The Metro: Pan-Asian neighborhood concert revives Detroit’s Chinatown as it rebuilds
Detroit Shipping Company is set to host a variety of local musical artists in celebration of Pan-Asian culture ranging from an erhu player to an entire taiko ensemble.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Fiscal Year 2025 budget included $1 million in funding for the nonprofit Midtown Detroit, Inc. to revitalize Detroit's Chinatown neighborhood. Credit: John Filibrandt, WDET.
Detroit’s Chinatown, at one point in time, was a bustling neighborhood that often marked the first stop in the states for so many immigrants.
According to the 2025 census, 1.7% of Detroit’s population identify as Asian American. An effort is underway to restore Detroit’s Chinatown.
In partnership with the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit (IIMD), Concert of Colors Neighborhood Programs will host a celebration in old neighborhood.
We Tell These Truths: Music is a Universal Language (A Pan-Asian Cultural Celebration) is Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-4:30 p.m.
Credit: City of Farmington Hills
It’s happening at Detroit Shipping Company in Detroit’s Cass Corridor.
Roland Hwang is a lecturer of Asian, Pacific Islander History at the University of Michigan. Hwang is an attorney and a former state assistant attorney general. He is a supporter of Concert of Colors and MC for the event.
The concert will feature virtuoso erhuist Xiao Dong Wei, and her alter-ego, Madame XD.
Wei’s musical journey began in China at the tender age of 5. Her work has taken her across the globe and landed her in the Detroit area. She blends traditional Chinese music with contemporary genres. From jazz, rock, and orchestral performance, Xiao plays over 20 instruments.
Additional performers include well is virtuoso pipaist, Min Xiao-Fen. As well the Great Lakes Taiko Ensemble, and Thomas Xu “Steady Flight Circle” as the DJ for the afternoon.
Wei and Hwang joined The Metro to talk more about the concert and Detroit’s Chinatown.
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