WHAT: 25th annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival.

WHEN: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Union Square Park North, Broadway and 17th Street, Manhattan. (212) 989-3610; capaonline.org.

HOW MUCH: Free.

Is your idea of exposure to Asian culture watching "Lost in Translation" and "The Last Samurai" back to back?

Get thee to the 25th annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival. Immerse yourself in Chinese water painting, Korean martial arts, and Malaysian cuisine. Acquaint yourself with authentic representations of Asian culture and accept no imitations.

The festival, being held Sunday at Union Square Park in Manhattan under the sponsorship of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, is the largest pan-Asian outdoor event on the East Coast. Every year it brings together hundreds of performers and vendors representing the heritage of Asians in America. There's music, dance, martial arts, film screenings, arts and crafts, and food.

"It's a chance to get to know Asian America," says Ning Zhang, vice president of CAPA. "It's a celebration of the Asian-American culture."

The event typically attracts about 10,000 visitors. This year's featured emcees and performers include Parry Shen, star of "Better Luck Tomorrow," WCBS news anchor Cindy Hsu, George Gee and the Jump, Jive & Wailers (10-piece orchestra), the Rutgers Dance Team, and hula dancers from the Hawaii Cultural Foundation.

The six-hour festival also will feature a movie minifest organized by Asian Cinevision, with highlights from July's International Asian American Film Festival. There also will be a children's fair with storytelling and traditional paintings.

The Heritage Festival was born in 1979, when President Carter proclaimed the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week. CAPA was assembled soon thereafter with the goal of building and strengthening community through Asian-American cultural events, and the festival was the direct offshoot.

The festival always takes place on the first Sunday of May. It started small, with only 25 organizations participating; now, there are more than 100. The spirit of the festival, however, remains the same.

"The goal is to not only generate pride for Asian-American community, but to build stronger community by showcasing all the different things that are out there for Asian-Americans," Zhang says.

These include not only fun and games, but booths for non-profit groups such as those promoting AIDS awareness, family involvement, and support of a new trial for David Wong, a Chinese immigrant who is serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for murder and who many believe was wrongfully convicted, Zhang says.

"You can get an idea as to what's available in the community and what we're struggling for as well," he adds.

Among the struggles is one against stereotypes, Zhang says. Asians are often misrepresented in the media; recently, there was a spread in Details magazine called "Gay or Asian?" portraying gay men and male Asians as indistinguishable parallels - based on the stereotypes of both groups. There was an uproar in the Asian-American community, and the magazine printed an apology in the following issue.

These instances reflect how the Asian-American community is perceived in this country, Zhang says.

"It's not that they're racist in that they're purposefully being mean ... but there's just a misunderstanding about what our culture is and how we [fit] into the whole picture," he says.

And that's where the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival comes in, he adds.

"We try to build a sense not just as a community but as identity, hopefully through the festival and through other organizations to have a united front for everyone."