'Warrior Serpent' statue celebrates Chinese New Year and the NBA All Star Game

KALW | By Jeneé Darden

Published February 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM PST

This interview aired in the February 12, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.

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Saturday is the annual Chinese New Year Parade. And on Sunday, the city will host the NBA All Star Game at the Chase Center.

Artist Stephanie Tsao has designed a statue to commemorate both events. It’s called the Warrior Serpent. The serpent represents this Lunar New Year: the year of the snake. And it’s adorned in the blue and gold of the Warrior’s colors.

"These statues give me an opportunity to show that bringing East and West together really can come up with something beautiful. It doesn't have to be fighting all the time." - Stephanie Tsao

The "Warrior Serpent" statue at the Chase Center

Crosscurrents

Jeneé Darden

Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.

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