Chinatown Shorts: Barrio Chino Tusan (Peru)

At the Heart of Barrio Chino: Tusán Perspectives in Lima, Peru 

Documentary, 16min, 2026

Directed by Lenora Lee & Moyra Silva Rodriguez

In this new episode, we explore Capón Barrio Chino, Lima's vibrant Chinatown and one of South America's oldest Chinatowns, through dance and personal narratives of fourth-generation Chinese Peruvians, or Tusáns. Moyra Silva, Marco Loo, and Angie Chang delve into their Chinese Peruvian ancestry, connecting their professional backgrounds in performing arts, curation, and architecture to their heritage. Through their stories, accompanied by photographic archives and site-specific dance interventions, the film honors the struggles and lasting cultural contributions of Chinese immigrants to Peruvian society, expanding perspectives on Chinese immigration in the Americas. 

Conversation with co-directors Lenora Lee and Moyra Silva Rodriguez and special guests will follow the screening. Moderated by Chinatown Shorts series creator James Q. Chan

Preceded by: 

Pinwheel

Narrative Short, 4min, 2021

Directed by Anson Ho

During an intimate Lunar New Year dinner, a family tells a story of resilience and connection as tradition and magic intertwine through the power of the pinwheel.

Director Bios:

Lenora Lee (San Francisco) has been a dancer, choreographer, producer and artistic director for 28 years. She has been a United States Artists Fellow, an Artist in Residence at Dance Mission Theater, Pao Arts Center and ArtsEmerson, and a Visiting Scholar at New York University. For the last 19 years, her company Lenora Lee Dance has created intimate and large-scale multimedia, immersive dance performances connecting movement, film, text, and music to culture, history, and human rights issues. www.LenoraLeeDance.com

Moyra Cecilia Silva Rodríguez (Lima/London) is a dancer, director and researcher working across performance, film, and immersive experiences. Driven by curiosity about her family heritage, she integrates research on Chinese migration in Peru into her academic and artistic practice, including the transnational collaborations Un Puente Hacia el Presente and At the Heart of Barrio Chino with Lenora Lee Dance. www.MoyraSilva.com

Anson Ho is a San Francisco native rooted in the Chinatown community. While serving in the US Navy he found his passion in film and tv when he produced and filmed his own closed circuit television show on his naval ship, USS OLDENDORF. He followed his passion by moving to Los Angeles and worked on various short films, music videos and documentary projects. Notable projects included sundance film FINISHING THE GAME as an associate producer and thereafter worked on Universal's Studio FAST & FURIOUS as an assistant to the director both directed by Justin Lin. He also helped develop and film numerous webseries and comedy sketches on a Youtube Asian American channel called YOMYOMF which gained over 35 million views within a year. As a traveling cinematographer, he's filmed documentaries all over China, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Mt Everest base camp. He was the 1st Assistant Director on the feature film SNAKEHEAD and currently works as Acting Production Supervisor/Producer for SF Government TV (SFGovTV).

About Chinatown Shorts

Launched in October 2020, Chinatown Shorts is a documentary series dedicated to archiving and preserving community stories from historic Chinatowns. Rooted in San Francisco, the series has now expanded globally with this Lima, Peru episode, with future episodes planned for Chinatowns nationally in Hawaii and New York, as well as internationally in Johannesburg, Melbourne, Mexico City, and beyond. www.ChinatownShorts.com 

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Host or Publisher Clarion Performing Arts Center