Chinese Ancestral Healing Gathering

A gathering for people of the Chinese diaspora to rest, practice ritual, exchange offerings, and move towards our collective healing and political mobilization.

August 7th - 9th, 2026

Zumwalt Acres | Sheldon, IL

  • We’re so excited to invite members of the Chinese diaspora to the land at Zumwalt Acres for a weekend of rest, ritual practice, exchange, and collective inquiry. In an era of rising fascism and political violence, our gathering asks: what wisdom, practices, and responsibilities do our Chinese lineages carry for collective healing and collective political mobilization? We hope to create a rare space for Chinese diasporic people across generations to meet one another deeply, continually connect with roots and ritual, and imagine the intergenerational infrastructures we are building for the future.

What To Expect

  • Abundant spacious time and rest on lovingly stewarded land

  • Collective ritual practice

  • Sessions for offering, learning, and exchange around Chinese land practices, arts, movement, medicine, and more

  • Conversations (both facilitated and unstructured) about 寻根 roots-searching, political mobilization, and more

  • Lovingly cooked Chinese meals from our farm’s vegetables

Initial Guiding Questions

  • What does it look like for us to practice and connect with Chinese tradition and ritual on land on Turtle Island?

  • What are the specific insights that our Chinese lineages and racialized experiences offer on American systems of oppression, that we can bring to collective movements for all of our collective liberation?

  • What do just relationships with our plant relatives look like when we’re all in diaspora? What does decolonizing work look like, feel like for Chinese-Americans?

  • What is the collective healing we need? What does our lineage offer regarding conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and collective trauma healing?

  • What does intergenerational Chinese community and infrastructure-building look like, feel like?

  • About Zumwalt Acres and the 地根 (DiGen) Fellowship

    Zumwalt Acres is a land stewardship, community-building, and regenerative farming project located on the unceded homelands of the Kickapoo, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Potawatomi, Myaamia, and Ocethi Sakowin peoples in so-called Illinois, grounded in Jewish values and the intersectional study of diaspora. In summer 2026, we are hosting an immersive fellowship for people with Chinese heritage to live, study, and steward land together. Our goals are to build relationships with our plant relatives, connect with our roots (lands, traditions, ancestors, stories), and study pathways for the political mobilization of Chinese diasporic communities. The Chinese vegetables and herbs we are growing this year include: 莴笋 (celtuce)，香菜 (cilantro)，苦瓜 (bittermelon)，豆角 (long bean), 黄瓜 (cucumber)，葱 (scallions)，紫苏 (perilla)，冬瓜 (wintermelon)，香菇 (shiitake mushroom)，茄子 (eggplant)，梨子 (Asian pear), 茼蒿 (chrysanthemum greens), 白菜 (bok choy)，芥蓝 (Chinese broccoli), and 苋菜 (amaranth). We are excited to host you and facilitate continued learning with you all! 


    Learn more about the 地根 Fellowship here!

Essential Logistics

Arrival/Departure

Arrival: 1-5pm on Friday, August 7

Departure: Our last facilitated activity, closing circle, ends at 3pm on Sunday, August 9. Please plan to depart by 4pm. Carpool can be arranged to Chicago, and we can drop you off at a 4:15pm shuttle in Bourbannais that arrives at Midway airport at 5:30pm.

Late Departure: If you would like extra (unfacilitated, unstructured) time on the land, you can opt to stay an extra night and depart in the morning on Monday, August 10, no later than 11am. (Carpool may be arranged, or we can potentially drop you off at the train station for a 11:05am train that arrives in Chicago Union Station at 1pm.) Please indicate on your RSVP and we will follow up to confirm that we have space for you; spots are limited!

Travel

Getting to Zumwalt Acres requires driving. After you register, you will receive a link to a carpool coordination spreadsheet. If you are driving and have available spots in your car, please consider jotting down your information to offer a ride to those who may need. If you are seeking a ride, please keep an eye on the spreadsheet and contact those who are offering rides! We will also support coordination as needed.

Some travel routes:

  • Flying - fly to Chicago (ORD or MDW), and choose one of the below options

  • Chicago - drive (about 2 hours)

  • Chicago - train. There is an Amtrak train from Chicago Union Station to Gilman, IL. Then, it’s about a 30min drive to the farm. Indicate in the carpool coordinator if you choose this route so we can coordinate pickups from Gilman to the farm.

  • Chicago - shuttle. There is a shuttle from Midway Airport to Bourbonnais Metro Centre (for $2). Then, it’s about a 1hr drive to the farm. Indicate in the carpool coordinator if you choose this route so we can coordinate pickups from Burbonnais to the farm.

  • Indianapolis - drive (about 2 hours)

  • Champaign - drive (about 1 hour 30min)

We have limited funds available to support travel costs for those who need it! Please check back when registration opens for more details. 

Housing

Most attendees will be expected to camp on the farm land. Composting toilets and running water will be available outdoors for use. There is a shower inside the farm greenhouse and an outdoor shower that guests may use if needed.

If you are driving, we ask that you bring your own camping gear or borrow from a friend if you can. If you are flying or cannot bring your own gear, we have a limited amount of tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags available to lend at no cost. Please let us know in the form if you will need to borrow gear.

If you are unable to camp for any reason, we have limited indoor spots available. Please let us know on the form, and we will contact you. 

Who is invited?

We welcome anybody with a diasporic relationship with China who feels alive in these questions and longings. This includes: first, second, third, etc. generation immigrants from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong; people whose ancestors have moved from China to places like Southeast Asia, Singapore, the Caribbean, and anywhere else in the world; adoptees from China; and so on.

If you are not of Chinese heritage, we ask that you please refrain from attending this particular gathering. We may plan future gatherings that involve sharing across Asian and/or other diasporas. If you have any questions, please contact us at zumwaltacres@gmail.com!