Following bills passed in both the House and Senate in 1978, President Jimmy Carter officially made the first week of May Asian/ Pacific Heritage Week. The holiday was later expanded to include the entire month of May in 1990. May is a particularly significant month for celebrating Asian Pacific American heritage because the first Japanese immigrated to the United States on May 7, 1843. In addition, May marks the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad (May 10, 1869), and a majority of the workers who laid the railroad's tracks were Chinese immigrants.

In honor of this year's celebration, explore China's artistic diaspora, the hula tradition and the work of Chinese immigrants on the frontier. Discover music of the Mekong River, and learn about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrations at the Smithsonian and around the country.

Secret Palace

China’s Artistic Diaspora

For sixty years, upheavals in Chinese politics have not only remade the country’s economy–they have remade Chinese art

Tao, 32, does mathematic both pure and practical—from proving that prime number patterns come in every conceivable shape to deriving solutions needed for the next generation of digital camera and MRI scanners.

Primed for Success

Terence Tao is regarded as first among equals among young mathematicians, but who's counting

archaeologists unearthed a toothbrush

Where East Met (Wild) West

Excavations in a legendary gold rush town uncover the unsung labors of Chinese immigrants on the frontier

A Hip Tradition

The age-old art of hula is still moving and shaking

Year of the Rat

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Little Rock Central High School, 2005

Points of Interest

This month's guide to notable American destinations and happenings

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Photo Gallery

Photos from Bhutan

Slideshow of life in Bhutan

Special Section

Destination Asia

Travel across the continent and discover all it has to offer through articles, video, quiz questions and slideshows

Travel with Smithsonian