Incredibly skilled in the Chinese art of Wushu, Jet Li has wowed audiences from all over the globes with the incredible moves that he pulls off in the films he stars in. Well, it looks like Mr. Li is finally walking out of the spotlight and is looking to donate his time (and money) into helping other people. More »

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Japanese monk, Kansho Tagai is in charge of a 400-year-old temple in central Tokyo and has the basic services any other temple in Japan has to offer. What makes this temple different from others is that Tagai sometimes hosts events where he takes up the stage name MC Happiness and raps the teachings of Buddha. More »

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In season one of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the roles were pretty much defined when it came to good and evil: all elements that weren’t fire and the Fire Nation, respectively. Despite Zuko being exiled from the Fire Nation, he was pretty much running amok all over the globe, obsessively chasing the Aang Gang in order to redeem himself. However, knowing that there were two solid seasons to follow, I had suspicions that Zuko was much more than he seemed—perhaps a Byronic hero of sorts—and season two teased this out well. More than that, it confirms that Aang and Zuko are much more alike than traditional storytelling would have us think: they’re two heads of a coin spinning along parallel roads to the same destination. More »

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My parents came to America thirty years ago—well, my dad came here a little earlier—but for my whole life, it’s just been my mom, my dad and my big brother; the rest of my family still lives in Taiwan. So, when it comes to Chinese New Year, our traditions are a little different, or should I say, flexible.

As children, my brother and I were like any other kid who came from a family that celebrated the lunar new year: we looked forward to 紅包 (hong bao) payday. Or should I say, those red envelopes stuffed with crisp, new bills, which all of my non-Asian friends knew about/were eager to know about; in the spirit of the holiday, I gave them sacks of chocolate coins. As for other Asian kids who had extended family in the states, they made their rounds and collected red envelopes like the tax man from hell. More »

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