Contents

• President's Message
• Assemblyman Cedillo Seeks State Funding for Museum
• Museum Exhibit Attracts Over 16,700 Visitors
• An Exhibit that Touches the Senses
• Message of Appreciation to our Exhibit Donors and Volunteers
• Museum Honors Author Iris Chang
• Pushing Assembly Bill 268: Doing the Homework
• Feng Shui for Modern Living
• Dr. Yee Fung Cheung, California Pioneer
• Eating Right the Chinese Way
• Book Review
• New Major Donors: Chinese Senior Citizen Center and ARCO Foundation
• Finding Family Stories
• What's New with the Museum!
• Board of Directors and Newsletter Staff

Greetings! Did you listen to President Clinton's State of the Union Address in January? President Clinton looked forward to the new millennium by honoring the past and imagining the future. Last year, he called on Congress and every citizen to mark the millennium by safeguarding America's treasures, announcing that We must preserve our treasures in every community. He invited every American town, city, and county to become nationally recognized Millennium Communities by launching projects to preserve our history, promote the arts and humanities, and prepare our children for the 21st century.

I may disagree with our president on many things, but I whole-heartedly concur that we must save our past. We must take the president's encouragement to heart and redouble our efforts to ensure that our Chinese American Museum will open in the year 2000. The preservation of our past will serve as a guide for future generations as we continue into the next millennium.

The Board of Directors, officers, and staff continue to work diligently, and I admire the efforts of everyone who is supporting this non-profit effort. At times the work may be overwhelming and daunting, but with the help and support of our volunteers and our community, we will achieve our goal.

Remember that we are planning a fundraiser, the Third Annual Historymaker Awards, for the fall. I anticipate that it will be just as successful as last year and I look forward to seeing you all there. If you have never attended, you don't know what you have missed!

Join with us. Get involved and stay involved until the doors open in the year 2000.

Yours truly,
Ronald S. W. Lew

Museum representatives, led by the Friends President Hon. Ronald Lew (fourth from L)
visited Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (fourth from R)
requesting support for Assembly Bill 268

I have just gotten support for the Korean American Museum, and I want to do the same for the Chinese American Museum!!!
-- Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo at the 1998 Historymaker Awards

Assemblyman Gilbert Cedillo's totally unexpected words sent ohs and ahs of surprise and appreciation through the reception gathering at the Second Annual Historymaker Awards banquet last October. Assemblyman Cedillo went on to note the richness of diversity in Los Angeles, stating that it must all be celebrated and understood, and that his district was special because, indeed, it had all these museums reflecting different parts of the City's heritage.

True to his word, Assemblyman Cedillo introduced Assembly Bill 268 (AB 268) at the start of this two-year session of California Legislature, the Sesquicentennial session. On February 3, AB 268 sprang to life as An act relating to the Museum of Chinese American History, and making a appropriation therefor.

As the Friends were quick to learn, the way of a Bill through the California Legislature is involved and full of complexity at every step. Speed and priority depends on the influence and interest of key legislators and the very strong evidence of community interest and support. By the pecularity of Assembly rules, the Bill found itself in the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, which, believe it or not, has jurisdiction over museums!! In time for the quickly scheduled public hearing of March 23rd, the Friends garnered 22 key letters and over 5,000 signatures during the Museum's exhibit period.

The Friends delegation of President Ronald Lew, Historic Museum Director Jean Bruce Poole, Curator Suellen Cheng, and Professor and Sesquicentennial Commissioner Kenneth Owens of California State University, Sacramento, appeared before the Committee in Sacramento on March 23. Assemblyman Cedillo introduced AB 268. President Lew presented eloquent testimony which just about swayed the day, talking about mission, programs, and the important need for the Museum. Spellbinding, was Mrs. Poole's eyewitness account. Mrs. Poole followed with descriptions of El Pueblo and the diversity of Los Angeles, after which point Chairman Mike Machado of the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee opened to comments.

Conservative members of the committee insisted on a new phrase to the bill that the Museum shall never become a financial burden to the State and that maintenance and repairs shall be borne locally. Namely, any money appropriated would be for capital development. As the Friends never intended for the State to support operations, this point was readily agreed to. The record shows a vote of 10-3 in favor. The Bill now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for its next consideration.

The enthusiasm and interest generated led to new Assemblyman George Nakano's committment as an author of AB 268 while Assemblymembers Honda, Calderon, Hertzberg, Kuehl, and Wayne have signed on as coauthors. The Bill therefore has the support of every Asian Pacific American legislator (Nakano and Honda) in the State.

Successful passage of AB 268 will in fact depend on a strong expression of community support, INCLUDING YOURS as a faithful Museum supporter. We have enclosed a sample support letter for you to sign, add your address (necessary), and return to the Friends in the enclosed self-addressed envelope. (For those reading this newsletter on-line, please print out the on-line letter, fill it out and mail it to the Friends.) Duplicate this letter for your friends. Or write your own (even handwritten) following our model. Thank you!!!

By Dr. Munson Kwok
Board Member

An opening reception for the exhibit took place on February 22, 1999. Over 100 guests attended the reception including District Attorney Gilbert Garcetti and Mayor's Chief Field Deputy Tom LaBonge. During its display period, >From Hearth to Heaven received press coverage from local news outlets including the Los Angeles Times, the Rafu Shimpo, the Chinese Daily News, the Sing Tao Daily News, the International Daily News, Channel 4 News, and Channel 18's Tea Time. The exhibit was also the site of the officer installation ceremony of the Organization of Chinese Americans, Greater Los Angeles Chapter, on March 31, 1999.

CAM hosted the officer installation ceremony of the Organization
of Chinese Americans, Greater Los Angeles Chapter, at the Museum
exhibit site on March 31, 1999.

Designer Pingy Quon created the exhibit in collaboration with the staff of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument including Jean Bruce Poole, Suellen Cheng, William Estrada, Julie Sandoval, and Jim Fong. El Pueblo staff, Pingy Quon, exhibit preparator Jerry Campbell, and numerous dedicated volunteers built the exhibit within a period of ten days. A total of 28 donors and 52 volunteers helped to create the exhibit and staff the gallery. El Pueblo Monument and the Friends co-sponsored From Hearth to Heaven which was also made possible in part by a grant from the California Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

Artist Pingy Quon (L), District Attorney Gilbert Garcetti (C), and El Pueblo Curator Suellen Cheng (R) at the opening reception.

President-Elect Robert Kwan (L) presented a certificate of appreciation to Charlie Chin (R), who gave a CAM sponsored lecture.

CAM's next exhibition project will be a traveling exhibit on the Chinese American experience in the San Gabriel Valley from World War II to present day.

Sherie Yang
Editor

From Hearth to Heaven: Chinatown Living, the Chinese American Museum's recent gallery exhibit, was open from February 23 to April 4, 1999.

One section featured F. Suie One Co., an antique shop first established in 1888.

In a one and a half weeks, our design team transformed the El Pueblo Gallery into an amalgam of alluring vignettes that educate the mind and entertain the senses. One could hear the cadence of the temple's trickling water standing in the middle of the exhibit room. One could smell the medicinal aroma and the soil's earthy heaviness walking by the herbal shop and farm scenes. One could see the endearing faces of our past, a stern Baba and the wide-eyed innocence of a child, stopping in front of the hearth.

The Kwan Dai Temple stood amidst a Chinese garden at the exhibit.

The traditional Chinese herbal shop, along with the rest of the exhibit, gave all a preview of what the permanent Chinese American Museum will offer to the community.

In addition to its visual richness, From Hearth to Heaven: Chinatown Living was a success in many other ways. It drew over 16,700 admiring visitors from all ethnic backgrounds to see the artifacts on display. Indeed, the exhibit went a long way in affirming the Chinese American community's rich history in the tapestry of Southern California's multicultural society.

And though the Chinese community is inherently diverse, spanning different immigration histories and geographic origins, the exhibit succinctly recognized that the Chinese community did, indeed, have a beginning. All Chinese Americans owe respect to the immigrants, traders, professionals, inventors, artists, farmers, and homemakers who have made such a great impression in the American society. To be sure, the vitality of the Chinese American community would not be what it is today if it were not for the many Chinese individuals and families who preceded us.

The challenge, therefore, is upon our community to build on the exhibit's success made possible by the many staff, sponsors, volunteers, and donors of the Museum. In short, by opening up our history to many others we strengthen our own sense of identity. Perhaps, this sense of being and the sense of pride in our community's past and future are the senses that matter most.

By Deron Albert Quon
Museum Volunteer

Deron Quon is a fourth generation Chinese American. He attended Yale University with a dual degree in Economics and East Asian Studies. He is currently the chief financial officer of an Internet start-up company in Southern California.

Exhibit Donors

Exhibit Volunteers

President Ronald Lew (L) presented a Historymaker award to Iris Chang (R),
author of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.

The Friends president, Hon. Ronald S. W. Lew, presented a 1998 Historymaker award to author Iris Chang at a private reception held in her honor. Major Museum donors, Friends board members, and representatives from El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical MonumentQincluding President of the Board of Commissioners Philip Bartenetti and Historic Museum Director Jean Bruce PooleQattended the event. It took place at Empress Pavilion restaurant on March 1, 1999.

Ms. Chang received the Special Service to History award for her work as the author of The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. As she was unable to attend the Second Annual Historymaker Awards ceremony of October 6, 1998, the Friends held this separate reception to honor her. Iris' book has documented our historical past and has preserved for the future these important historical events, stated Ronald Lew, It is for these reasons that we have chosen Iris Chang to receive our 1998 Historymaker award. Ms. Chang thanked the Museum for recognizing the historical value of The Rape of Nanking, a book which continues to be refuted by many leading members of Japanese society. She also expressed her appreciation to the Museum for preserving the legacy of Chinese American history.

Iris Chang's next project, her third book, will be a narrative history of the Chinese American experience nationwide. The book will contain an overview of the history of Chinese immigration from the 1800s to the present day.

By Sherie Yang
Editor

Chief among these key early efforts is surely the extremely cordial visit to Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa by President Ronald Lew. Friends officers and key members of the Speaker's staff joined in this meeting, during which the Speaker expressed his interest in the Chinese American Museum and his willingness to consider supporting the Bill.

Even such a meeting could not be staged without the close continuing communication and interaction with Assemblyman Cedillo, Assembly Bill 268 author, and his supportive staff both on the home front and at the State Capitol. Likewise, work with the Speaker's and other legislative staffs have been invaluable in support and advice given. These staffers have underlined that bill passage amounts to a statewide campaign!

(Rendering of CAM by Museum Architect Barton Choy, 1997)
The passage of Assembly Bill 268 is the crucial step
which will bring CAM to a successful opening in the year 2000.

In preparation for the Sacramento March 23rd hearing, activities were simple: make legislative contacts and get letters of support. Development Chair Munson Kwok worked closely with Assemblyman George Nakano and Field Deputy Jeff Maloney. A series of meetings led Assemblyman Nakano to becoming an author of the Bill. Kwok also worked with the staff of San Jose's Mike Honda, the senior Asian Pacific American. CAM's exhibit designer Pingy Quon called the staff of her Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl, and helped to obtain Kuehl's support and co-authorshop. Packages were sent to each member of the Committee and staffers of Southern Californians were contacted to gain support. A select list of over 20 key letters needed was created. Mayor Richard Riordan signed one of the letters of support.

While in Sacramento, the team took opportunities to tour key offices such as Assemblyman Cedillo's and Honda's. Assemblyman Hertzberg interrupted a meeting to see the team. Initial contacts were made in the Governor's office.

The Bill Campaign Team includes newly appointed AB 268 Chair Chi Mui, President Ronald Lew, President-Elect Robert Kwan, Development Chair Munson Kwok, Jean Bruce Poole, and Suellen Cheng. We need more help and volunteers now!!!

By Dr. Munson Kwok
Board Member

Ms. Wong will present another slide lecture on Feng Shui on June 10 at 2:30 P.M. at the Montebello Library located at 1550 Beverly Boulevard, Montebello. Please call 323-722-2650 for further information.

By Elmo Gambarana
Secretary

By Elmo Gambarana
Secretary

Dr. Hui is also currently an associate professor of medicine at UCLA. Over the last two decades, he has studied both Western and Eastern systems of healing from the perspectives of a clinician, educator, and researcher. He is widely published and has received many grants for his innovative work.

By Sherie Yang
Editor

Dr. Arthur Chung's Memoir is a unique story of a Chinese American physician who abandoned a promising career in the U.S. to devote himself to serve the Chinese people.

Do not be misled by the title of this book, it is not just about small creatures. In fact it is about all things monumental- -the vast country of China, its tumultuous revolution, and how that revolution affected the lives of heroic intellectuals and dedicated martyrs.

The author of this autobiography, Dr. Arthur Chung, is both an heroic intellectual and a dedicated martyr who brought new meaning to that Chinese quotation, May you live in interesting times, specifically, modern day China from 1931 through 1988, involving a half-century of enormous changes.

Dr. Chung begins his story as simply as a folk tale with no hint of the consuming disasters that would confront him as he begins his adult life. For those readers who are Sinologists this personal journey may not be a revelation in its entirety, but it will provide a unique viewpoint of one man's sensitive appraisal from a western as well as an eastern aspect. Dr. Chung was born in the States and can identify with its ideology. For those less familiar with this period of Chinese history, and who want to understand and live the adventure of China's internal upheaval, this book will fulfill that desire. Dr. Chung's journey through China, from the southern to the northern, Hong Kong to Beijing, into the interior as far as Chendu, is a fascinating travelogue as well. You will get to meet native as well as notable people, and become acquainted with the locale from vivid descriptions.

And if you've ever wanted insight as to how quite remarkable people think and react to stressful situations, this is as good an opportunity as any to find out. There is poignancy involved with the inner conflicts Dr. Chung feels for his native country and its people. To express his philosophy in part, he quotes Li Bai from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in his prologue:

"The difficult road, the formidable road,
It divides into many branches,
Where do they end?
There will come the day when
Braving the wind and waves
I shall unfurl the sails and cross the
mighty sea."

And if the book's title sounds a bit perplexing for an autobiography of such dramatic events, midway through the book will reveal the importance of these creatures and how their existence affected the lives of every individual living in China. The details are both amusing as well as quite remarkable.

China has always been a country of shadows and intrigue. And yet the people have always been warm and outgoing. The country's history is vibrant and long known for the great strength in its self-sufficiency. Dr. Chung's book illustrates how these traits remain as strong today as ever, but more importantly how these characteristic will continue to contribute to the country's success in its journey into the new millennium.

Jean Jong
Museum Volunteer

Growing up in Los Angeles gave Jean Dray Jong an array of cultures to identify with. Though her family was European, it was the Chinese culture she related to and studied. This interest expanded when she married into a large Chinese family, the Jong clan. From her travels through China she has written of her adventures for the International Travel News Bulletin, and has had topical essays published in the Los Angeles Times.

The Chinese Senior Citizens Center presented a generous donation of $20,000 to help the Chinese American Museum's development. Mr. Yin Po Lin, the president of the corporation, indicated that it was the desire of the Senior Citizens Center board that support go to an institution which can continue the process of bringing quality education about our Chinese and Chinese American heritage to the community.

The ARCO Foundation recently also presented a check for $10,000 to the Friends in support of the Museum. Mr. Russell Sakaguchi, President and Executive Director, quickly responded to the Museum's cause this year, and he and the Foundation deserve our deepest appreciation. The vision of the ARCO Foundation is to support organizations with creative solutions to overcome educational, social, and economic barriers, including ethnic and cultural isolation.

Dr. Munson Kwok
Board Member

The Museum researches and records the experiences of Chinese American families from Southern California such as the Quans, pictured in the above 1934 photo. Standing (from L to R): Anne Jeng, Warren Quan, Fred Quan, Andrew Quan, Tom Quan, Francis Quan, Jennie Leong, Sitting (from L to R): Bessie Quan holding Carolyn Quan, Lily Sam, Ferdinand Quan, Mrs. Jin Quan, Yoke Quan holding Alvin Quan. (Courtesy of Erika Gee) See bigger picture (141K JPEG).

Oral history is one of the first methods of ethnic studies and remains an important tool for excavating the lessons of the different Asian Pacific experiences in the United States. My grandfather, Fred Quan, participated in an initial oral history project organized by the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in the late 1970s. The project consisted of interviewing members of the Los Angeles Chinese American community. These records are now archived in the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the University Research Library Special Collections. Knowing about these documents proved useful in my research as a history student. My mom suggested that if this project continued, my grand aunt, Anne Jeng, might make a good interviewee.

Auntie Annie, as she was known to me, was initially reluctant to be interviewed. She was concerned about not knowing enough about the life of her husband, Dan Jeng. I assured her that her experiences were just as important and that I would mainly be asking questions about the events in her own life. Through the interview, she shared with me stories about her childhood in Oakland, California with just one toy, a doll, her courtship to her husband, Dan Jeng, a resident of San Francisco Chinatown, their life in New York during the Depression, their move to California during World War II, and the start and growth of the Jengs' business, Kwan Yeun, a successful company which imported food and gift items from China. Even as a family member, I learned about many of the events in her life for the first time during the interview.

I also learned the reasoning behind the Jengs' many philanthropic and community activities. The Jengs were benefactors and advocates for many organizations and institutions in Los Angeles Chinatown, such as the Kow Kong Benevolent Association, Castelar library, and the former French Hospital which might have closed without their leadership. They were also the founding patrons of the Chinese American Museum. For Anne Jeng, the future of the community is foremost and her activities helped to encourage its continued success and interaction between generations of Chinese Americans and the larger Los Angeles community.

Through this experience, I have been fortunate to learn more about my own heritage and to help contribute to the goals of the Chinese American Museum. I hope to continue to assist on future projects and that others interested in oral history might volunteer their time for the Museum. Oral history captures the stories of our community and creates a record for future research by others. These stories of our community's character are the same stories that might illustrate the spirit of our communities to a broader audience. The recovery, presentation, and publication of the experiences of Chinese Americans and other groups will also help delineate the character of the people of Los Angeles and enrich our common heritage as Americans.

By Erika Gee
Museum Volunteer

Erika Gee is a third generation Chinese America born and raised in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. in History and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles and will start course work for a Master's degree in Education in the fall. She has been working in museums and cultural centers since 1993 and currently serves as an education coordinator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Museum Name Change

We Need Your Support for Asembly Bill 268

Please Join the Friends as a Member

Third Annual Historymaker Awards

Museum Seeks New Staff

Getty Multicultural Summer Internship Program

Volunteers like USC students (L to R) Amy Lee, Dee Rahardja,
Jammie Hsu, and Janie Kong helped to make CAM's recent exhibit
a successful event.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Museum has received a grant from the Getty Multicultural Summer Internship Program to support the training of two summer interns. The selected Getty interns will help to develop a new traveling exhibit about the Chinese American experience in the San Gabriel Valley.