Roman Yee
Children perform a lion dance in New York’s Chinatown for the Lunar New Year, captured in vibrant Kodak Portra 400 film.

Personal

Year of the Dragon

Roman Yee
Roman Yee

This collection is the first in a series of personal explorations of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown, a neighborhood that embodies the spirit of Chinese-American culture, history, and community. Through these images, I aim to capture the essence of the celebration—the children in lion dance costumes, streets filled with confetti and firecracker remnants, and families honoring age-old traditions amidst the dynamic energy of the city.

This work goes beyond the outward spectacle of the celebration to focus on the profound connections that the Lunar New Year nurtures. It’s about the intersection of generations, each contributing to a living history while honoring shared values and customs. Chinatown becomes a dynamic space where traditions endure and evolve, merging timeless cultural practices with the contemporary pulse of city life.

Growing up immersed in this culture, I have seen how the Lunar New Year serves as a powerful force for preserving cultural identity and fostering a sense of community. This work reflects that connection—the harmony between preserving tradition and embracing change, between honoring family and celebrating the broader community. Through these images, I aim to capture a celebration that is both timeless and evolving, where history, culture, and family come together to shape the vibrant future of Chinatown.

A family rests on granite steps strewn with confetti, a small girl in a red skirt holding pinwheels, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
Crowds fill a Chinatown street for Lunar New Year, a figure in a red coat and hat at center, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A young girl in a red jacket with braided buns watches the parade between adults, confetti in her hair, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
Friends pop confetti cannons on a Chinatown street under red lanterns, paper swirling through the air, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A young girl in a red embroidered dress stands on a confetti-covered sidewalk beside street barricades, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A dense Lunar New Year crowd moves down a Chinatown street lined with signs and paper lanterns, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A pile of spent red and gold confetti cannons after the Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
White and pink lion dancers perform at a storefront as a crowd raises phones to film them, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A boy in a red sweater holds a smoking sparkler on a confetti-strewn Chinatown street, crowd behind him, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
A street vendor lifts red confetti cannons above a Lunar New Year crowd outside a tea shop, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra
Families with children in red set off confetti cannons together on a crowded Chinatown street, Mamiya 7 on Kodak Portra

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