Tatwina Lee peered down from the balcony of Club Fugazi, a historic theater in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. As the crowd began to pour in, Lee’s phone buzzed with texts from friends arriving at the party.

“This is very new for us,” Lee said, as she gestured towards the lively scene below, where drag queens, city leaders, Asian American artists and longtime Chinatown organizers were gathered. The Oct. 17 gala marked the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC), one of the nation’s oldest Asian American arts organizations and a longtime anchor of the Chinatown neighborhood.

“For these celebrations, usually [we host] a Chinese banquet in one of the few remaining [banquet hall] restaurants,” said Lee, a CCC board co-chair who has served in multiple l

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