Pima County Public Library: Community Spotlight: Tucson Chinese Cultural Center

Press release from the Pima County Public Library:

PimaLib_BiblioLotus

October 20, 2021

The Biblio Lotus team, opens a new window is proud to continue an interview series aimed at elevating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities' voices and celebrating their culture. The interviewees are in different fields and from various backgrounds, but their dedication to AAPI histories and cultures helps form our diverse and dynamic community in Pima County.

We recently checked in with Tina Liao, President of the Tucson Chinese Association (TCA) and longtime volunteer at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, opens a new window (TCCC).

Situated at 1288 W River Rd., opens a new window (La Cañada Dr. and River Rd.), the 15,000-square-foot Chinese Cultural Center serves the social and cultural needs of the Chinese residents living in Pima County. The contemporary structure honors Chinese tradition with symbolic design elements, such as circular moon gates and the use of the color red. The center’s main hallway displays quarterly rotating exhibits and items depicting the history of Tucson’s Chinese Americans. 

Tina Liao worked as an administration officer at their family business. She became involved with the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC) in 2005. Later she became a board member of Tucson Chinese Association (TCA). She has been volunteering and helping all events and activities for TCCC ever since.

In 2012, Tina was elected to be the President of TCA for two terms. She continued to serve on the Executive Board and, in 2021, was elected to be the TCA President again. 

Tucson Chinese School History

Tucson Chinese School was founded in 1950 and is the pioneer of Chinese education in Southern Arizona. For more than 70 years, through the efforts of generations of Chinese, Tucson Chinese School has become an important force for Chinese education and the inheritance of Chinese culture in Arizona. After entering the 21st century, Tucson Chinese School has developed vigorously, and its teaching quality has improved rapidly. It has become a leader in Chinese education and the inheritance of Chinese culture in Southern Arizona.

In 2005, Tucson Chinese Cultural Center was established by donating land from the Chinese people. This also announced the end of the history of Tucson Chinese School's rental housing. The school moved to Tucson Chinese Cultural Center in the northwest of Tucson and became the largest project of Tucson Chinese Cultural Center under the Tucson Chinese Association.

Credit: School Principal, Peiqin Cao

Post by Sharon, Joel D. Valdez Main Library

This press release was produced by the Pima County Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.