Dr. Melody Yunzi Li leads MHOC with a deep commitment to uncovering diasporic narratives and preserving overlooked histories. Under her leadership, the team is blending literature, spatial storytelling, and lived experiences into a meaningful digital experience.

Our team had the honor of presenting “Houston Chinatown(s): Tracing Roots, Mapping Futures” to Leadership Houston at the Holocaust Museum Houston with the company of Dr. Guadalupe San Miguel Jr. We shared our ongoing work to preserve and visualize the histories of the Chinese American communities.

How do you map a community that no longer exists? We start with city directories—dusty, scanned, often incomplete. Our team combs through decades of listings to trace names, addresses, and businesses that once filled Old Chinatown.
Photo credit to CACA Houston Lodge Special Events Photos Collection.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the new Mapping Houston’s Old Chinatown website! This project brings together archival research, oral histories, &interactive digital tools to preserve &share the stories of Houston’s first Chinatown. Visit the site to learn more: mhoc.projects.dhcf.uh.edu