Bluff City Chinese, A Documentary Film - Screening & Panel Q&A
Runtime: 45 min
Genre: Documentary Feature
Language: English
Bluff City Chinese is a powerful documentary following the intertwined journeys of two Chinese-American storytellers from different generations, who come together to recover and share the untold history of Chinese immigrants in Memphis, Tennessee. Directed by Thandi Cai (Anna) and featuring their mentor and Delta Chinese elder, Emerald Dunn, the film dives into the layered and challenging process of reconstructing a community’s history from the ground up. Set against a backdrop of social and racial tensions, Cai and Dunn work to build an authentic record of Memphis’s Chinese community, navigating profound questions of identity, belonging, and intergenerational understanding along the way.
The story begins with parallel narratives: Emerald Dunn’s extensive historical research, which has documented Chinese experiences in the South, and Cai’s own return to Memphis in 2020. Brought together by the Chinese Historical Society during a time of increased anti-Asian sentiment nationwide, they share a sense of urgency to reclaim the voices of the past. Drawing on Dunn’s independently gathered archives of photographs, genealogical records, and news clippings, they embark on a journey beyond personal discovery, inviting others from the Chinese Memphian community—ages 15 to 92—to share their stories. These conversations result in 28 collected oral histories, forming a rich 150-year long patchwork of stories and to spin a tapestry of memories, hopes, and dreams.
The two storytellers then take the audience to explore the untold narratives of Chinese settlers in the Mississippi Delta. By guiding viewers through their journey, from the Main Library to historic Elmwood Cemetery and everything that happened in-between, this film invites you to reflect on the past, connect with the present, and consider the future of Chinese-American heritage in the American South.
By telling this history, Cai and Dunn forge an intergenerational bond that bridges distinct upbringings and perspectives, shaped by shared experiences of fear, hope, and pride as Chinese Americans in Memphis. Reflecting this diversity, the documentary team includes first- through fourth-generation Chinese Memphians, all dedicated to capturing the community’s complex and evolving identity.
At its core, Bluff City Chinese is a tribute to the Chinese Memphian community—a powerful testament to how storytelling, tradition, and a shared vision for the future can bring generations together. As Cai and Dunn explore what it means to preserve their community’s legacy, they reveal the resilience of a people reclaiming their narrative, ultimately offering an inspiring call for unity, identity, and the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next.
Learn more:
https://bluffcitychinese.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bluffcitychinese/
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2826173-0
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2826173-2
