(Photo courtesy of Land Rover Media Centre)

By Guan Xiong Qiao

A 76 year old man named Sun from Henan Province driving without a license racked up 279 traffic violations in one year. In China, you get 12 points when you get your driver’s license, and when you lose the 12 points, you will be required to take a 7-day driving course in order to have a valid license. For this grandpa, he had over 800 points taken off his record, but what’s even worse is that he never even had a driver’s license in the first place. Because in China, a driver’s license isn’t required for the vehicle this traffic-violating grandpa drives, a lao tou le, which literally translates to English as “old head’s joy”, meaning an “old man’s joy”. The lao tou le is a popular small electric vehicle, usually driven by the elderly in China.  While Sun’s case gets more attention because of how extreme his situation is, there’s legitimate concern over road safety and how these types of drivers and their tiny lao tou le vehicles will put other normal drivers and pedestrians in danger, increasing public risk and the chance of traffic accidents.

The electric lao tou le vehicles usually have 3 or 4 wheels, and in all outward appearance looks just like a normal car, but it’s not large enough to be classified as an actual car. Instead, it’s classified as an e-bike, which also allows it to avoid many vehicle regulations. Lao tou le are some of the cheapest vehicles to get in China, with a price range normally around 10,000 to 30,000 yuan or about $1,500 to $4,000 USD,  making them especially affordable for elderly and low income citizens. Why is it so cheap? Aside from being small and electric, and drivers of this type of vehicle not needing a driver’s license to operate them, there’s no tax and no insurance needed in owning a lao tou le, which lowers the overall cost, so buying one isn’t any harder than buying a bicycle. 

Over the years, lao tou le has become increasingly widespread across China, but as the market grows, there are more and more weird types of these mini vehicles coming out because of the lack of regulations. For example, a company in China called ‘MECIDES’ (clearly a mimic of the famous German brand Mercedes) makes lao tou le EV replicas of other car brands, but much smaller. They copy cars from luxury car brands like Range Rover, but give them names with unconventional spelling like “radne rqver”, or alter the logo, such as copying an Audi logo with 5 rings instead of the usual 4.  There are also tiny electric trucks that copy the design of the Dodge Ram, but it can carry about 2 tons and is about the price of a tractor. Not only do they make fake luxury cars, but there are also fake Recreational Vehicle (RV) cars. For 40,000 yuan or about $5,500 USD, you can get a moving house with everything. In a viral internet story, a retired couple in China that had never left their city before ended up on an adventure traveling around the country because of the fake three-wheeled lao tou le RV they purchased. 

Beginning in 2024, cities like Beijing have banned lao tou le due to a  lack of standard safety measures in the regulation and operation of these vehicles. With how easy it is to get a lao tou le, only about 5% of the drivers that own a la tou le have a driver’s license, which greatly increases safety risk for the public as unlicensed drivers are basically driving car-like vehicles like bicycles. Most of the drivers haven’t even learned the basics of driving, let alone following safety rules, and they are just going on roads in any way they want, putting not just the drivers themselves in danger but also everyone else. In 2017, researchers counted about 830,000 accidents involving low-speed electric vehicles within 5 years in China, showing how often lao tou le drivers get into accidents. The People’s Government of Beijing Municipality is banning lao tou le vehicles but does allow people to use lao tou le that meet national technical requirements at the time of manufacturing, and a license and insurance are required to drive it. There will be new regulations so people who drive the car are actually trained and tested, and they encourage other modes of transportation. 

Vehicles like lao tou le represent a difficult balance between accessibility and safety. For many elderly and low income citizens, these vehicles help them with gaining independence, providing a means of transportation in areas where buses are limited and an affordable car like the lao tou le can definitely fill in the gaps. However, without regulation, it’s clear that use of these vehicles can and do lead to dangerous situations. 

Sun was lucky enough to not get in any accidents, but evidence shows that starting from 2018 to 2023 the accidents with lao tou le have caused the death of 18,000 people and have resulted in 186,000 people getting injured. After Beijing has completely banned lao tou le from going on roads, many other Chinese cities have started to regulate them too. Without regulations, the lao tou le isn’t just a symbol of accessibility for “elderly joy” but a growing public safety concern. Over time there will be a more balanced solution for vehicles like the lao tou le such as stricter rules regarding licensing requirements and improving safety.

The post China’s Tricked Out Lao Tou Le  appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

The book John Doe Chinaman by Princeton Professor Beth Lew-Williams has won the 2026 Bancroft Prize. Columbia University gives the Bancroft Prize annually to distinguished works in either or both American history and Diplomacy. A quick synopsis of this book:

In this eye-opening account, Beth Lew-Williams describes a legal architecture redolent of Jim Crow but tailored specifically to people often referred to only as “John Doe Chinaman” or “Mary Chinaman” in official records. Enforced by police and tax collectors, but also by schoolteachers, missionaries, and neighbors, these laws granted the Chinese only limited access to American society, falling far short of equality or belonging. Cementing stereotypes of Chinese residents as criminals, invaders, and predators, they regulated everything from healthcare to education, property ownership, business formation, and kinship customs. Yet in the face of these limitations, Chinese communities reacted resourcefully. Many fought, evaded, and manipulated these laws, finding ways to maintain their prohibited traditions, resist unfair treatment in court, and insist on their political rights.

Interestingly enough, Lew-Williams is a descendent of one of the Rock Springs Massacre survivors. The Princeton History Professor is also the author of The Chinese Must Go.

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How did it reach this point? Ube flavor is being incorporated into more and more products. Starbucks sells a iced ube coconut macchiato. UK based coffee chain Costa is also selling a sweet Ube hot chocolate and an Ube Frappe. This demand strains ube suppliers worldwide. Philippine production has actually dropped, while China and Vietnam are increasing shipments. Climate change is said to contribute to the problem. There are reports that people are substituting purple sweet potatoes or even using purple coloring to cash in on the hot ube trend.

While I mentioned representation, some reports say that many people have no idea that ube is from the Philippines. I could not find evidence for this either way. Still, many, probably most places that that sell ube flavored products don’t mention the Philippines or Filipino cuisine at all.  Says Eater food writer Bettina Makalintal:

Everyone’s drinking ube now, but they don’t even really know the flavor. They’ve reduced it to this thing that’s just purple. The thing that’s hard is that it feels like one of those things where it feels like the byproduct of your culture … hitting the mainstream, where you just lose control of it in the cultural conversation. That is the trade-off of visibility.

(photo credit: Remi Tournebize licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.)

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As 8Asian writers, John and I get press releases from movie studios promoting their work. I was pleasantly surprised to see an announcement about Filipino culture being explored in the upcoming Forgotten Island movie. From the synopsis in the movie trailer:

While celebrating their last night together, Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.
Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but- hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winning icon Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.

The movie boasts a number of Filipino and Asian American stars, with singer/songwriter and actor H.E.R. as Jo. Liza Soberano voices Raissa.  In addition, the synopsis lists the following:

The film’s all-star voice cast also includes Emmy nominee Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dying for Sex), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick), BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness, Ghostlight), global comedy superstar Jo Koy (Haunted Mansion, Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn) and Emmy winner Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, M3GAN).

For those of you that don’t know, a manananggal is a vampire like creature whose upper body with wings can detach from its lower body. Somewhat different for Lea Salonga to play a villain – interesting casting!

Polygon somewhat cynically calls its KPop Demon Hunters meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. One does have to wonder about if the creators Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado of (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) used KPop Demon Hunters success in their pitch for this movie. I have included a featurette below about the creation of the movie.

Forgotten Island is set to premiere in theatres on September 25.

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In the response to a New York Times investigation, Larry Itliong’s Son Responds to Cesar Chavez Abuse Revelations in this Emil Guillermo Op-Ed.  Jonny Itliong tells Guillermo:

I’ve been fighting people for years who think Cesar Chavez was a saint.He never f****ing was.

For those of you who don’t know, Larry Itliong was a Filipino labor leader who was a co-founder of the United Farm Workers. The abuse news and Dolores Huerta’s account that Chavez raped her did not surprise on Johnny. He and others have long been upset about how Filipino Americans’ role in the UFW has been downplayed by Huerta and in movies like the 2014 Movie Cesar Chavez.

Jonny Itliong has some other choice words in Guillermo’s piece. Check it out. Some other pieces that may be of interest:

• StoryCorp animation about Larry Itliong and the men that he tried to organize
• Another interview of with Johnny Itliong on the Chavez case
• Short introduction on Filipino Farm Workers.
• Smithsonian Institution Exhibit on Filipino Farm Workers

(Cesar Chavez photo credit: the Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection at the UCLA Library the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.)
(Larry Itliong Mural photo credit:  Timothy Biley under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

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A martial arts teacher looking for practice space found 26 steamer trunks in the basement of an old building in Stockton.  These trunks belonged to former members of the Filipino American fraternal organization called Legionarios Del Trabajo. The contents of those trunks became the basis of an exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum called How Can You Forget You? Curated by Sam Vong, this exhibit reveals Filipino American Stories of the Manongs, Filipino farm workers who came to the mainland US in the early 20th century.

Stockton and the Manongs

Stockton was once the largest community of Filipinos outside of Asia. A freeway built through the middle of it destroyed it. I grew up turn the last parts of its existence. Only faint memories of Stockton remain from my youth. I remember visiting Filipinos there who had houses with big yards where they grew Filipino vegetables that I had never seen before, such as alugbati (malabar spinach in English).

The title of the exhibition comes from this embroidered pillow case. The curators do not know the original intent of the message. To me, it captures that tragic life of the manongs. Their work in the US was originally to be a temporary work. Sadly, they often would never go home and end up dying alone with no family in the United States.

A Pleasant Surprise at the Smithsonian

The very existence of this exhibit pleasantly surprised me.  US government websites pages talking about minorities have been deleted. Displays talking about slavery have been altered. Amazingly enough, displaying the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s first how in the museum of American History definitely defies the current zeitgeist. In a historical context, the exhibit covers the beginning years of the Philippine Diaspora.  That Diaspora continues today and is a major factor in the Philippine economy was well as to the American health care system.

The Smithsonian Museum of American History is located at 300 Constitution Ave. NW, in Washington, DC. The exhibit closes in 2027. If you are not able to see it in person, here some resources to the history of the manongs:

• The Conversation: Curator Sam Vong writers about the history of the trunks and shows artifacts from the Manongs
• Smithsonian Magazine: Article showing more artifacts from the exhibit
• When Asian Americans are “too American”: Filipino Americans in the 1930’s: 8Asians story about the Filipino immigrants of that error and the relationship with American culture.

The post Filipino American Stories at the Smithsonian: How Can You Forget Me appeared first on 8Asians | An Asian American collaborative blog.

The Oakland and the Bay Area has been celebrating Alysa Liu and her Olympic Gold. I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was fortunate enough to attend the Alysa Liu pre-Celebration Rally press conference and Alysa Liu Celebration Rally on a beautiful and  sunny Thursday afternoon.

Pre-Celebration Press Conference.

The press conference started around 11:00 AM at Oakland City Hall. It was packed with media.

In attendance were were Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, Alysa Liu and her coach & choreographer Massimo Scali and Phillip DiGuglielmo are pictured below:

90% of the questions went to Alysa. Alysa seems very down-to-earth in person and kind of reminded me of a former colleague of mine – very casual. I’ve heard many of the questions before, including one about the controversy regarding fellow Olympian and San Francisco Bay Area native Eileen Gu representing China in the Winter Olympics  (12:45 in our video above). The press conference itself last about 25 minutes.

At the Rally

Prior to the rally getting started, I was able to spot Alysa’s dad in the crowd as the press section was right behind the VIP section:

The whole celebration rally had a ton of Oakland and Bay Area luminaries speaking or performing at the celebration rally starting around noon under the cloudless blazing sun, which was televised and streamed live for the 1.5+ hours, including by NBC Bay Area:

The Rally Itself

First, the Fremont High School Drumline welcomed the crowd:

Then Master of Ceremonies Sway (Sway Calloway, Oakland born radio and television host and journalist) greeted the crowd and introduced 16 year old Abayomi Lewis, an Oakland School for the Arts (where Alysa had briefly attended) student and current season 24 American Idol contestant. She sang MacArthur Park, the song Alysa skated to when she won her Olympic medal:

Next, local Congresswoman Lateefah Simon made some remarks on the pride Alysa has brought to Oakland and the inspiration she provides to young people.


Afterward, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee welcomed everyone. She recognized Alysa’s historic Olympic achievement and finally introduced Alysa to the crowd. Alysa showed her two gold medals, and Lee then formally presented the key to the city to Alysa.

Alysa Addresses the Rally

She talked about growing up and living in Oakland all of her life, skating at the rink nearby,  and how proud she was to represent Oakland on the Olympic stage. Alysa truly has a love for the city. You saw it throughout her time at the Olympics and certainly at the celebration rally:

More Performances and Speeches by Local Artists

After the presentation of the Oakland city key, there was a cultural performance by U.S. Shaolin Kung Fu with a traditional lion dance honoring Alysa and Oakland’s vibrant Asian American community.

Then Lina Nguyen, a Skyline High School senior and leader with the All-City Council Student Union shared her reflections on how Alysa’s journey inspired her and other Oakland youth:

Then there were some introductions of some Oakland native rappers, including G-Eazy and P-Lo:

and “another” Oakland School of the Arts (OAS) alumni (like Alysa – who attended that high school before having to be home schooled due to her training schedule), Jwalt:

Oakland’s TURFinc Dancers put on a talented and terrific performance, with some kids and an elderly looking gentleman showing off some moves:

Then Oakland’s  sociopolitical comedian W. Kamau Bell made some brief remarks – reinforcing that Oakland is the “greatest city in the world” and talked about building up the community:

Other Bay Area Sports Figures Send their Congrats via Video

Some notable sports figures s who couldn’t make the event today sent messages via recorded video, such as including Bay Area native and 3-time Olympic figure-skater gold medalist Brian Boitano, Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr and Golden State Warriors super star, Stephen Curry:

The president of the Golden State Valkyries, Jess Smith, said some words of congratulations and presented Alysa some personalized Valkyries gear:

Tribute from Other Bay Area Gold Medalists

Fellow ice skater, Gold medalist, and Bay Area native, Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi, expressed her congratulations.  She talked about what she admired about Alysa and how Alysa stands out in her attitude and demonstrates genuine sportsmanship and comradery with her fellow competitors. Greatness is not just in getting medals, but character, respect, and the love for the sport.

Terrific words of admiration given what a trailblazer Yamaguchi has been. I am sure that Yamaguchi helped inspired fellow Asian American skaters like Bay Area native Olympian Karen Chen as well as beloved Olympian Michelle Kwan.

The next speaker was a native Oakland Olympian that I was not familiar with. Andre Ward, Oakland’s undefeated world champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist in 2004 (Athens) talked about how he admired how Alysa had the courage to take time off and then come back to win World’s and two Olympic medals:

More Speakers, Gifts, and Q&A

The next speaker was Oakland Roots Director of Community Engagement, Nelda Kerr, gave some brief words of congratulations and a custom jersey:

Next up was Oakland Ballers CEO, Paul Freedman, giving Alysa a community championship ring and Ballers jacket:

 Sway brought Alysa back on stage to answer some questions that some of her fans had – answering questions about herself and her connection to and love for Oakland.

Alysa Liu’s Favorite Oakland Artist

The final question to Alysa, was who was her favorite Oakland artist, and Alysa answered: Kehlani! The two-time Grammy winner, Oakland artist, and Oakland School of the Arts alumna, closed out the celebration rally with a performance.

After the performance, Alysa, the mayor and others, joined on the performance stage for photos:

Conclusions

Despite the number of speakers, the event in person went by fairly quickly. I did see some comments here and there that some had wished that Alysa had spoken more. But from what I read, Alysa really didn’t want a parade or have the event be just about her.

The whole event was not only a celebration of Alysa Liu but a celebration of Oakland. Oakland has received much negative press in the past:  crime, corruption, as well as the Golden State Warriors leaving for San Francisco, the Oakland Raiders and Oakland A’s leaving the area. One can understand the desire to celebrate some success. The celebration rally really made me think about what Oakland has brought to the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. How lucky we are to have so much talent and resources in the region – including our newly minted Olympian Alysa Liu! 

All photos and videos (except the video by NBC Bay Area) courtesy of 8Asians.com – all rights reserved.

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Netflix has just confirmed that a KPop Demon Hunters Sequel is on its way! Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, co-directors and also screenwriters on the previous version, will return.  Maggie Kang says:

“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters. There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”

In the meantime, we will soon see how many awards the film will win at the 98th Academy awards this coming Sunday.  It is currently nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original song for Golden. The Huntr/X singers will also perform at the awards show.

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