Home Movies

Chin Family Collection

Screen Shot 2017-05-03 at 2.45.26 PM

The Chin Family in India 1968-70

In 1968, Thomas (Tom) Chin and his wife, Dorothy, and their four teenagers, Andrea, Michael, Kimberly and Douglas moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to southeast India. Tom, an engineer with Chevron in Richmond, California, went there as part of a joint American and Indian venture. His job was to help set up and run a chemical fertilizer plant, and to help train Indian nationals to eventually take over the operation themselves.

Dorothy documented their extended stay in India with her super 8 movie camera. She took movies of everyday life of the people in India; trips to vastly different areas of India, including Kashmir and Darjeeling; and school life of the Chin children at Kodaikanal, an American missionary boarding school in south India. The family members all felt that their one or two year experience of living in India helped them gain a larger world perspective and an appreciation for other cultures.

  • Wayne Judd

    What a remarkable family. Would that more Americans had the good sense to think globally rather than perceiving the world as US-centric. It’s easy to fall in love with this Chinese-American family. -Wayne Judd

  • Audrey Judd

    The Chin family movies are so much fun to watch. The Indian memories Andrea shared with us are from a child’s world view, so we enjoyed seeing what she experienced from an adult perspective. I am especially impressed with Mrs. Chin’s use of her 8mm camera, keeping it still, rather than moving back-and-forth while filming, leaving us viewers nauseous! Nicely edited and narrated. — Audrey Judd