Dressed in red Cantonese opera-inspired uniforms, members of a historic Chinese American girls’ drill team march through Chinatown. Behind the 75-year-old tradition lies the story of three Chinese American women searching for their identities and sense of belonging.
Award-winning Chinese American filmmaker Della Chen’s documentary short She Marches in Chinatown was screened on June 5 at the Frank G. Wells Theater at Disney Studios in Burbank. The film chronicles the history of a 75-year-old Chinese American girls’ drill team, tracing its evolution from a small group of young girls into a multi-generational community tradition. At its heart are the personal journeys of three late Chinese American women as they navigated questions of ethnicity, identity, and self-discovery.
Among those attending the screening were Della Chen’s sister, Mary Knell, their mother, and several family members who traveled from Seattle to honor Chen’s legacy and celebrate the history preserved through the film. She Marches in Chinatown won the Audience Award at the Fargo Film Festival in North Dakota. The 31-minute documentary spans more than seven decades of history.
One of the film’s central figures is Ruby Chow, the legendary Seattle community leader who once provided support to martial arts icon Bruce Lee. A restaurateur and politician, Chow founded the girls’ drill team in 1952. At the time, opportunities for Chinese American girls to participate in extracurricular activities were limited, and many were expected to help in their families’ restaurants after school. Chow envisioned a space where young girls could build friendships, develop confidence, and cultivate leadership skills.
Over the past seven decades, the drill team has become one of the most recognizable cultural symbols of Seattle’s Chinatown. Team members wear red-and-gold uniforms inspired by Cantonese opera costumes and perform choreographed routines that incorporate elements of American military-style drill traditions. They regularly appear in parades, festivals, and community celebrations. The uniforms are redesigned approximately every ten years, while much of the sewing, tailoring, and maintenance is carried out by community “aunties.” Many of these women were once team members themselves and later returned as volunteers to mentor and support the next generation, helping preserve the tradition.
During filming, one team member openly shared her identity as a lesbian. Coincidentally, Cheryl Chow, who led the drill team for many years, publicly came out as gay in her sixties. These parallel stories illustrate how the organization has served as an inclusive community that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and identities. To authentically capture this history, the filmmakers obtained archival interview footage recorded in 2002 featuring Ruby Chow and her daughter Cheryl. Through the documentary, the two women engage in a cross-generational dialogue that transcends time.
Today, both Ruby and Cheryl Chow have passed away. Tragically, Della Chen also died in a car accident in 2025, making the documentary one of her final gifts to the Chinese American community.
Producer Amy Benson said that regardless of whether audiences are Chinese American, the film tells a universal story about community, friendship, personal growth, and belonging. These themes transcend ethnic backgrounds and resonate with people from all walks of life.
The project began when Chen realized that many Chinatowns across the United States were facing challenges brought by population decline and urban redevelopment. She hoped the documentary could help preserve valuable community history and culture. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and completed after a year and a half of production, the film was created with a clear mission: to bring this history into schools and educate younger generations. As the filmmakers emphasize, this story belongs not only to the Chinese American community, but also to the broader history of the United States.