a Ph.D. in economics in the United States and later dedicated decades to serving Chinatown through the First Chinese Baptist Church and Chinese Christian Center. Her legacy lives on through her scholarship, suffrage activism, and community work.

10/07/2026

Hilda Shen, in her own words.

Opening October 22, Hilda Shen: Their Landscapes brings together recent ceramic sculptures and prints that explore nature, transformation, and the spaces between the ancient and the futuristic.

The exhibition inaugurates MOCA’s Solo Artist Projects (SAP), a new initiative dedicated to presenting compelling artistic voices through one-person exhibitions of new work.📅

October 22, 2026–January 24, 2027

Echoes of Arrival: Becoming opened at MOCA. 🎭Immigration is never a single arrival but an ongoing process of becoming. B...
10/07/2026

Echoes of Arrival: Becoming opened at MOCA. 🎭

Immigration is never a single arrival but an ongoing process of becoming. Bringing together theatre, dance, music, poetry, stand-up comedy, and personal narration, this performance follows the many ways immigrants remake themselves while building a life in a new country, through stories of change, resilience, loss, discovery, and belonging.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our incredible ensemble who shared their stories with such honesty and heart.

Opening night cast: Shan Y. Chuang (Shan Y. Chuang 小善 ), Nikkiesha N. McLeod (Nikkiesha McLeod ), Pascal Phoa (Pascal Phoa ), Jeremy Rafal (Jeremy Rafal ), and Fang Tseng (Fang Tseng )

Directed by Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li

Catch it again: 10/8, 10/16, 10/22, and 11/6, 7:00–8:00 PM at MOCA.
Tickets at the link in bio.

10/06/2026

🥮🌕Mid-Autumn Festival at MOCA, in one reel!
16 activities. 519+ neighbors, families, and friends. One full moon’s worth of joy.

From the mooncake tasting station to the shadow puppet performance, families and friends gathered under one roof to celebrate together. Thank you to everyone who came, tasted, played, and made this day what it was!

A heartfelt thank you to our festival sponsors, whose generosity made the day possible:

YAMI Po Wing Hong Fay Da Bakery Harney & Sons Fine Teas , and NY Chinese Cultural Center

And our deepest gratitude to our funders for their continued support of MOCA‘s programs:
NYSCA , NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs , and the National Endowment f/t Arts

Which moment was your favorite? Tell us below👇

10/06/2026

Cheongsam Stories continues our exploration of the qipao collection at the Museum of Chinese in America.

Each qipao carries more than beautiful fabric and craftsmanship. Its cut, construction, decorative details, and signs of wear can offer glimpses into the person who once wore it and the time in which it was made.

In this episode, we take a closer look at another piece from MOCA’s collection and uncover the history held within its design. Through these garments, we continue tracing stories of fashion, identity, migration, and everyday Chinese American life.

Address

215 Centre Street
New York, NY
10013

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 2pm - 9pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+18559556622

Website

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