The Cantonese Arts and Culture Endowment has been established at UCLA with a generous gift from May Chong '79, a longtime supporter of UCLA. She established this fund to preserve and promote Cantonese traditions, arts, and language and to foster education and cultural exchange and community engagement for future generations. May Chong is a native Cantonese speaker who grew up in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States after high school. She feels a deep connection to Cantonese culture and heritage from her identity and upbringing.

Her experiences as an immigrant inspired a commitment to ensure that the richness of Cantonese language, arts, and traditions endures not only for overseas Chinese communities, but for the wider American public, enriching lives through cultural exchange and understanding. Chong states, "I believe that sharing its beauty, creativity, and joy can enrich lives far beyond the Cantonese-speaking community. For overseas Chinese, this endowment represents a continuation of their cultural roots. For non-Chinese communities, it provides opportunities for cultural exchange, understanding, and appreciation." Chong also sees the potential for “bridging the divides through a better mutual understanding of each other's cultures."

She selected UCLA as the home for her endowment because of the university's history of cultural exchange, excellence in research and engagement in Asia-Pacific and Asian American studies and its diverse student body. The UCLA Asian American Studies Center will administer the endowment and invite ongoing partnership with students, scholars, and the broader community to keep Cantonese culture vibrant and relevant.

If you would like to make a contribution to grow this endowment, please contact Christi Corpus at ccorpus@support.ucla.edu.