On the Islands, based on the 15-part documentary series Chinese Restaurants, tells the story of the Chinese Diaspora through its most recognizable and enduring icon - the family-run Chinese restaurant. Filmmaker Cheuk Kwan takes us on a tour of restaurants in Mauritius, Trinidad, and Cuba, showing us Chinese communities that have become an integral part of these sensual and seductive islands in the sun. In the middle of the Indian Ocean, in Mauritius, sits Chez Manuel, a restaurant run by Manuel's wife Colette. In Colette we discover an innovative self-taught chef who serves up inventive new dishes combining Hakka Chinese, Creole and Indian flavors. Colette and Manuel, together with other members of the Hakka Chinese community, give us insights into the Hakka Chinese and their conservative traditions and values. In the hills of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, is the Great Wall, the most famous Chinese restaurant on the island. This is a rags-to-riches story of owner Maurice Soong, whose passion for quality and service has won him widespread affection and respect. As they dance to the infectious calypso music of the island's annual Carnival, members of the Soong family reflect on how their assimilation and personal choices will affect Maurice's beloved restaurant. In Havana's Chinatown, the Lung Kong is a charitable clan association run by Alejandro Chiu. The association also runs a home for Chinese elderly and supports itself by operating a Chinese restaurant on the side. Back in Barrio Chino, we go beyond the "Chinese Fantasy" created by the Cuban government to discover the legacy of a community that dates back to 1847 and has now become truly Cuban. Together, these community and personal histories illustrate the wider story of Chinese migration, settlement and integration. These stories celebrate the resilience and complexity of the Chinese Diaspora and expand the definition of what it means to be "Chinese" today in these interracial and multicultural island "melting pots". e84 Written by Kwan, Cheuk