Belonging in Chinatown: Celebration of Ping Tom Park's Reopening

The City of Chicago has entered Phase 5 of its Reopening plan, with an average of fewer than 200 COVID-19 cases a day and about a 55 percent vaccination rate. With this shift, most mandatory COVID-19 regulations have been lifted so that more and more residents can enjoy the outdoors again. After a tough year and a half in quarantine, we can now begin to relax and enjoy summer in the city. To celebrate this momentous event, the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), Ping Tom Park’s Advisory Council, Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and other local co-sponsors hosted “Belonging in Chinatown” at Ping Tom Memorial Park on Saturday, July 10.

This event celebrated the beginning of summer as well as the reopening of Ping Tom Park, featuring cultural performances, storytelling, a resource fair, and speeches from our esteemed guests. Our cultural performances followed a diverse range of styles with performers from different backgrounds and ages. From traditional Chinese dance and music to modern K-Pop dances performed by Sounds of Wishes, Yin He Dance, Whitney Young Asian American Club, Dong Ping Dance, and Kelly High School Asian American Club. There was something for everyone! The resource fair featured our community organizations and leaders, including Chinese American Museum of Chicago, Project: VISION, and Dear Asians Initiative.

You can check out Chicago Chinese News and Digest’s news coverage in Chinese here.