About Us
The Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project was founded in April 2023 as a joint initiative of the University of Central Arkansas’ Center for Chinese Language and Culture and the Chinese Association of Arkansas. Our interdisciplinary research team includes historians, geographers, archivists, community leaders, and genealogical researchers with a shared mission to collect and share the rich history of Chinese Communities in Arkansas with students, scholars, and the public.
Arkansas Chinese Heritage Project Steering Committee
- Emerald Dunn (Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid South)
- Lucy Joe Fong (Chinese Association of Arkansas)
- Ping Fong, Jr (Chinese Association of Arkansas)
- Stephen O’Connell (Department of Geography, University of Central Arkansas)
- Zach Smith (Department of History, University of Central Arkansas)
- Phoenix Smithey (Head of Special Collections & University Archivist, University of Central Arkansas)
- Ling Zhang (Department of Geography, University of Central Arkansas)
- Guo-ou Zhuang (School of Language and LIterature, University of Central Arkansas)
Undergraduate Researchers
- Taylor Brewer
- Abby Bunch
- Anna Custer
- Kayla Evans-Kennard
- Franchelsa Francisco
- Saul Medina
- Mack Stacy
Additional Contributions by
- Kaden Hendrick
- Dr. Yifeng Hu
- Bryan Zhao
- Tristan Mason / Codeshimmer LLC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to Lucy Joe Fong and Ping Fong Jr, whose remarkable life stories and dedication to preserving Chinese American history in Arkansas have guided this project from its inception. Thank you to independent researcher Emerald Dunn, whose genealogical research, community connections, and preservation efforts informed every interview and project. And finally, thank you to every community member who shared their time, their stories, and often their homes with us.
This project is made possible by the generous support of several institutions and individuals. This website was created using an AAPI Voices and Stories Grant, funded by the Mellon Foundation and provided by ASIANetwork. Initial research on the project was conducted by a fantastic class of UCA students as part of a Spring 2024 Service-Learning Course, HIST4344: Asian American History in the South, which was supported by a UCA Service – Learning Grant, and an experiential learning grant from UCA’s Center for Chinese Language and Culture. Curriculum Resources are provided with support from the Freeman Foundation and the Arkansas Division of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Recording equipment, travel costs, and additional web development support has been generously funded by the Chinese Association of Arkansas and individual contributions from Lucy Joe Fong, Ping Fong Jr, Don Lum, Susie Tonymon, and Joe Dan Yee.