Transitions & Challenges: Chinatown Small Business after Covid

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Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 12pm to 1pm

CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
25 West 43rd Street, 14th Floor, Rooms 1425-1426
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan

Prof. Zai Liang’s presentation focuses on the substantial challenges faced by small businesses in Manhattan Chinatown and the subsequent transitions they have made in the post-Covid pandemic era. Attendees will gain insights into the key findings conducted during Summer 2025 by the specialized research team from SUNY Albany, in collaboration with the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation.

Research was made possible by the Mary Li Hsu Foundation, and funding from the NYS AAPI Equity Budget

Author Bio

Zai Liang is Distinguished Professor and Chair of Sociology at State University of New York at Albany. He currently serves as Chair-elect of International Migration Section of the American Sociological Association and was a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York City. He is the recipient of the 2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Research and Creative Activities and the 2020 Louis Wirth Best Paper Award from the American Sociological Association. Dr. Liang’s research has been supported by many foundations including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Ford Foundation, and Spencer Foundation among others. During 2004-2022, he served as Director and Co-Director of Urban China Research Network based in Albany. His main research interests are migration/immigration, urbanization, urban sociology, and China studies.