News

Bruce Lee’s screen-used nunchucks expected to fetch big money at HK auction

Iconic items from martial arts legend Bruce Lee are set to be auctioned by Julien's Auctions in Hong Kong on Sept. 28. Titled "Legends in Motion," the event marks the U.S. auction house's first venture into the Hong Kong market.

Auction centerpiece: The auction will feature 89 items from Bruce Lee's collection, including a pair of his personal onyx chops used for signing documents, estimated to fetch between $80,000 and $100,000. The event also includes nunchakus from "Fist of Fury" and vale-tudo gloves from “Enter the Dragon,” each valued at $30,000 and stunt nunchakus from "Enter the Dragon" projected to sell for up to $50,000. There will also be Lee's black Lycra combat trunks from the same film, estimated to go for $15,000 to $20,000 and a set of butterfly swords valued between $6,000 to $8,000.

Stars’ memorabilia: The event is expected to draw significant interest due to Lee's enduring legacy as a martial arts icon. The sale includes memorabilia from other stars like Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, BTS and Kobe Bryant. The public can preview the collection at Pacific Place, Admiralty, from Sept. 14 to 27.

News

L.A. mayor faces backlash over removal of Asian artifacts from city hall

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass sparked outrage after her office removed long-standing Asian artifacts from City Hall to make room for a 2028 Olympics exhibit. The artifacts, including a Shinto shrine from Nagoya, Japan, and a model of a Korean turtle ship from Busan, Korea, have deep cultural significance and were displayed for decades.

Criticism: Community leaders, particularly from Korean and Japanese American groups, criticized the move for lacking cultural sensitivity and failing to consult with local experts. Meetings have been scheduled to discuss the artifacts' restoration and potential relocation to the Los Angeles Convention Center. Scott Suh, a former president of the Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council, demanded their return to City Hall. “If we have a leader like that who doesn't understand a multicultural, international city like the city of L.A., we need a new mayor,” Suh told LAist. 

Rare unity: The controversy has ignited rare unity between Korean and Japanese American leaders, who are often divided by historical tensions. Despite the concerns, some community members reportedly view the relocation as an opportunity for greater public visibility, particularly during Olympic events. At the Paris Olympics closing ceremony, Bass made history by becoming the first Black female mayor to receive the Olympic flag. Her office has promised further discussions with affected communities, including a meeting with Asian and Mexican American leaders regarding the removal of the cultural items.

Crime

NYC landlord charged after brutal confrontation with homeless man

Brian Chin, a 32-year-old Chinatown landlord, was charged with felony assault after a violent altercation with a homeless man near Chrystie and Grand streets in Manhattan. The incident, which occurred on Saturday night, left the man hospitalized with severe injuries, including facial and skull fractures that rendered him unable to identify himself to authorities.

What happened: The confrontation reportedly began when Chin allegedly kicked the homeless man sleeping on a corner three times. The man woke up and both seemingly went their separate ways, but later returned to the location. CCTV footage reportedly shows the homeless man breaking a wooden chair and wielding a piece of it with a nail at the tip, which he swung at Chin. Chin then tackled the man, punching him repeatedly in the face and head until he was left motionless and bleeding.

The aftermath: The homeless man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he remains hooked up to a ventilator. Chin, who claims the man had been harassing people before the attack, may have been influenced by trauma from a previous incident involving one of his tenants, Christina Yuna Lee, who was murdered in 2022. Chin had previously spoken out about rising violence against the Asian community. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on Oct. 10.

News

“White Fragility” author accused of plagiarizing Asian American professors

Robin DiAngelo, the best-selling author of 2018’s “White Fragility” and a prominent figure in anti-racism education, is now facing allegations of plagiarism in her 2004 doctoral dissertation from the University of Washington. The complaint, which was recently filed with the university, accuses her of lifting material from multiple scholars — including two Asian American professors — and passing them off as her own.

The allegations: DiAngelo’s dissertation, titled “Whiteness in Racial Dialogue: A Discourse Analysis,” allegedly lifted material from Thomas Nakayama of Northeastern University and Stacey Lee of the University of Wisconsin-Madison without proper attribution. The complaint, which was obtained and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, reveals 20 instances of alleged plagiarism. National Association of Scholars President Peter Wood, who likened one instance to “forgery,” told the Beacon, “It is never appropriate to use the secondary source without acknowledging it, and even worse to present it as one’s own words.” The allegations appear to extend beyond the two scholars.

The big picture: The allegations against DiAngelo not only question the integrity of her academic work but also contribute to a broader concern within academia, where recent plagiarism scandals have led to high-profile resignations, such as that of former Harvard President Claudine Gay. DiAngelo’s status as a leading voice in anti-racism training, bolstered by her academic credentials, faces a significant threat if the allegations are substantiated. “We are committed to the integrity of research conducted at the University of Washington. All complaints are carefully reviewed,” University of Washington spokeswoman Dana Robinson Slote told the New York Post.

News

Japan braces for typhoon, estimates up to $20 billion in damages

Typhoon Shanshan is rapidly approaching Japan, prompting nearly a million people to evacuate as authorities issue the highest-level emergency warnings for violent winds, high waves and heavy rainfall. The Japan Meteorological Agency cautioned that the storm could produce large-scale disasters, particularly in Kagoshima Prefecture, where there is a risk of tornadoes. 

Direction of destruction: The typhoon, expected to reach southern Kyushu by Thursday, already caused three injuries and left three people missing due to a landslide and an accident. Forecast shows it could reach a Category 3 status as it approaches the coast. It is projected to make landfall on Shikoku before moving across southern Honshu, causing damages estimated between $6 billion and $10 billion. However, disaster modelers warn that if it directly impacts the Osaka-Kobe area, damages could soar to between $12 billion and $20 billion. 

What’s being done: The slow pace of Shanshan suggests affected areas could experience relentless rain for hours, further exacerbating the risk of flooding. Officials are urging residents to take precautionary measures, stay indoors and seek shelter if necessary as continuous heavy rain is expected to linger after the storm passes. Toyota temporarily closed all its factories to protect workers, while various transportation services, including flights and trains, are experiencing cancellations and disruptions.

News

Chinese province becomes tourist hotspot after “Black Myth: Wukong” release

Shanxi province in northern China experienced a surge in tourism following the highly anticipated release of "Black Myth: Wukong" on Aug. 20. Tourism reportedly increased by 50% in August compared to July, while hotel bookings skyrocketed by 120% on the day the video game was released.

Key areas: Game Science filmed 27 of the 36 major sites featured in “Black Myth: Wukong” in Shanxi. These include notable landmarks such as the Yungang Grottoes, the Fogong Temple Wooden Pagoda and the Stork Tower. Fans of the game have visited the Yuhuang Temple in Jincheng City to see the colored sculptures from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The Xiaoxitian Tour Zone, a Buddhist temple from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Xi County, also saw a threefold increase in ticket sales following the game’s release. The locations featured in the game were either faithfully recreated or modeled based on the real-life historical buildings.

Online popularity: Aside from a tourist boom, Shanxi also saw an increase in online searches for its key destinations. Searches for attractions in the province rose by 156% compared to last year. Online travel agency Qunar reported on Aug. 21 that searches for Taiyuan, Shanxi's capital city, rose by 10% from the previous week.

News

Over a dozen people in Japan attacked by “horny, lonely” dolphin

Japanese biologists believe that a Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin searching for a mate is responsible for a series of attacks on 18 beachgoers near the town of Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, this year. One of the most recent incidents occurred at Mizushima Beach on Aug. 20. During the incident, a boy and the man who tried to rescue him were attacked, with the boy requiring 30 stitches for his injuries.

What they’re saying: “We know that [male dolphins] sometimes communicate by biting each other, so it may be that it is trying to do this with humans,” Mari Kobayashi, head of the marine biology laboratory at the Hokkaido-Okhotsk campus of Tokyo University of Agriculture, told South China Morning Post. “Also, this is a species that usually lives in groups, so it is possible it is lonely.” Putu Mustika, a marine researcher at James Cook University in Australia told the New York Times that its actions could be that of a “horny, lonely dolphin.”

Other attacks: At least 45 incidents of dolphin attacks have been recorded in Wakasa Bay, which spans the coasts of Kyoto Prefecture and Fukui Prefecture, since 2022. Ryoichi Matsubara, the director of Echizen Matsushima Aquarium in Fukui, told the Times that the culprit behind the 2022 and 2023 attacks appears to be the same male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. Although he has not yet reviewed the recent videos, Matsubara believes that the same dolphin may also be responsible for the attacks in 2024.

Final Bites

Emma Raducanu in tears after U.S. Open first-round exit: Emma Raducanu was visibly emotional following her first-round exit in the U.S. Open on Aug. 27, losing to Sofia Kenin in a gripping three-set match on the Grandstand Court. The 21-year-old tennis star, who won the tournament in September 2021, expressed her disappointment after the tough battle. “Yeah, I feel down, like I feel sad,” said Raducanu in tears. “This is a tournament I really want to do well in. I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyze where I went wrong and try and improve for the rest of the season.” Born in Canada to a Romanian father and a Chinese mother, Raducanu has struggled with injuries since her breakthrough victory three years ago

NCT’s Taeil exits group amid “sexual crime” case: NCT member Taeil has left the K-pop boy group after being “accused in a criminal case in relation to a sexual crime,” his agency SM Entertainment announced on Wednesday. The decision was made following discussions between the label and the 30-year-old idol, who is reportedly fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation. SM Entertainment, which also issued an apology, has not terminated his contract. The agency’s announcement amassed over 45 million views in under three hours.

H Mart to open largest food hall in the Northeast in NJ: H Mart is set to open its largest food hall in the Northeast this Friday at American Dream, a retail and entertainment complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The new 16,680-square-foot food court will feature 12 dining and shopping options, including dim sum, boba, Japanese curry and Korean drinks. Stores opening on Friday include K-Town Hero, The Boa, Gold Miss, Gong Chan, Jeong’s Noodle and Don Don Curry, among others. “We are thrilled to introduce our latest food hall at American Dream,” H Mart president, Stacey Kwon, said. “The addition of another food hall will further enhance the world class, one-of-a-kind guest experience that is H Mart at American Dream.”

Over 24,000 Indian Americans sign up for Modi’s community event: More than 24,000 Indian Americans from at least 42 states registered to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “The Modi and US Progress Together” address at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on Sep. 22. The expected attendance for the one-day event far exceeds the venue’s maximum capacity of 16,000. “We’re going to do our best to expand seating arrangements and coordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritize final seat allocations to those who will confirm they expect to attend,” the event’s organizer, Indo-American Community of USA (IACU), said.