Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
I was thoroughly entertained at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in New York on Saturday afternoon where Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac, shared a range of New Year’s traditions that bring positive energy into the household for the Year of the Monkey.
The husband and wife team, who are also co-authors of The Pocket Confucius, The Pocket Tao and The Pocket Mencius, decoded the almanac’s predictions for 2016. All attendees received their very own copies of the Pocket Chinese Almanac 2016. The books are $7 and can be purchased at MOCA and online at Amazon.com. Check out the website for all of the Lunar Year Activities.
Museum of Chinese in America is located at 215 Centre Street in New York. Photo by Lia Chang
Beatrice Chen, Director of Public Programs & Digital MOCA Coordinator, at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
A full house for Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee’s talk on decoding the Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
The Kitchen God and his wife.
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Decoding the Pocket Chinese Almanac. Photo by Lia Chang
The Monkey King.
The Monkey King.
Joanna C. Lee, Tony Jee, June Jee and Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of the Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of the Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith, Nancy Yao Maasbach, MOCA’s President/Director and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of the Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith, Nancy Yao Maasbach, MOCA’s President/Director and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of the Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
A full house for Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee’s talk on decoding the Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
A full house for Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee’s talk on decoding the Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
A full house for Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee’s talk on decoding the Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee sign copies of their Pocket Chinese Almanac 2016 at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee sign copies of their Pocket Chinese Almanac 2016 at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Year of the Monkey
Fans of the Pocket Chinese Almanac come in all sizes. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee, Stewart Wallace and Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
They are also co-directors of Museworks Ltd., a Hong Kong-based cultural consulting company offering wide-ranging support, from production to translation and media services, for artists and institutions seeking links to and from Asia. Their clients include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Holland Festival, Habitat for Humanity, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and Sotheby’s HK. They have been artistic advisors to a wide array of cultural projects, including David Henry Hwang’s bilingual Broadway play Chinglish, and Kung Fu, a play about Bruce Lee, produced by Signature Theatre Company.
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee is a recovering pianist with a doctorate in musicology from Columbia University. A former Honorary Research Fellow of the Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong, she has served as translator for such luminaries as former US President Jimmy Carter and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan.
Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Ken Smith writes about Asian arts and culture for the Financial Times and other publications. He is the author of Fate! Luck! Chance! Amy Tan, Stewart Wallace and the Making of The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera (Chronicle Books) and Talking about Music (Beijing Normal University Press).
A full house for Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee’s talk on decoding the Year of the Monkey at the Museum of Chinese in America on January 30, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
Check out their delightful profile in the New York Times.
New York Times: A Chinese Almanac That Takes a Wary View of the New Year
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2010.
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2011
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2012
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2013
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2014
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2015
Pocket Chinese Almanac, The Pocket Confucius, The Pocket Tao and The Pocket Mencius- Compiled, Translated and Annotated by Joanna C Lee and Ken Smith. Photo by Lia Chang
Pocket Chinese Almanac 2016
Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Red and Dragons and Lions in the Chinese New Year Parade
San Francisco Opera Presents World Premiere of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang, Sept. 10 -29
Photos: An Intimate Evening with Author Amy Tan at the New-York Historical Society
Photos: Backstage and Opening Night of Signature’s World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s ‘Kung Fu’
Meet Museworks, Ltd.’s Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, Chinglish Cultural Advisors and Co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac in Ann Arbor, New York and San Francisco.
Financial Times Critic Ken Smith Discusses Western Opera’s Recent Success in China with the Three Chinese Tenors at The China Institute in New York on January 21, 2012
Asia Society Honors Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang and Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead at the Waldorf Astoria on January 11, 2012
CHINGLISH Celebrates 100th Performance on 1/5/12 – Meet David Henry Hwang & the Cast After Post-Show Talkback
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
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