ChingMing Cheung
b. 1949, Hong Kong
Man in Hat at Dave’s Corner, 1979
Fist of Fury, 1979
Pigment print
Courtesy the artist

Immigrating to New York City in 1978, ChingMing Cheung used photography as a means of acclimating to her new home. Interning with the International Center of Photography, Cheung took photographs every day and began working with artists, dancers, and musicians to capture their performances. Groups like Eleanor Yung’s Asian American Dance Theatre and Epoxy Art Group were often the focus of Cheung’s lens.

Cheung also felt at home walking the streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown, moving there in 1980. Her photography captured the everyday life of Chinatown’s residents. Fist of Fury depicts two of her neighbor’s children playing in the winter snow. Man in Hat at Dave’s Corner from her Man in Hat series illustrates Cheung’s fascination with Chinese sojourners like herself. At the time of Cheung’s photo, many elder migrants wore similar hats while walking the streets.