My name is Xiao “Lin” Mei and I am your Miss Chinese Chicago 2022 Queen and Miss Crowd Favorite! I am so lucky to have so many supportive people who have faith in me even while I struggle to believe in myself. The Miss Crowd Favorite award is symbolic to me as it represents the community coming forward to show love for racial solidarity in Chinatown and love for me.

Miss Chinese Chicago pageant has truly been an incredible experience, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a vibrant event and be part of a healing sisterhood. I can’t even put into words how it felt to be able to share the stage with 8 other many amazing ladies I can proudly call my pageant sisters. There were many instances of support these ladies provided throughout the pageant. I went on a double date, had nights out dancing, cried over the phone, and sought and received affirmation and advice. Most importantly, my pageant sisters and pageant producer, Victoria Ng, empowered me to follow my guts and trust my intuition. I gained the confidence to stand up for what I believe in and challenge the status quo despite having fear of falling off the stage and being ostracized. Fortunately, I did not fall off!

As your 2022 Queen I am ready to execute my platform of racial healing and solidarity to create a positive impact and unite our greater Chinatown communitiesI will treasure these two titles with all my soul. I look forward to all the future partnerships and hope to see you at one of our community events.

Xiao Lin Mei