Celebrate the Year of the Snake: Must-Read Lunar New Year Books for 2025

Kick off the Year of the Snake with stories that honor the rich traditions, cultural heritage, and diverse celebrations of Lunar New Year across the globe. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, a time associated with transformation, creativity, and wisdom.

Whether you’re celebrating with family or learning more about Lunar New Year traditions, this curated book list is perfect for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of this festive season.

From Chinese New Year to Tết, Seollal, and more, these stories bring the magic of the holiday to life while offering a glimpse into the beauty of different cultures to celebrate Lunar New Year 2025.

A Book for Everyone:

Our Lunar New Year by Yobe Qiu (2024)

Join Xiao Mi and friends as they explore Lunar New Year celebrations across Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, and Indian cultures. This colorful journey introduces young readers to diverse traditions, from dragon dances to firecrackers, making it the perfect introduction to this global holiday.

For Chinese New Year Celebrations

Year of the Snake by Zhango Jink Yo (2024)

Celebrate the creativity and magic of the Year of the Snake through the story of Sami, a young boy inspired by the Chinese zodiac to create a mesmerizing snake dance. This heartwarming tale teaches kids about Chinese New Year traditions and the importance of embracing challenges.

See also: Eco-friendly ways to celebrate Lunar New Year

Five Little Dumplings: The Lunar New Year Feast by Kelsey Chen (2023)

Follow the Five Little Dumplings on a playful counting adventure as they prepare for their Lunar New Year feast, discovering sights, sounds, and delicious treats along the way.

Celebrating Chinese New Year by Lacey Benard & Lulu Cheng (2023)

This bilingual English and Mandarin book introduces little readers to Chinese New Year traditions, complete with…

Lee Majdoub reprises role as Agent Stone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Appearing for the third time as “Agent Stone” in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Lee Majdoub is still learning to take it all in. “I don’t think in my wildest dreams I expected to be part of a video game franchise that I loved as a kid,” said the Lebanese actor. 

In this third installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog films, Majdoub is excited to show more dimension to his character. 

Agent Stone is the loyal servant to Dr. Robotnik, almost to a fault. Majdoub sees Agent Stone’s loyalty reflected in his own desire to feel needed and seen by others as well. “I’m the ‘Please love me!’ guy”. He also relates to his character’s desire to be a part of something bigger than him. 

Representation of Middle Eastern or West-Asian characters and stories in entertainment

Despite recent accolades of projects such as Shogun and Beef, we must also acknowledge that Hollywood continues to pigeonhole West Asian actors and characters into one-dimensional or stereotypical roles of the baddie or terrorist. 

“I went through a period of my life when I was deeply ashamed and resented being Middle Eastern,” shares Majdoub. “I hated the reflection I saw in the mirror. I didn’t want anybody knowing I came from a Middle Eastern background, especially post-9-11.” 

Majdoub cites Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Will Smith and Denzel Washington as actors who inspired him in his youth. “But nobody really looked like me,” shares Majdoub, who is also an award-winning actor. 

A 2024 McKinsey report surveyed 1000 Asian and Pacific Islander consumers and media viewers in the U.S. and found that “less than 30 percent of respondents believe their racial and ethnic identity is authentically represented in film and television,” specific to U.S.-produced media. 

During the press tour for the second Sonic film in…

As the holiday season unfolds, it brings with it a time for gratitude, reflection, and giving. Nestled between the shopping frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of generosity and community. For those of us in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community, this day is an opportunity to come together, amplify our voices, and support organizations that empower our communities in meaningful ways.

Why Giving Back Matters

For many AANHPI individuals, the values of collectivism and giving back are deeply woven into the fabric of our cultures. Whether through acts of service, mutual aid, or donations, contributing to the well-being of others strengthens our shared identity and reinforces the idea that our collective success is built on lifting each other up.

However, our communities continue to face significant challenges. These include fighting systemic racism, addressing intergenerational divides, tackling gaps in mental health care, advocating for disability inclusion, and ensuring accurate representation in media. Supporting AANHPI-led organizations and causes is more than an act of generosity—it’s a meaningful step toward creating lasting change.

Where to Start: AANHPI Organizations Making a Difference

This Giving Tuesday, consider channeling your support toward organizations that are working tirelessly to uplift our communities. Here’s a curated list of impactful initiatives across various advocacy pillars:

Gender and Identity: LGBTQIA+ and Women

• Prism Foundation: Mobilizing resources for the AAPI LGBTQIA+ community to foster equity and empowerment through funding and initiatives.
• Asian Women for Health (AWFH): Promoting health and well-being for Asian women and underrepresented communities through culturally sensitive healthcare programs.

Disabilities and Neurodivergence

• Asian Connections Hub (ACH): Providing…

Twenty years ago, Jane Hyun published Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, exposing the invisible barriers that prevent Asians in leadership from reaching their career goals. Yet, despite growing DEI efforts in workplace advancement, those barriers remain. Asian Americans currently comprise 13% of the U.S. professional workforce, but only 6% of them hold executive positions, according to a 2020 LEAP report. 

Hyun’s latest book, Leadership Toolkit for Asians: The Definitive Resource Guide for Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, responds to these ongoing barriers by offering practical strategies to decrease the leadership gap for Asian professionals.

Hyun is a renowned leadership coach and diversity strategist, working with global organizations on DEI initiatives. In a conversation with Cold Tea Collective, Hyun reflects on the ongoing challenges Asians face in breaking through leadership barriers and the need to support a more multicultural leadership. 

Closing the Workforce Gap for Asians

When Hyun first wrote Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, she observed that DEI initiatives in the corporate world often overlooked Asian Americans in their diversity programs. “They were counting us as a minority group, but we weren’t part of any initiatives these organizations offered,” Hyun explained. “Asian Americans need help too — they need assistance, mentorship, and guidance.”

This gap in support — coupled with the onslaught of Asian hate at the peak of the pandemic — inspired Hyun to channel her experience into Leadership Toolkit. “The global pandemic reminded us that we are still considered outsiders,” said Hyun. “I realized I needed to share the story of everything I’ve been working on, including the challenges we continue to face.”

Cultural Awareness Among Asian Leaders

When Hyun reflected on her years of coaching, she found that many of her clients struggled to understand how their cultural upbringing could actually…

Interior Chinatown brilliantly subverts stereotypes and portrayals of the “Generic Asian Man” and more

“Generic Asian Man” is the title of the premiere episode of Interior Chinatown, adapted from Charles Yu’s award-winning novel of the same name.

In this episode, Willis Wu (Jimmy O’Yang) faces a choice: play detective to the mysterious case of his brother’s disappearance or fade into the background and embrace his role as the “Generic Asian Man.” This moment sets the tone for the series, as Wu steps out of the margins to take on a central role in a story that was never meant to be about him—a regular guy from Chinatown.

Interior Chinatown translates its screenplay-like structure to TV, maintaining the book’s satirical edge while creating a dynamic narrative that explores identity, typecasting, and representation in media. 

Cold Tea Collective talked to the producers and cast behind Interior Chinatown to get their insights on the show. Keep reading to hear snippets of our conversation with Tzi Ma (Joe Wu), Archie Kao (Uncle Wong), Ronny Chieng (Fatty Choi), Chloe Bennet (Detective Lana Lee), Taika Waititi (director and executive producer), and Charles Yu (show creator, showrunner, executive producer and author of Interior Chinatown).

Interior Chinatown pushes back on societal expectations 

For decades, Asian characters in media have been relegated to damaging stereotypes: sidekicks, martial artists, background figures with little agency of their own, among other harmful tropes. Interior Chinatown subverts these by allowing its characters to challenge the roles imposed on them and claim their stories for themselves.

A central plotline in the series is the mysterious disappearance of Willis’ brother—a martial arts master and the “star child” of the Wu family—whose presumed death has loomed over their lives for years. As Willis begins to investigate what really happened, the precarious dynamics of…

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival returns for its 28th year from November 7-17, 2024, both online and in-person.

The array of films selected for this year’s festival showcase the breadth and depth of the Asian diaspora experience through film, industry and networking events throughout the two weeks. 

As a proud media sponsor of the festival, check out our top picks for films to watch this year.

See the full schedule and purchase tickets and passes online, with limited tickets available at the door. 

Feature Films to Watch at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival

Extremely Unique Dynamic

Nov. 7, Thursday | 6:30 pm | International Village
Dirs. Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung, Katherine Dudas | Canada/USA | 67 min. Narrative Feature

Extremely Unique Dynamic tells the story of two best friends testing the limits of their friendship while making a triple-meta movie during their final weekend together. Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung are an extremely unique directing, writing, producing, and acting duo. Together, they have guest-starred in dozens of network shows and are excited to be making their feature filmmaking debut with Extremely Unique Dynamic.

Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama

Nov. 8, Friday | 4:00 pm | International Village
Dir. Cindy Mochizuki | Canada | 71 min. WestCoast Documentary Feature

Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama is a filmic journey about a Japanese-Canadian photographer who joins the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the American civil rights movement. This experience transforms him enough to return “home” to the West Coast of Canada to begin a body of photographic work on the annual Powell Street Festival, celebrating Japanese Canadian culture and heritage. 

Cindy Mochizuki creates multimedia installations, animation, performance, public art works, and community-engaged projects. She has exhibited…

Bad Genius subverts the model minority myth

Bad Genius is an American adaptation of the popular 2017 Thai film of the same name, reimagined by writer-director J.C. Lee for an American audience. While staying true to the premise of the original film, this version repositions its characters as high school students grappling with the pressures of social class and academic competition at an elite private school. 

The high-stakes 2024 drama follows Lynn, a brilliant scholarship student who masterminds an elaborate scheme to help her wealthy peers in her new school ace their exams as a way to pay for college and help her father.

The film stars rising talents Liang (Presence) and Jabari Banks (Bel-Air), alongside industry veteran Benedict Wong (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange, 3 Body Problem).

Cold Tea Collective caught up with director J.C. Lee, Benedict Wong, Callina Liang and Jabari Banks to discuss the film. 

First-Generation Pressures in Education

With the end of affirmative action and skyrocketing college tuition, Bad Genius is poised to strike a chord with young viewers facing their own struggles in the pursuit of a better future. 

Director J.C. Lee hopes that viewers can see their experiences reflected in the characters. “I hope viewers feel that the film is truthful and resonates with their experience,” Lee shared. “We were all young once and sometimes we make mistakes, but that’s okay. We can all grow up and become better versions of ourselves.” 

The pressure to succeed is often amplified for first-generation immigrant students, who often carry the weight of their families’ sacrifices on their shoulders.

Liang related to her character Lynn’s journey. “Lynn is so young and feels a lot of pressure from having to please…

Recently, CBC Dragon’s Den aired an episode with guest Dragon Simu Liu calling out Quebec-based boba tea company, Bobba, and its founders for engaging in cultural appropriation. This sparked an online firestorm that saw a typical pattern commonplace on social media: both an outpouring of support for Liu’s position and comments, as well as a flood of threats and harassment against Bobba’s founders and other Dragons for their dismissive behaviour during the pitch. 

Dragon Manjit Minhas initially backed the deal but has subsequently withdrawn, and a wave of online support is building to have Bobba removed from retailers for their disingenuous marketing, tone-deaf pitch and harmful comments. Once again, the public discourse has been drawn toward the matter of cultural appropriation. 

Much has been written, discussed and posted already to condemn and criticize the cultural appropriation, so this article is not about further exhausting that message. 

I spent the last couple of days reflecting on how to best add to the public discourse on this issue. In the past, I’ve written about taking a systems thinking approach to tackling these challenging matters, and contributed to a more in-depth breakdown on some of the more recent, highly publicized past examples of cultural appropriation. 

As such, through this article I want to explore what is (and what is not) the core issue(s) of cultural appropriation, why Bobba’s pitch is harmful, what all stakeholders could have done differently and why, and what can we all learn from what has unfolded.

It’s About Respect

To start, cultural ownership and the responsibilities of determining the significance of an object, as well as who holds the power to offer “permission for use” can be nuanced and difficult to define, as evidenced in some recent research into cultural appropriation. This is not an issue of BIPOC folks trying to “gatekeep” products, ideas, concepts, and/or…

As the crisp autumn air settles in, there’s nothing cozier than curling up with a warm meal from a bountiful harvest season. Whether you’re craving big bowl soup or something on-the-go, check out these cookbooks by Asian American and Asian Canadian women. These cookbooks offer readers recipes, inspirations, and stories from the Asian diaspora, while learning about their connection to culture and food. 

Di An by Tue Nguyen (@TwayDaBae) celebrates the bold flavors of Vietnamese cuisine—salty, sour, sweet, and spicy. This cookbook is designed to be accessible for home cooks as she shares tips on making sauces and picking the right ingredients. Nguyen is a rising culinary star who started her career as a food content creator and has now opened her first restaurant, DiDi, in Los Angeles.

Let’s Make Some Lunch by Sulhee Jessica Woo is a vibrant, family-friendly cookbook that introduces readers to easy, healthy and nutritionally balanced bento box lunches. Woo’s cookbook features fun, instructional photos teaching busy parents how to incorporate different food textures and flavours while catering to children. Woo appeared on the AsianBabyGirl podcast to share how she got her title of the “Bento Box Queen.” 

Tiffy Cooks by Tiffy Chen (@tiffycooks) features over 100 everyday Asian-inspired recipes which balance classic and modern flavours. Whether craving quick weeknight dinners or experimenting with new techniques, this cookbook is a versatile addition to any kitchen. Chen’s food company, Kaidong Foods, offers noodles and sauces for beginners and experienced cooks to make the perfect meal. 

Love, Bonito, a womenswear brand, collaborated with Singapore Global Network to release a community cookbook featuring many notable Asian American and Asian Canadian female chefs. Measured By Heart: A Community Cookbook shares recipes from non-profit partners, chefs, creators, and more. Download the digital…

Bianca Bustamante attributes success and work ethic to her Filipina heritage  

At just 19 years old, Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante is making history in the world of motorsports. As the first female driver in McLaren’s prestigious Racing Driver Development program and as of time of publication, seated at number five in the F1 Academy, Bianca Bustamante is breaking barriers and challenging the status quo in the male-dominated motorsports industry where few women, let alone Asian women, have made their mark.

In a recent interview with Cold Tea Collective, Bianca Bustamante shares about her journey to professional racing on a global level. 

Bianca Bustamante is blazing a trail for young Filipina women in motorsport

Growing up in Manila, Bustamante didn’t have many role models in motorsports—especially not from Asia. Her love of racing started at age three when she started go-karting for fun. She shares that had to fight for herself and seize every opportunity because the Philippines is not known for motorsport, but rather than being deterred, she modeled the way.

“In motorsport, I’ve learned to take everything one race at a time, one lap at a time. It’s taught me to value every opportunity and maximize every moment,” she shares.

The professional racer attributes resilience and work ethic to her Filipino heritage. “I’m a dreamer, and I work hard to make it a reality,” she shares.

See also: Formula 1 and Zhou Guanyu – Race for all races

Driven to perform: Bianca Bustamante on track to lead F1 Academy

What drives Bianca Bustamante? The future. “For kids to look and see me in F1 Academy and McLaren, they get to dream and hopefully make those dreams into reality.”

Follow Bianca Bustamante’s racing journey as she…