It was year 2000, Corliss Lee, Carol Lee, and I visited the Auburn Joss House on a road trip. There we met Eric Chun, who had grown up in Auburn but had spent most of his adult life working in the music industry in Los Angeles.
After returning home, Eric inherited responsibility for the Joss House. Being more American than Chinese in his upbringing, he found himself wondering how best to maintain and interpret the Chinese heritage of the temple.
Over the years, I have traveled to many remote Chinese American historic sites across the West. Often these places are lovingly cared for by passionate local people who appreciate Chinese American heritage and history. Yet many of them could benefit from deeper guidance in cultural observance and, more importantly, from being connected to a broader community of like-minded community.
Out of these experiences, the idea of forming the Chinese American Heritage Network was born. We started with 14 founding members, and our roster is growing slowly as more stewards of historic locations come forward to join our cause.
The inaugural conference of the network was held on July 9, 2022, in the historic Delta town of Locke, bringing together heritage stewards, historians, and community leaders dedicated to preserving Chinese American history.
To help preserve the history of this organization, we are adding pages to our website to record past conferences and minutes. If you have images or information you’d like to contribute, reach out to us at chineseamericanheritagenetwork@gmail.com.
Our next conference is happening April 11 in San Jose, CA. If you’d like more information on attending, please email chineseamericanheritagenetwork@gmail.com.
Chinese American Heritage Network 
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