Anonymous by Aveline Yang

Mark duPotiers by Yvonne Yong

Sarah Yeung by Eleanor Hsu

Being Asian in Australia today is not easy. The year of 2020 saw Covid-19 spread across the world, bringing along with it a rise in xenophobia catalysed by the pandemic. As we battled the virus and persevered through the ups and downs of life during the pandemic, we were forced to reconsider what it meant for us to be Asian.

Sweet and Sour designed a series of postcards, and sent them to individuals who identified as Asian from all over Australia. We asked each person to reflect on the year of 2020 with consideration to their Asian identity, and confront the xenophobia and racism that accompanied the arrival of the pandemic.

Each postcard is honest and genuine, and offers a wealth of insight into our intimate experiences. It is a powerful feeling when we realize we are not alone and many of our experiences are shared with others. We are international students, mixed-race individuals, second-generation immigrants and many of us belong to multiple cultural identities – while the world labelled us Asian in 2020, we are so much more than that.

You can also access the postcards by clicking on each postcard to read a new story, and find other items that were sent to Sweet and Sour from around Australia:

https://www.sweetandsourzine.com/postcards

Sweet and Sour is a collective focusing on providing a voice for Asian-Australians. Being Asian today in Australia is not easy. When more than one culture demands your allegiance, there is a bizarre sense of existing between multiple worlds, yet not fully belonging to either. We are international students, mixed-race individuals and second-generation immigrants; many of us belong to multiple cultural identities, and face issues relating to belonging, racism and identity. Sweet and Sour was conceived with the notion of creating a space for individuals and communities with Asian heritage in Australia to share our thoughts, experiences and creativity. Members in Sweet and Sour: Chetan Kharbanda, Eleanor Hsu, James Yang, Joanne Leong, Malcolm Fortaleza, Melodie Liu, Sydney Farey, Viv Wang and Yvonne Yong.