WHO ARE THE REAL ANGELINOS? (AN ONGOING SERIES)-We are indeed a nation of immigrants—past, present, and future—and thus our nation is still drawing great numbers from around the world. To quote from Elson Trinidad, “From the huddled masses of Europeans arriving via Ellis Island by boat to Spanish-speaking inmigrantes coming from Latin America, it (immigration) will inevitably shift to Asians and Pacific Islanders flying by airplane across the great ocean, arriving at emotional gateways such as LAX.”
Therefore, the Chinese and Chinese-Americans are as much at the heart of creating today’s Los Angeles as so many other communities have been. This article elaborates on the theme “Who Are the Real Angelinos?”—a series that was begun a number of months ago to provide some depth on the richness of Los Angeles history and culture.
I bet most of you didn’t know that Los Angeles County is considered the capital of the Asian-American community, and prominent within that population are the Chinese-Americans. Perhaps, when we think of this City’s Chinese-Americans, we immediately think of Chinatown but a large percentage of our Chinese-Americans have congregated in far-flung suburbs of LA County.
Let’s start at the beginnings of the Chinese entrance into America … Gum Saan (“Gold Mountain”—the Chinese name for the United States).
They came by way of Hong Kong to look for gold. Others sent sons to obtain an education and learn about the American culture. Many stayed despite constant exposure to discriminatory, harsh, even violent actions against them. Chinese males, in particular, arrived in droves in the mid-1800s in search of “gold fields,” believing they could get rich quickly and then return to their homeland or send for their families.
However, that scenario was not to be their fate. Most did not discover gold (despite the “gold rush (1848-55)” which gave impetus to California statehood in 1850]. Thus, in need of alternate means to sustain their lives, they availed themselves to a labor market which only wound up exploiting them. They were soon faced with “virulent anti-Chinese sentiment:--promoted largely by the yellow press and by “American” laborers who resented the competition for the few jobs around (compare similar resentment during Reconstruction and beyond when newly freed Black men were seeking employment in positions that had traditionally been filled only by white men).
We often rightfully link the Chinese with being in large part responsible for the construction of the famous Trans-Continental Railroad whose rails were ultimately joined together at Promontory Point, Utah, in 1869. After completion of that project, the Chinese found themselves without jobs and few alternatives.
Many then came south to help construct a wagon road in Newhall (just north of Los Angeles). Subsequent to completion of that project, they were met with the same kind of hostility toward their labor as they had before and, thus, with some irony, went in a different direction—opening their own businesses in order to sustain self and family. Almost exactly one hundred years after the City of Los Angeles was founded (around what is now Olvera Street), the first Chinese arrived in LA in 1852 and later founded their first settlement in 1857.
Hence, they became owners (or employees) of hand-laundries, restaurants, farmers, produce vendors, gambling grottos and other enterprises which did not otherwise compete with “American” labor. [This reminds me of how the Jewish community in Europe was banned as laborers and farmers and thus was forced into the one despised enterprise that was necessary but carried a stench with it—banking (run by those horrid money-lenders since non-Jews wanted nothing to do with it).]
Numerous establishments arose along our familiar Downtown streets, such as Main, Los Angeles, and Alameda. A visitor would have been witness to numerous carts from which Chinese goods were sold (compare the immigrant vendors in New York at the same time). Chinese herbalists were in demand and served the diverse Asian and non-Asian populations.
Furthermore, first- and second-generation Chinese, who took advantage of higher-education opportunities, soon offered professional services as dentists, attorneys, jewelers, and interpreters.
But the Chinese-Americans, despite their wide-ranging contributions, could not escape the xenophobia of Angelinos. Many became victims of the horrendously nightmarish and violent Chinese Massacre of 1871 after which came the federal Chinese Exclusion Acts which forced “American” businessmen to sign compacts which would preclude them from employing Chinese workers. (From President John Adams on, our nation has had a long history of such anti-Alien laws. Undocumented immigration is certainly a big topic even today.)
The Chinese were precluded from owning their own businesses or becoming U. S. citizens under the Apablasa Laws (early 1900s). A major part of Old Chinatown had settled on and leased Juan Apablasa grazing ground and vineyards, but now they were not allowed to stay there or operate their businesses.
It was like a Catch 22: the Chinese must first own property to become a citizen but were not allowed to own property and thus could not become a citizen—again reminding us of one of the many malevolent Jim Crow laws—thegrandfather clausethat stated that one could only vote if your grandfather had voted (having been a slave, the denial of the right to vote would last in perpetuity)—hence a clear way to preclude the franchise from the Black community. Hence an unadulterated policy to keep the Chinese from citizenship and property ownership.
Nevertheless, as so often happens in cases like these, the gauntlet had been thrown down but “the Chinese made even greater efforts to maintain their culture and community, and to make Los Angeles their home.” [Think of the Japanese-Americans during World War II who volunteered to fight for the very country that had sent them to internment camps, so they committed themselves to this conscription in order to prove their loyalty and patriotism (and became some of the most heroic fighters during their various military campaigns)].
Just as with so many other early Los Angeles communities, the white population began to move out to the newly created suburbs, inadvertently helping to make possible the creation of what we now refer to as Old Chinatown, the largest Chinese-American center south of San Francisco.
Old Chinatown flourished with temples, schools, opera houses—an urban and commercial focus point where the Chinese formed their own organizations for “mutual aid and protection,” knowing they could not count on what would be otherwise expected from the local police and lawmakers.
A huge roadblock was laid in the path of this growing and complex residential and commercial community when the City of Los Angeles “arbitrarily” chose to build a major railroad terminal within the Chinatown perimeter.
Because of ongoing harassment, litigation, and “threats” of City redevelopment in the Old Chinatown, few proprietors wanted to invest in their own businesses to upgrade them. Thus values depreciated as properties became blighted. Often in these situations, there were actually incentives through property tax credits to allow values to decline, leading to eventual abandonment of the buildings.
Streets were not paved and hou sing conditions were increasingly deplorable. Leases in Chinatown expired during the threats of litigation and the potential of creating the Southern Pacific railways in the area. Ultimately, Old Chinatown became an industrial and warehouse district (much of which we see today, just east of where City Hall is located).
All this pressure forced the Chinese-Americans to relocate. A New Chinatown was established along Broadway, and a China City was situated between Spring and Main streets. The addition of the Hollywood/Santa Ana Freeways further dislocated what by then was a vibrant Chinese-American neighborhood. The City tore down numerous buildings which had held Chinese businesses. The Old Garnier Building (where Madam Chiang Kai-Shek once stood to thank Americans for our help during World War II) now houses the Chinese-American Museum, an enlightening place to visit even now.
“In 1931, a California Supreme Court decision upheld approving land condemnations [which affected both the Chinese and Latino populations there] and (mandating) the construction of the new Union Station [finished in 1939] upon the site of Old Chinatown.” In fact, locating the Station where it is, further determined how and where demographic neighborhoods would be re-located or established. Its placement was largely responsible for breaking up the cohesiveness of the Downtown area. The terminal was intended to provide a focal point for the rail lines and freeways but instead of uniting (hence Union Station) the community, it scattered established populations hither and yon.
It can be said that the New Chinatown evolved through collaborative greater community input, blending Chinese and American culture in its design and as a business model. It was the brain child of a number of Los Angeles’ leading citizens: Christine Sterling (founder of the Olvera Street Mexican Market); Peter Soo Hoo, engineering graduate from USC; Herbert Lapham (railway land agent); George Eastman (involved with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce), among others, all of whom laid down the foundation and design for this important enterprise—an “harmonious blending” of architectural concepts and symbols from both the Chinese and American cultures to attract visitors locally and worldwide.
Lapham, in fact, is called the “godfather of Chinatown” because of his vision and support of this venture and his understanding of how much this venture meant to the Chinese-Americans.
Concepts of various structures were conceived on the drawing board in the late 1930s. The West Gate is adorned with a plaque representing T. K. Chang’s poetry, words which translate “Cooperate to Achieve.” The West Gate is Chinatown’s old pailou (the traditional Chinese architecture in the form of an archway made up of four pillars on which rests statues of magnificent lions and memorial tablets).
This edifice was soon followed by the East Gate on Broadway which features the Seven Sacred Caverns and a wishing pool where a lovely willow tree is planted—simply breath-taking! The Caverns depict an actual location in China. This Gate, dedicated to the mother of the artist, Y. C. Hong, is known as the Gate of Maternal Virtues and bears its own plaque commemorating her spirit.
Soon after, a 5-tier pagoda was erected (the Golden Pagoda), a special project which highlights the New Chinatown Central Plaza. The ambiance is enthralling and a must-see destination.
Former Governor Frank Merriam spoke at the official Grand Opening of the gates where he exclaimed: The New Chinatown “represented a monument to those Chinese who played such an important role in building the West and a lasting evidence of American-Chinese amity.” He then presented a plaque, mounted on one column, which stated: “Dedicated to the Chinese Pioneers Who Participated in the Constructive History of California.”
Today, we have many Chinese-American leaders, representing all walks of life, who are eager to carry on and expand upon the traditions of the Chinese culture—people like Irwin R. Lai, community activist and former Grand President of the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance; lawmakers such as Judy Chu (former Assemblymember and current Congressmember); Ted Lieu (former Torrance City Councilmember and current Assemblymember). Their expansive numbers represent a variety of professions, such as medicine (Henry Lee), science (Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu), education (Henry Yang, former Chancellor of UC, Santa Barbara—my own alma mater), journalism (Lisa Ling and Richard Lui), actors (Lucy Liu), the arts (think of designer Vera Wang and artists Tyrus Wong and Shao Kuang Ting), and sports figures (tennis professional Michael Chang). The list is too vast to do justice here to all the Chinese-American contributors.
Beginning in the 1970s with another wave of White Flight, the Chinese-Americans began to migrate elsewhere where they created “ethnoburbs” in the San Gabriel Valley (in fact, Alhambra is called “The Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley).
One can visit the awe-inspiring Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, the second-largest Buddhist temple and monastery in the Western Hemisphere.” The architecture represents structural traditions faithful to both the Ming and Qing dynasties. The site highlights distinctive Chinese gardens and statuary. It is a “spiritual and cultural center for those interested in learning Buddhism and Chinese culture.” Please take time to visit this exquisite place.
The San Gabriel Valley soon began to explode as a result of the Chinese-American development there. Its communities are all recipients of the infusion of Chinese-American culture, ingenuity, and enterprise and are flourishing as a result of the many who, for one reason or another, choose the suburban life-style (as compared to the more tourist-driven downtown one).
The San Gabriel Valley cities abound with a “multi-generational and multi-ethnic Asian-American diversity” and, as a consequence, the entire region is thriving--cities such as Monterey Park (sometimes referred to as “Little Taipei” and is also home to the first suburban Chinatown in North America), Montebello (beautiful mountain), the City of San Gabriel with its San Gabriel Square (cleverly nicknamed the “Great Mall of China), Rosemead, San Marino, Walnut, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights (the retail corridor and Chinese commercial and cultural center in East San Gabriel--think of the Hong Kong Plaza there). Temple City remains a draw for future brides who find it a “mecca” for all their wedding needs.
Alhambra, San Gabriel, and Monterey Park host one of the largest Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations in the country. The Wing Lung Bank features the largest glass tile mural in America (close to one million)—a must-see.
The San Gabriel Valley hosts a variety of Chinese New Year celebrations with gala street festivals through a joint sponsorship of Alhambra and Monterey Park and the backing of many corporate donors.
For over a hundred years, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has sponsored a stunning Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatownthat draws thousands of spectators. The parade includes dozens of floats along with the traditional displays of bands, entertainers (including lion dances), and the appearance of a variety of officials. The themes center around ethnic diversity, Chinese culture, and highlights the impact of Chinese-American business.
It is a time when ancestors are remembered (think of the ancient Jewish tradition at Yom Kippur). The giving of red packets of money (red being an historically significant color) and the explosions of firecrackers are just two ways of commemorating the day (whose date changes every year because of its lunar calendar calculation (similarly changing for the Jewish New Year of Rosh Ha Shanah) because of the 28-day months.
Another opportunity for celebration is the Fifth Day of the Fifth Month—Chinese Dragon Boat Day—usually in June at the commencement of the Month of the Horse (unless there is a leap month—also in the Jewish calendar which is why Chanukah can be in November at Thanksgiving or December around Christmas).
This celebration honors the Chinese patriotic poet who is said to have committed suicide on principle by throwing himself into a river but whose body was never found. The Dragon evolved from this story. As traditions has it, the dragon, the important symbol of the totem, is the creature from whom all Chinese have descended.
The advice of the poet (like Casandra in Greek legend) was too frequently ignored by the king (to the monarch’s great detriment and eventual assassination). The poet’s death is still remembered as an act of courage and of patriotism.
Hence, we are treated to the fabulously decorated dragon boats that glide along waterways in various locations such as Legg Lake Park in Whittier Narrows in South El Monte (in part sponsored by LA County), at Marine Stadium in Long Beach, or at LA Harbor in San Pedro.
Chinese-Americans are so much more than their trinkets that are sold to vacationers or the yummy Chinese food that we have all come to love. I can’t help but think of Ralphie’s family, in the oft-viewed movie, A Christmas Story, when they all wound up eating Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant after the fiasco when the dog ate the turkey. And what about the perhaps- myth that Jewish families (not observing the holiday) choose Chinese cuisine on that festive day as well?
Today, the Asian culture in general (and the Chinese in particular) has permeated and become an integral part of every region of Los Angeles County, from Downtown to East LA to South Bay to the San Fernando Valley, and beyond.
Herbert Lapham said it best when he observed, “It is quite a thing, this new LA Chinatown. It is a credit to the enterprise, the courage, and the pioneering spirit of these hard-working people.”
Certainly, we must never think of Los Angeles without considering its rich Chinese roots. After all, they are our roots too! They are part of what makes us all Angelinos.
Other columns in this series:
●Black Angelinos: From Brick Block to City Hall
● Los Angeles and the Jewish Mosiac
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, A Quick-and-Easy Reference to Correct Grammar and Composition and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 39
Pub: May 13, 2014
