AllMovie

In 1984, as this well-researched documentary shows, there were over 5,000 Chinese living in one sector of northwestern Mississippi, where the three predominant races (Caucasian, Afro-American, East Asian) are segregated. In a sensitive recording of cultural, linguistic, culinary, and religious customs, this film provides some historical background on Chinese immigration and shows the weddings and funerals and entertainments that characterize the Chinese neighborhoods in the region. Their ethnic distinctiveness is contrasted with the music (blues, gospel, country) and culture prevalent among the black and white communities. It is a depressing commentary on the tenacity of racism that the film crews for this documentary had to be divided into three separate units of Chinese, whites, and Afro-Americans in order to go into the various neighborhoods of the target area and operate in safety and with the confidence of those being filmed.