Build Your Archive: Asian women of Rotterdam

The Asian diaspora has long been part of Rotterdam. In 1911, the first Chinatown on the European mainland emerged in Katendrecht. Over the past century, families and entrepreneurs from Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Indonesian communities have also made Rotterdam their home.

Despite their rich history in the city, the stories of Asian women have rarely been recorded. In archives, museums, and local histories, they seldom appear, even though these women play an important role in families, communities, entrepreneurship, and culture.

Build Your Archive

With Build Your Archive, Pan Asian Collective, and ONNI Rotterdam aim to change this. After a successful edition in Amsterdam, they are now coming to Rotterdam.

During this gathering, we invite Asian-Dutch women and their families to bring a personal object, document, or memory. This could be a photo, letter, recipe, menu, piece of clothing, or any other item that tells something about your background.

Together with heritage experts, we will explore the story behind these objects and document them for the future. With your permission, these stories can be included in the city archives and shared in exhibitions and online platforms.

In this way, we build an archive that represents all of Rotterdam. Because without its female, Asian history, the city is incomplete.

Build Your Archive is an initiative by Pan Asian Collective. The Rotterdam edition is a joint project of Pan Asian Collective and Onni Rotterdam, in collaboration with the Rotterdam City Archive.

Pan Asian Collective (PAC) is the expertise centre for Asian stories and perspectives. They create, share, and provide space for stories that are rarely heard, rooted in Asian backgrounds and experiences. Through art, media, and dialogue, they work to increase visibility, understanding, and connection. For everyone. Not later, but now.

Onni Rotterdam is a network that creates space for meetings, culture, and exchange among Asian women in the city. Together, they collect, document, and share the stories of Asian women who remain underrepresented in Rotterdam’s archives.