Karen Wong steps into Manhattan’s Chinatown with Luo Yang, meeting the seven women behind her latest Diaspora Birds series
When Luo Yang was in her twenties, she began capturing a new generation of young women, her generation, of lived experience in China. Traveling across the continent, she sought out communities where young people were discovering their voices and individuality. Following the visual diaristic lineage of Nan Goldin and Ryan McGinley, Luo establishes trust and elicits an intimate connection with her subjects; many became friends, whom she documented over two decades in her best-known series, Girls.
In 2012, artist and dissident Ai Weiwei praised Yang as one of the “rising stars of Chinese photography”. He included her in his group exhibition of 37 contemporary Chinese artists, “Fuck Off 2,” presented in 2013 at the Groningen Museum in the Netherlands. As her profile grew in Europe, she was accepted to the Cité internationale des Arts 2022 artistic residency program in Paris. While in the city of lights, she encountered her first Chinatown. She shares, “Chinatown was familiar, but it felt like China from a different era, frozen in time; immigrants from an older generation brought an aesthetic that China has moved on from.” Visiting various European cities, Yang met Asian women who resettled in the West and whose stories of shifting cultural identities spurred her latest ongoing portrait series, Diaspora Birds.
In May this year, Yang was on assignment in New York City and was commissioned to extend her Diaspora Birds project to include a group of New Yorkers born in Asia. While scouting for locations, she chose Manhattan’s Chinatown as the obvious backdrop and shot all seven women in one long day. It’s no coincidence that, having recently turned 40, Yang is capturing the stories of accomplished, creative women in the prime of their lives.
With a sensitive eye and calm demeanour, Yang read the energy of each woman and set them up in a restaurant, barbershop, gift shop, or next to a fruit vendor. She was looking for that elevated moment, where there was a bit more drama, possibility, and imagination. After wrapping up the photoshoot, Yang, besotted with her new friends, whom she described as “so beautiful,” felt more connected than ever to the city of New York.
Presented as an Elephant exclusive:
LUO YANG
Diaspora Birds (Manhattan Chinatown), 2026.
FiFi Zhang is a Shanghai-born, NYC-based electronic producer, vocalist, DJ, and visual artist. Signed songwriter at 88rising, her self-produced debut album, FLEETING HEARTS, earned Best Electronic Album at the 2025 HMA Awards.
“Chinatown feels like a time capsule of my homeland, China, with its traditional Cantonese restaurants, newly opened bubble tea shops, fashion boutiques, and the lingering scent of the fish markets. I love playing table tennis in Chinatown, walking along Allen Street, and ending my day with a great meal at August Gatherings.”
Yuhee Yang is a dancer, choreographer, and movement director originally from Jeju Island, South Korea.
“Chinatown is where I go to ground myself and recharge. The chaotic, vibrant energy of the neighbourhood always makes me feel inspired and connected to New York.”
Shien Lee was born in Taiwan and currently resides in Brooklyn. She is the founder of the Red Pavilion in Bushwick, a beacon of AAPI culture and resilience.
“I surround myself with incredible Asian female artists through my club, and I was actually brought on to the project through another Chinese female photographer that shot our opening party – so being chosen by Luo Yang to work on this project felt especially special.”
Ruoyi Jiang is the founder of NYC Chinatown boutique Chop Suey Club. Born in Beijing, she was a professional golfer and scuba diving instructor before earning her BFA in photography from NYU. She is a leading voice in Mahjong culture and the author of Mahjong For Dummies.
“I was a fan of Luo Yang already, so I was really excited to meet her and be photographed by her! Our store actually carried her photo book, Girls, when it first came out. I love her perspective on Asian femininity, she understands how strength and individuality manifest in Asian women.”
Natasha Jen is an award-winning designer, educator, and partner at Pentagram.
“NYC’s Chinatown is messy, crowded, imperfect, and comforting. It reminds me of Taipei. They share a certain density, directness, and sense of everyday life happening all at once. I go there when I want something specific to eat, but also when I want to feel briefly closer to home.”
Jacky Lee was born in South Korea in 1957, she was relinquished by her Korean mother at age five alongside her younger sister and adopted by a Black military family.
“As a biracial adoptee, being photographed by an Asian woman was really meaningful. I felt embraced.”
Bea was raised in Flushing, Queens. Ever since she was little, she was interested in creating, from drawing to crafting to gardening with her grandparents.
“I worked at a boutique in Chinatown for almost 10 years, and it’s how I met and made most of my best friends today.”
