This new photography exhibition is presented by Chinese Culture Development Center, with an opening celebration to take place at UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library (YRL). Co-hosted by UCLA East Asian Library and UCLA Asia Pacific Center, this event features a special roundtable of restaurant owners, photographers, and scholars, focusing on the culinary stories of 13 Chinese restaurants across Southern California. The exhibition will run from November 19–December 9 in the East Asian Library Reading Room (YRL 2nd Floor).

Thursday, November 19, 2026
1:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Pacific Time)
UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library
Main Conference Room
280 Charles E Young Dr N
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Note: Visitor parking is available in Structure 3 and Structure 5. Light bites and refreshments will be provided.

The latest installment of Taste China photography project, Visual Stories of Chinese Restaurants in Southern California turns its gaze closer to home and celebrates the richness of Chinese culinary life within our own communities. From October to December 2025, five nationally celebrated photographers—Nick Ut, Ringo Chiu, Irfan Khan, Michael Nelson and Sarah Reingewirtz—visited 13 Chinese restaurants across the Southland, documenting not only culinary excellence but also the personal histories and cultural legacies embedded within these spaces.

Through their lenses, the photographers reveal the human stories that unfold behind and beyond the plate. The project highlights a wide range of Chinese cuisines, including Cantonese, Sichuan, Northern, Shanghai, Halal, fusion, and vegetarian traditions. Iconic dishes—dim sum, noodle, roasted duck, Xiaolongbao—appear alongside beloved localized creations, such as orange chicken. Together these images form a visual narrative centered on connection: between generations and communities, and across cultures and identities, where restaurants serve as living sites of heritages and belonging.

Curated by the Chinese Culture Development Center and co-hosted with UCLA Asia Pacific Center and UCLA Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library, the Taste China: Visual Stories of Chinese Restaurants in Southern California exhibition presents photographs selected from this culinary and photographic journey. More than a documentation of food, the exhibition offers a portrait of community, where cuisine becomes a powerful bridge across generational and cultural lines, carrying stories of immigration, adaptation, and continuity.

The exhibition opens on November 19, 2026, 1:00 PM (PT) with a special inaugural panel at the UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library (Main Conference Room, YRL 1st Floor) and continues until December 9, 2026 at the UCLA Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library (Reading Room, YRL 2nd Floor). With more captivating pictures and behind-the-scenes stories, the program’s photo book will be officially launched at the exhibition opening.

We invite you to explore this feast for the eyes and discover the stories that bring these dining spaces to life!

Program Schedule

1:00 – 1:30 PM

Opening Remarks

• Dr. Cindy Fan (Vice Provost, UCLA International Institute)
• Dr. Andrea S. Goldman (Director, UCLA Asia Pacific Center)
• Donghai Xu (Vice President, Chinese Culture Development Center)
• Ethan Xing (Project PM, Chinese Culture Development Center)

1:30 – 2:00 PM

Roundtable 1

• Ringo Chiu (Photographer, Taste China Photo Book)
• Sarah Reingewirtz (Photographer, Taste China Photo Book)
• Sean Xie (Restaurateur and Co-Founder, Chengdu Taste & MIÀN)
• Vicky Mense (Owner and Operator, Xi'an Beverly Hills)

2:00 – 2:10 PM

Short Break

2:10 – 3:20 PM

Roundtable 2

Moderator: Dr. Andrea S. Goldman (Director, UCLA Asia Pacific Center)

• Dr. Sam Guo (Editor, Taste China Photo Book)
• Dr. Min Zhou (Distinguished Professor, UCLA Sociology and Asian American Studies; Past Director, UCLA Asia Pacific Center)
• Dr. Stephen Acabado (Professor, UCLA Anthropology)
• Dr. Yong Chen (Professor, UC Irvine History)

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Food Tasting and Socialization

Catering for this portion of the event is provided courtesy of MIÀN.

About the Photographers

Ringo Chiu is the former chief photographer for the Los Angeles Business Journal and currently serves as a senior photographer at California State University, Northridge. He was a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Spot News Photography and won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.

Irfan Khan is a former staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times, where he worked for nearly three decades (1996–2024). He was a member of the Pulitzer Prize–winning team for Breaking News and is a recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists, Greater Los Angeles Chapter’s 45th Annual Journalists Award (2020).

Michael Nelson is the former chief photographer for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) in the Western United States and the former chief photographer for the European Press Agency (EPA) in the Middle East. His photograph of President Clinton’s pet cat received an Honorable Mention from World Press Photo in 1993.

Sarah Reingewirtz is a photojournalist for the Southern California News Group. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her documentation of Dorothy Edwards, who transitioned from homelessness to rebuilding her life. Her midwife photo story was also honored by World Press Photo.

Nick Ut worked as a photojournalist for The Associated Press for nearly half a century. He won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for his iconic image The Terror of War. That same year, he also received the World Press Photo of the Year award. In 2021, Ut became the first photojournalist to receive the National Medal of Arts.

About the Restaurateurs

Sean Xie is a prominent Chinese American restaurateur best known as co-founder of the highly acclaimed Sichuan culinary brands Chengdu Taste and MIÀN. Alongside his business partner, Chef Tony Xu, Xie has played a key role in redefining traditional Chinese cuisine in the United States, shifting the landscape toward authentic, regional flavors.

Vicky Mense is owner and operator of Xi'an, a beloved Beverly Hills institution since 1996.⁠ Originally from Taiwan, Vicky made Los Angeles her home in the 1980s and has been proudly serving guests on Canon Drive since Xi'an opened its doors on December 26, 1996.⁠ Her commitment to community, quality food, and heartfelt hospitality has made Xi'an a favorite for locals and visitors alike.⁠

About the Scholars

Andrea S. Goldman is Associate Professor of History at UCLA and Director of the UCLA Asia Pacific Center. Goldman is a historian of early modern and modern China whose research focuses on urban culture, performance, gender, and the politics of aesthetics. Her book Opera and the City: The Politics of Culture in Beijing, 1770–1900 examines the relationship between opera, political power, and urban life in Qing-era Beijing. At UCLA, Goldman teaches courses on Chinese history, historiography, popular culture, and gender and sexuality. Her scholarship is complemented by extensive firsthand engagement with Chinese performance traditions, including training and touring with xiangsheng (Chinese comedy) performers in both Taiwan and Beijing.

Min Zhou is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at UCLA and past Director of the UCLA Asia Pacific Center. A member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is a leading scholar of migration, race and ethnicity, Asian America, the Chinese diaspora, and urban sociology. Her influential research examines immigration, transnationalism, Asian American communities, entrepreneurship, and contemporary migration patterns in China and across Asia. Zhou is the author and editor of numerous award-winning books and publications and received the 2017 Distinguished Career Award from the American Sociological Association's Section on International Migration. She has also been recognized among the world's top 2% of scientists in Stanford University's global ranking since 2024.

Stephen Acabado is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at UCLA. Acabado's research focuses on agricultural systems, indigenous responses to colonialism, landscape archaeology, and heritage conservation. He is known for his collaborative, community-engaged archaeology and for demonstrating that the Cordillera Rice Terraces of northern Philippines have more recent origins than previously believed. Acabado directs the Ifugao Archaeological Project and the Bicol Archaeological Project and has also collaborated with colleagues in Taiwan on the Taiwan Indigenous Landscape and History Project. He earned his PhD and MA in Anthropology from the University of Hawai'i-Mānoa and his BA in Anthropology from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Yong Chen is Professor of History and Associate Dean in the School of Humanities at the University of California, Irvine. A leading scholar of Chinese American history, food culture, and transpacific migration, he is the author of influential works including Chop Suey, USA: The Rise of Chinese Food in America and Chinese San Francisco 1850–1943: A Transpacific Community. His research and public scholarship have shaped both academic and public understanding of Chinese American experiences, including museum exhibitions and projects supported by national grant agencies. Chen currently serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Overseas and has received international recognition for his work through extensive media engagement, public lectures, and collaborations across the United States and Asia.

Acknowledgments

This event is presented and curated by the Chinese Culture Development Center and co-hosted with the UCLA Asia Pacific Center and the UCLA Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library. Co-sponsors include the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, and UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies. 

 We would also like to extend our acknowledgments and deep appreciation to Taste China Photo Book Community Supporter, East West Bank, and the interview assistants, Dr. Lena Wang and Yiran Yu, for making this project possible.

For questions about the event, please contact asia@international.ucla.edu

Download file: flyer-updated-compressed-11-10_261114_111650-j1-awp.pdf

Sponsor(s): Asia Pacific Center, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for Chinese Studies, Asian American Studies Center, Chinese Culture Development Center