Eager fans gathered in Flushing, New York on Monday. Some waited for hours to meet American-born Taiwan pop sensations Van Ness Wu and Evonne Hsu.
The pair is in the United States to participate in a five-city concert tour. It’s organized by Verizon Wireless to celebrate Asian entertainment and culture for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Johnny Chen, Verizon Wireless account manager for the New York metropolitan area, says the concert tour is a way to show the importance of APHAM.
"Basically they wanted to bring out the Asian [Pacific American Heritage] Month with us, and they want to bring out how important it is to all the Asians out here, so they brought on the artists to help us out."
This third annual concert is a collaboration of Taiwanese, Chinese and Singaporean artists. After a concert in New York on Sunday night, fans got the chance to meet Van Ness Wu and Evonne Hsu for an autograph session.
Born in Texas, Evonne Hsu says she understands the cultural gap between young Asian Americans and their parents. She hopes participating in APHAM will encourage these young people to pursue their dreams.
[Evonne Hsu, Pop Singer]:
"I was first generation born in America. My parents grew up in Taiwan, so I know how it feels to have that, not just a generation gap, but a cultural gap, between you and your parents… I just want to take part in stuff like this to encourage young Asian Americans to go for your dreams and open up lines of communications between your parents."
Santa Monica-born Van Ness Wu says it's important for young Asian Americans to hold on to their roots.
[Van Ness Wu, Pop Singer]:
"You gotta know your roots, and where you came from, regardless of anything. Grow and expand and broaden your mind, but then you have to know where it all came from, and where it stems from. Otherwise what’s the point?"
After New York, the stars will be heading down to Washington, D.C. and the U.S. West Coast for more concerts and autograph sessions.
