Asian Heritage Association

09/28/2026

Thanks to the community for coming out and celebrating the unveiling of ‘A Gathering Place’ by Saiyare Refaei, hosted by Visit McMinnville Oregon!

With this mural we finally have a beautiful public acknowledgement of the historic Chinese community who helped build McMinnville. And for that reason, the mural itself is historic!

09/25/2026

中秋节快乐!
추석 잘 보내세요!
Chúc mừng Tết Trung Thu!
お月見を楽しもう！

09/22/2026

Stop by the McMinnville Library to learn more about the contributions of the historic Chinese community!

The traveling Chinese History Exhibit is now on display in our lobby as part of McMinnville’s 150th Anniversary Celebration! And don’t miss our Historical Books n’ Nooks Tour at 6pm on September 24 exploring McMinnville’s past through library records.
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¡La Exposición Itinerante de Historia China está ahora expuesta en nuestro vestíbulo como parte de la celebración del 150 aniversario de McMinnville! Y no te pierdas nuestra visita “Historical Books n' Nooks” el 24 de septiembre, explorando el pasado de McMinnville a través de los registros de la biblioteca.

09/11/2026

Please get a copy of today’s News-Register to read the full article and visit this traveling display to learn about the contributions of Chinese immigrants to McMinnville!

09/03/2026

Coming? RSVP so we know how many folks to expect! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-gathering-place-unveiling-tickets-1998918034651

08/31/2026

TWO EVENTS: Join us for food and celebration!

Fall Social on September 18th at Cathedral Ridge Winery
We're celebrating AHA's 4th anniversary as a nonprofit.
Please RSVP to [email protected]

Mural unveiling party on September 27th with Visit McMinnville Oregon in Art Ally. Come by for live music, food and drinks and meet the mural artist, Saiyare!

08/29/2026

Come see us and our special guests at the Harvest Fest at the Yamhill County History Museum. Enjoy the festivities and learn more about the Chinese community in McMinnville!

08/01/2026

Want to learn more about the history of Chinese in Yamhill County? Watch this recorded by our board president, Jade Henness!

In the late 1800s, every town in Yamhill County had a Chinese owned laundry. Some had two or three. This presentation will explore the significance of these early Chinese enterprises in Yamhill County and their rise and fall as a microcosm of national issues of race, politics and immigration.

In the late 1800s, every town in Yamhill County had a Chinese owned...

07/31/2026

Our Newest Art Alley Mural Celebrates McMinnville’s Historic Chinese Community:

William Newby, McMinnville' s founder, brought in 300 Chinese workers, thought to be from the Toisan county in the Chinese province of Guangdong, to dig a four mile trench to bring water from Star Mills to Baker Creek Road. By the 1870s they were laundry owners, railroad workers, picked potatoes for five cents a bag, worked hop fields, harvested and packed berries. Their skilled labor vastly benefited Oregon’s local economy.

These men were not allowed to bring their wives and family, yet they found a gathering place in McMinnville to celebrate the Lunar New Year each year. Though they routinely faced bigotry, especially after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, several prominent Chinese businessmen still chose to return to town. Quong Hop and Sam Yick are two men whose names show up several times in historic newspapers. Quong Hop owned several businesses including the noodle shop in McMinnville. Sam Yick owned a laundry business and gave out Chinese lilies during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

This mural was created in consultation with the Asian Heritage Association (AHA) and recognizes their annual multicultural Lunar New Year event that has made McMinnville a gathering place for celebration once again.

Artist Saiyare Refaei syas: "I was born and raised in McMinnville and my maternal great-grandfather is from the same province in China that many of the workers who were brought to McMinnville in the 1800s are from. To my knowledge there is not a public marker honoring the immense labor of these men who contributed so much the local economy of our town. I hope the mural can be a point of pause and celebration of what they have left behind and the celebrations that continue today. This mural would not have been possible without the assistance of my parents. This is the first mural I have painted in McMinnville and the first one they have helped me paint from start to finish. So this process has felt extra special."

For more information about Saiyare, visit justseeds.org/artist/saiyarerefaei, or on instagram on Instagram, or visit: mcminnvilleartalley.com

07/01/2026

DYK McMinnville had a Chinese noodle shop in 1914?

Chinese restaurants are a very important part of the history of Chinese in the United States. While Chinese American restaurants may historically serve a very different cuisine from what is served in their own homes and homelands, those recipes were innovations born from necessity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Watch this video and learn about the development of some common Chinese American dishes and how Chinese food in the U.S. continues to develop today.

America has more Chinese restaurants than it has locations of nearl...