History lives in the community.
Flex Kids Culture brings children, families, educators, and historians together to explore the Asian and Asian American stories of the Monterey Bay — and to carry them forward.
Stories that went unnoticed for nearly 150 years deserve to be told — by the next generation.
Our mission is to preserve and share the stories and traditions of the people who shaped Santa Cruz in ways that went unnoticed and unappreciated for nearly 150 years — those who built the railroads, established fishing communities, served in American wars, raised families, and lived and loved here.
We keep this history alive through education and cultural exchange, while showing that across generations and cultures, we have far more in common than we sometimes realize. If we take the time to look for common ground, we will find it.
Flex Kids Culture at a glance
- 6program areas: history & Chinese culture, reading club, VEX robotics, Mandarin, writing & college essay prep, art & music
- 10+community events since 2023 — Qingming walks, history talks, Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn celebrations
- 1985the year Sandy Lydon's Chinese Gold was published — now translated into Mandarin by our founder, Rui Li
- 2025the Chinese Gold documentary was filmed across the Monterey Bay region
I began to think about how easily a community's history can disappear when its stories are no longer told, and how important it is for our children to know who walked these streets before them.Rui Li · Founder, Flex Kids Culture · UC Santa Cruz alumna and educator
Learn, create, explore, connect
Classes and educational programs for children of all ages, plus recurring programs and one-time workshops that give students opportunities to learn, create, explore, and connect with their communities.
History & Chinese Culture
Learn about Chinese cultural history in the Monterey Bay at our history events, or book us for in-school programs.
Learn moreReading Club
A weekly club exploring books from our library on Chinese history, culture, and stories from around the world.
Learn moreVEX Robotics
Interactive robotics programs introducing design, engineering, teamwork, and problem-solving through VEX IQ.
Learn moreMandarin
Classes that introduce and strengthen Mandarin as a second language through age-appropriate language and cultural learning.
Learn moreWriting & College Essay Prep
Support for high school and prospective transfer students with college essays, writing development, and college preparation.
Learn moreArt & Music
Mask making, calligraphy, traditional Chinese instruments, and other hands-on art and music experiences.
Learn moreMid-Autumn Festival
Our annual celebration brings families and community members together to celebrate Chinese culture through music, arts, traditional activities, and shared stories — and highlights the history and cultural heritage of the Chinese community in Santa Cruz.
Event details →Chinese Gold: from the page to the screen
Sandy Lydon's 1985 book, Chinese Gold: The Chinese in the Monterey Bay Region, brings together the stories of the Chinese immigrants and communities who helped shape the region — in fishing, agriculture, railroad construction, business, and community life. A Mandarin translation was completed by our founder, Rui Li.
Filmed in July 2025, the upcoming Chinese Gold documentary follows the history and locations Lydon documented, including the Summit/Wrights Tunnel in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where more than 30 Chinese railroad workers lost their lives in 1879.
What we've been up to
Chinese New Year — Year of the Horse
Traditional music, food, film and cultural presentations, and family activities at The 418 Project.
Honoring Local Chinese American Legacies
With Stanford historian Gordon Chang, Rui Li, and George Ow Jr.
Qingming Festival
From the MAH to the Chinatown Dragon Archway and Evergreen Cemetery.
Santa Cruz Dragons
A local-history project dedicated to educating, inspiring, and celebrating the history, struggles, resilience, and achievements of the Chinese immigrant community that established roots in Santa Cruz County — through true stories, family histories, photographs, artifacts, articles, and oral histories.
- Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
- UCSC Special Collections & Archives
- UCSC AAPI Resource Center
- Resource Center for Nonviolence
- Capitola Branch Library
- The 418 Project
- ValleyRain
- Santa Cruz Dragons
Stay in the loop
Event announcements, class sign-ups, and news about the Chinese Gold film — a few emails a year, never more.