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Arts & Entertainment

This local celebrity wants you to go shopping with her in one of SF’s best neighborhoods

Cynthia Yee performs during a Grant Avenue Follies dress rehearsal. | Morgan Ellis/The Standard

Even for locals, San Francisco’s Chinatown can be daunting: the sheer number of shops, the throngs of crowds, the array of potentially unfamiliar produce items.   

But now anyone can shop confidently in one of San Francisco’s most storied neighborhoods with the help of an experienced personal guide—local celebrity Cynthia Yee. 

You couldn’t do much better in terms of an expert. Yee is Miss Chinatown 1967 and has performed in some of the neighborhood's most celebrated nightclubs. Now she dances with the Grant Avenue Follies, a local troupe that performs throughout the Bay Area and went viral with their performance of the Gai Mou Sou rap that addressed the scourge of anti-Asian hate head-on—and with great humor. 

With Yee at your side, you’ll get insights into her favorite places to shop for a variety of items—everything from groceries to jewelry—as well as a solid dose of Chinatown history. 

You’ll rest your feet (and fuel up) at a dim sum bistro, where you’ll culminate your afternoon with a communal meal. 

Chinatown Shopping Tour with Cynthia Yee 

🗓️ April 15, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
📍 Clarion Performing Arts Center
🎟️ Free with registration

Julie Zigoris can be reached at jzigoris@sfstandard.com