China

FHS Oral History Project – Puxiao Cen

Puxiao Cen was born in Guangzhou City, China, in 1968. She recounted her upbringing, particularly her father’s crucial influence in developing an affinity for medicine, as well as her understanding of the centrality of self-critical thinking and questioning while living under the Chinese communist regime during the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to recollecting stories from the Cultural Revolution, Puxiao described witnessing the 1989 Tiananmen Square Event and participating in a student protest while attending Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences. Chinese ideologies about capitalist societies conflicted with her lived experience, prompted her to emigrate to the United States, specifically to New York City, in 1992. 

FHS Oral History Project – Will Cao

Xiongwei “Will” Cao was born in Hangzhou, China, in 1977. Will recounted his upbringing, particularly the economic challenges his parents faced as poor communal farmers. He shared stories that his family passed down regarding China’s Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, particularly how the Red Guards tortured his great-great maternal grandmother to death for her “superstitious” medical practices. Will also remembered how the educational curriculum that he learned in primary and secondary schools reflected the transition from the Cultural Revolution to China’s economic liberalism under Deng Xiaoping by the mid-1980s. Additionally, Will recollected memories from the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, and it affected his parents' arrival home that day. He also reflected on the radio’s role as the chaos unfolded, particularly through BBC and Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts. In 1997, Will attended college, studying English with the hope of working as a reporter, inspired by the BBC and VOA broadcasts he had listened to during his childhood. His deeper passion, however, lay in medicine, and Will explained his sources of inspiration and how he managed to create the Lang Acupuncture Wellness Center, an acupuncture practice in Orlando, Florida, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. Before practicing medicine, he served in the Inter-Parliamentary Relations Department in China's National People's Congress, representing the country on the world stage and promoting relations with other countries. Environmental concerns, namely heavy pollution, prompted Will to leave China and emigrate to Orlando, Florida, in 2013. Additionally, Will received a scholarship to attend a doctoral program in International Relations at the University of Central Florida, furthering his decision to leave China. In August 2024, Will created the Lang Acupuncture Wellness Center, detailing his underlying reasons. Lastly, Will described his broader observations about Central Florida since 2013, including his connections with the Chinese community, environmental changes over the twelve years, and contemporary challenges the region faces (c. 2025).

FHS Oral History Project – Lisa Gong Guerrero

Lisa Gong Guerrero was born in Guangdong Province, China, in 1977. Lisa emigrated to Tampa, Florida, at around five years old with her family. She explained the circumstances that prompted her family to leave China, emphasizing the limited opportunities, especially for young girls and women. Lisa recalled her K12 education experiences, particularly the racial and cultural challenges she faced as a Chinese immigrant. She credited her grandparents and mother for maintaining their Chinese heritage as they increasingly acclimated to American society. Lisa grew up in the Town and Country neighborhood in Tampa and remembered being around many African Americans and Hispanics. Attending the University of Florida in the late 1990s introduced Lisa to the Asian American community outside her family and relatives. She joined several student organizations at UF, including the Chinese Student Union and Asian Student Union, explaining the programs they initiated and their importance generally and personally. After graduating from UF in 2000, Lisa worked for several businesses, traveling in and out of Florida during this time. She attended Barry College of Law in Orlando from 2003 to 2006, working for the State Attorney’s Office in the Ninth Circuit upon finishing law school. In addition to outlining her responsibilities, Lisa became the first Asian-American homicide prosecutor, the first Bureau Chief, and the first Asian-American Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney in that office. During this time, she co-founded the Greater Orlando Asian-American Bar Association (GOAABA), underlining the lack of legal organizations focused on the growing Asian population in Central Florida as a central motive for creating GOAABA. In 2024, Lisa ran for Orange County Judge Group Eleven, sharing her campaigning experiences and how it impacted her and the larger Asian American community in Orlando. She also discussed her broader observations about Orlando's cultural and political continuities, changes, and challenges over the past twenty years.

FHS Oral History Project – Henry Kwan

Henry Kwan was born in Winter Park, Florida, in 1988. His parents fled China in the early 1980s. Henry recollected stories his grandmother told about China’s authoritarian regime, particularly memories about Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to seeking economic prosperity, these conditions prompted Henry’s grandmother and parents to emigrate to the US during the early 1980s. His grandmother deeply influenced Henry’s childhood, citing her as why he learned Cantonese before English. Throughout the oral history, Henry emphasized the duality between his American and Chinese identities, associating more with the former yet always wondering about the latter, especially later in adulthood. After graduating from high school in 2006, Henry enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reservist, sharing his various motives for joining. In addition to recounting his basic training experience, Henry detailed several takeaways he learned about himself and the United States while serving as an Asian American. After he concluded his service in 2012, Henry fell into a depressive state, contemplating suicide at one point. He recalled how he overcame such emotions and navigated the broader cultural stigmas associated with mental health circa 2012. In 2014, Henry graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's in psychology. He discussed broader anti-Chinese sentiments in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how he indirectly felt the influence in Orlando. In his broader observations about Orlando, he questioned the identity the city will embrace amidst the current (c. 2025) political climate. Additionally, he feared the increasing intensification of hurricanes and their economic and demographic impacts on the state while underlining inclusivity for all peoples in America.

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