A new app guides visitors through NYC's Chinatown with hidden stories

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/ [login to see] /family-associations-app-chinatown
Composer George Tsz-Kwan Lam has always liked writing music inspired by places.

"There are all these places in Chinatown that are both hidden and meaningful," he says, stepping out of the way of passersby while leading a tour of the neighborhood. "To uncover some of those hidden things in a city walk that you might not ordinarily notice — I wondered, is there a piece in that?"

It turns out there's not just a piece, but a whole app.

Lam interviewed five Chinese Americans from around the country, asking them about their experiences in Chinatown, plus questions about their ancestors, their families, their memories. He then set the answers to music, the instruments drawing attention to each person's distinct pattern of speech.