Neon Playground 2.0 Panel Discussion - Chinatown: Next Generations

How can Sydney's Chinatown evolve to meet the needs of the changing Asian-Australian community? As migration patterns continue to evolve and the Asian diaspora moves away from the Chinatowns of old, an exciting changing of the guard is happening right now with the next generation of Asian Australians breathing life back to Sydney’s Chinatown. 

Join cook, writer and broadcaster Adam Liaw, local business leader Brad Chan, Soul of Chinatown co-founder Kevin Cheng, award-winning architect Qianyi Lim and Chinatown local & architect Eddie Ma as they discuss the challenges and opportunities facing this iconic precinct and what we must do to continue the legacy of Sydney’s Chinatown for the next generation. 

This event is part of Neon Playground 2.0 - Sydney's largest Asian-Australian cultural arts festival from 15 March to 6 April 2025.

Panellists' Bio

Brad Chan - Brad is a third-generation Chinese Australian & CEO of Banna Property Group. He is also visionary entrepreneur, business & community leader in Chinatown, with a passion for nurturing business talent and fostering innovation through establishing a for-purpose start-up & co-working hub Haymarket HQ in the heart of Dixon St, as well as the Chairperson of Haymarket Alliance. Brad's dedication to Chinatown’s culture and community has earned him respect and admiration as a dynamic leader in both business and community development

Qianyi Lim - Qianyi is the co-director and founder of Sibling Architecture, a practice that works across civic, commercial and residential projects with a focus on producing socially engaged outcomes. She has been the recipient of the NSW AIA Emerging Architect Prize and Wilkinson Award for architecture. Sibling Architecture is collaborating with Aspect Studios on the Dixon St South public domain upgrade project for the City of Sydney, a transformative endeavor aimed at refurbishing and revitalizing the precinct.

Adam Liaw - Adam Liaw is a food writer and broadcaster, most famously the winner of the second season of Masterchef Australia in 2010. He is the author of nine cookbooks and has hosted a range of documentary, food and entertainment television and audio programs including Tomorrow Tonight (ABC), Who The Bloody Hell Are We? (SBS) The Cook Up with Adam Liaw (SBS), Destination Flavour (SBS), and How Taste Changed the World (Audible). He is also a strong asian community leader & has served as the Deputy Chair of the Museum of Chinese in Australia (MOCA), and as a board member of TAFE NSW, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), the Australia-Japan Foundation, the Sydney Japanese International School and The Australian Father’s Day Council.

Kevin Cheng - Kevin is a freelance journalist who has worked for publications in Sydney and Hong Kong, and has been published in the Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, news.com.au and SBS.
He also co-founded non-profit organisation Soul of Chinatown that advocates for the revitalisation of Sydney’s Chinatown. The group started Chinatown's first comedy club and runs the charity Rice Fund initiative that helps elderly Asian-Australians in need with emergency food packages and pantry items. He is currently the manager of the Haymarket Community Improvement District (Pilot) for the Haymarket Alliance and executive producer of the Neon Playground festival in Chinatown.

Eddie Ma - Eddie Ma is a Sydney architect with over a decade of experience in housing, architecture, and urban design. As a second-generation Chinese Australian, he has deep ties to Sydney's Chinatown, where his family has lived, worked, and thrived in its busy streets and vibrant restaurants. As a member of Soul of Chinatown, Eddie is passionate about preserving Chinatown's history and culture while breathing new life into the precinct for the next generation of Asian Australians.