Contents

• President's Message
• Prelude to Celebration: Fourth Annual Historymaker Awards
• New Friends from Beijing
• Museum Site Update
• Glenda Cheung Chats with a Chinese American
• New Museum Assistant and Getty Interns
• Castelar Elementary School
• Discovering and Interpreting Chinese American History
• Friends of the Chinese American Museum Membership Form
• On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience
• Chinese Article About CAM
• Send Us Your Favorite Recipes!
• Message to Our Volunteers
• What's New at the Museum!
• Board of Directors
• Newsletter Staff

Greetings! So much has happened since my last note to you, and I have so much to share with you.

In March, I embarked on a two-week study tour of China as a member of the Judges’ delegation for the National Committee on United States-China Relations. The delegation consisted of a legal scholar and four other judges, and our goal was to exchange information and ideas. We learned about the legal systems of the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong and shared information about the American legal system. We participated in a series of workshops discussing U.S. civil trial procedures and the rule of law with members of the Shanghai High People’s Court, the Shandong Provincial High Court, and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. The experience was not only significant from a legal standpoint, it also gave me an opportunity to share my excitement about our Museum project. Everyone I spoke to responded with equal enthusiasm!

From June 8 to 13, I joined forty other judges at the Medina Seminar at Princeton University. Within this magnificent environment, I attended discussions on topics such as Western intellectual development; the molecular revolution in genetics; the presidency; heroes in classical literature; the integration of China and Russia into the world; our place in the universe; inventions and history; and economic trends. As I wandered through the 250-year-old campus, I was overwhelmed by its sense of history and tradition. I marveled at its preservation of the past for future generations, and this affirmed my commitment to do the same through CAM.

Currently, the "On Gold Mountain" exhibit is open at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage and will be until January 2001. In this project, CAM has joined forces with the Autry to explore the Chinese American experience. I encourage you to bring your families and friends.

As the CAM site nears completion, excitement is building. Let our progress continue to inspire you. Your continued support is crucial. Plan on attending this year’s Historymaker Awards, scheduled for November 17 at the Universal City Hilton. The new forum and a terrific program should make it a very festive affair!

Yours truly,
Ronald S.W. Lew ( )

At this gala, the Friends will honor four distinguished Chinese Americans and one organization by presenting them with awards in recognition of their exceptional contributions to our history, society, and culture. The dinner program will also feature the recognition of major donors, auctions, and entertainment throughout the evening. The Historymaker banquet is CAM’s major annual fundraising event.

The honoree for the Business Leadership Award is Gareth Chang ( ), managing partner of GC3 and Associates International LLC, executive chairman of Click2Asia.com, and chairman/CEO of PingPong.com.

Director and veteran actress Joan Chen ( )
is the honoree for the Excellence in the Arts Award.

The Excellence in the Arts Award goes to Joan Chen ( ), director of Xiu Xiu: the Sent-Down Girl and Autumn in New York. A veteran actress, her numerous memorable roles include the empress in Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor and Josie Packard in the cult TV series Twin Peaks. The Community Service Award honoree is Deborah Ching ( ), executive director of the Chinatown Service Center. She is a co-founder of the Asian Pacific Islander California Action Network and was the former president of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and the Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc. The Distinguished Service Award recipient is the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California ( ), which collaborates with colleges, universities, other historical societies, and local community groups to increase awareness of Chinese American heritage through public programs, education, and research.

Historymaker Y.C. Hong ( ) was the
first Chinese American attorney in Southern California.

Y.C. Hong ( , 1898-1977 ), the first Chinese American to practice law in Southern California, will be posthumously honored with a Dr. Dan Louie Jr. Award. For the over 50 years during which he practiced law, Chinese Americans regarded him as the country’s foremost Chinese attorney, a reputation based on his work in immigration law, civil rights, and the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. His son, Nowland, will accept the award on his father’s behalf at the gala banquet.

CAM’s banquet committee, headed by chairperson Robert Kwan, along with numerous additional volunteers is planning this awards ceremony and fundraiser. Funds raised at this event will help support the development of the Museum’s permanent exhibits and educational programs. For tickets or information, please call (213) 626-5240 or check http://www.camla.org/

(L to R) "Visible Traces" curator Hanyu Chen, CAM assistant curator Estella Chung,
El Pueblo curator Suellen Cheng, and "Visible Traces" curator Ya-Ping Ji
collaborated on a recent Chinese American Museum cataloging project.

During this past spring, the Chinese American Museum gained two good friends, Ms. Hanyu Chen ( ) and Mr. Ya-ping Ji ( ), from Beijing, China. They are the curators of Visible Traces: Rare Books and Special Collections from the National Library of China, a remarkable exhibit that was on display from April 15 to June 25, 2000 in the Getty Gallery of the Los Angeles Central Library.

The Board of Directors and staff of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum were invited to the opening reception of "Visible Traces." Several board members attended the event and were pleased to have the opportunity to view the many valuable documents, which had not been previously seen outside of China.

On April 17, 2000, the Friends hosted a special dinner reception to welcome the seven-member delegation from the National Library of China, which included Hanyu Chen and Ya-ping Ji. The event took place at the beautiful home of board member Jerry Jann. At this event, Ms. Chen and Mr. Ji learned more about the Chinese American Museum project and offered to help.

Their assistance turned out to be very significant. Within four weeks, they compiled a catalogue for the Museum’s recent acquisition--the Tom Leung collection. This collection includes more than 200 Chinese books donated by Mrs. Esther Leung. After painstakingly sorting out the books and documents, Ms. Chen and Mr. Ji spent numerous days inputting all of the data to a Chinese computer file. As a result of their efforts, the Museum is now able to share with the public this special book collection.

During Mr. Ji and Ms. Chen’s stay in Los Angeles, the Friends also co-sponsored the curators’ presentation about their research for the "Visible Traces" exhibit. Members of FCAM, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, and the Friends of the Chinatown Library attended this presentation, held on May 3, 2000 at Castelar Elementary School.

On the eve of their return trip to Beijing, Ms. Chen and Mr. Ji came to say farewell to the Museum staff. They recounted all the fun things that they had done with the Friends, which included a dim sum luncheon and a brunch tour of the Magic Castle hosted by board member Pedro Chan, a tour of Chinatown conducted by Dr. William Chun-Hoon, and a dinner and a trip to Santa Monica Beach hosted by board member Munson Kwok. They also attended a special party with Mexican music and dance at the Avila Adobe where they had a chance to socialize with CAM staffers Suellen Cheng, Estella Chung, and James Hong, as well as friends from the El Pueblo community.

The staff and Board of Directors of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum sincerely appreciate Ms. Chen and Mr. Ji’s warm friendship and their wonderful contributions to the Museum project.

By Suellen Cheng ( ) Curator
El Puebo de Los Angeles Historical Monument

The Chinese American Museum site as seen from Sanchez Street.

The City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Engineering and General Services has almost finished its work in the Garnier Building. Workers are currently installing glass in the windows and finishing installation of the air conditioning and electrical ducts. They will be adding the permanent flooring very soon. At the end of May, the City had spent a total of over $3,000,000 in repairs to this building. Because of this, the State of California has agreed to directly send the balance of the funds of our Historic Preservation Grant-in-aid, without the process of requesting a further extension of time on the grant period. This means that when the plans for the north bay of the Garnier Block and for 425 North Los Angeles Street are approved by the City’s Plan Check Department, the project can move forward without further delay.

Museum architect Barton Choy, El Pueblo curator Suellen Cheng, and I attended a meeting of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Public Art Committee where we requested concept approval of a project to reproduce panels formerly displayed on the north bay of the Garnier Block. Our plan is to create in limestone four panels of calligraphy by noted artist and professor Lo Ching. The calligraphy represents a poem in two couplets containing verses recalling historic times and the present and future hopes and aspirations of the Chinese American people. This project will be paid for by a grant of $10,000 from the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Los Angeles. Final approval was received from the Cultural Affairs Commission in July.

By Jean Bruce Poole
Historic Museum Director
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
and Executive Director
Friends of the Chinese American Museum

CAM’s volunteer coordinator Barbie Chien (L)
with KAZN’s Glenda Cheung (R) who hosts the
popular radio talk show, "Chatting with Americans."

Have you ever listened to a Chinese language radio show called "Chatting with Americans" on KAZN, AM 1300? Every Saturday afternoon, radio show host Glenda Cheung interviews one or more American guests who have studied the Chinese language. Listeners can call into the station and ask the guest questions on any American-related topics, from culture and language to movies. Sometimes, a combination of culture clash and the guest’s American-English-Chinese accent can be hilarious, educating, and entertaining. In fact, Glenda’s show is so popular that it is going on its seventh year.

On May 13, 2000, Glenda interviewed CAM’s volunteer coordinator, Barbie Chien, as its weekly Chinese-speaking American guest. That interview, however, stirred up a bit of controversy. A few people, including listeners and KAZN staff, expressed that Barbie’s being the interviewee conflicted with the show’s title, "Chatting with Americans." They felt that Barbie, being of Chinese descent, did not qualify as an "American," even though she has lived most of her life in California. This is partly because many within the Chinese community view the term "American" as synonymous with "Caucasian."

It is not only some people from the Chinese community, however, who fail to recognize Americans of Asian descent as legitimate Americans. The larger U.S. society has also traditionally regarded Asian Americans as foreigners despite their 150-year history in this country. This is a misconception with which KAZN’s Glenda Cheung is familiar. My husband emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States at age eight, Glenda explained. When he was 22-years-old, a Caucasian man approached him and asked a question about Chinese culture. Having spent most of his life in America, my husband did not know the answer. The Caucasian man replied, ‘But you are Chinese. How come you don’t know that?’

This encounter, although seemingly harmless, was indicative of the narrow-minded, yet prevalent, viewpoint that if a person looks Chinese, then he or she must be only Chinese. The Caucasian man had regarded Glenda’s husband as a foreigner, not as an American.

At that point, my husband realized that no matter how hard you worked in America, no matter how well you merged into American culture, in people’s eyes, you are still not an American. Glenda continued, He also realized that no matter how much you like or dislike Chinese American history, you are still of Chinese descent.

The incident motivated the couple to search for information on Chinese American history. We gathered the majority of the information from books, Glenda said, and we found out that Chinese Americans didn’t get enough credit for their hard labor and contributions to American history. The Chinese Americans suffered greatly from racial discrimination.

Glenda heard about the Museum from CAM volunteer Peter Sengelmann who was a guest on her show. She saw an opportunity to help the Chinese American community by spreading the word about the Museum and its educational mission. I think as Chinese Americans, we should know about our own ancestry and history, she explained.

So, in May, Glenda Cheung invited Barbie as her Chinese American guest on "Chatting with Americans" to discuss volunteerism and the Museum. Despite the controversy surrounding this interview, CAM gained two new volunteers through that session.

Now, Glenda is dedicating more airtime on her show to help the Chinese American Museum with community outreach. The Friends would like to express its appreciation to Glenda Cheung and KAZN for their kind support.

You can catch Glenda Cheung’s "Chatting with Americans" every Saturday, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on KAZN, AM 1300. The show is also broadcasted live on the Internet at http://www.am1300.com/

By Barbie Chien
Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator

Barbie Chien is the volunteer coordinator for and a board member of FCAM. Since 1995, she has worked as a writer/producer for Disney Channel Asia and is now a log editor for Disney Channel. An accomplished instrumentalist of the gu-zheng, p’i-p’a, and er-hu, she has been a musician with the Los Angeles Classical Chinese Orchestra since 1994. Recently, she joined e:trinity, an ethnotronic band. She is proud to be a part of the Chinese American Museum.

(L to R) Museum assistant James Hong, CAM intern Ivana Wong,
El Pueblo interns Maria Estrada and Elena Monroy, El Pueblo
director of operations Phil Orozco, and CAM intern Aaron Chung
tour the interior of the Chinese American Museum site.

The Friends of the Chinese American Museum is happy to announce that administrative assistant James Hong ( ) and interns Aaron Chung ( ) and Ivana Wong ( ) have joined the Museum. Ivana and Aaron were selected from a competitive pool of university students who applied for the Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Summer Internship Program at the CAM, made possible for the eighth consecutive year by the Getty Grant Program.

Ivana Wong has just begun her second year at Claremont McKenna College where she is pursuing a B.A. in international relations. Her previous work experience includes volunteering at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena and working at the Pasadena district office of California State Assemblymember Jack Scott last summer through the Chinese American Student Internship Coalition (CASIC) program. At school, she is a staff writer for the student newspaper as well as a member of the Publications Board. She enjoys traveling and studying history.

Aaron Chung is a second and fifth generation Chinese American born in Los Angeles. He is entering his third year at UCLA, where he is pursuing a B.A. in history with a minor in Asian American studies. His career goals include attending graduate school and eventually teaching at the university level. He has been involved with the Chinese American Museum for several years now, and hopes to continue helping with its development in the future.

James Hong joined the Chinese American Museum last April. Before that, he worked as a child development counselor for New Alternatives and as an administrative assistant for the Holistic AIDS Response Program. He holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, San Diego. Due to his interest in traditional Chinese medicine, he plans to pursue an education and, eventually, a career in acupuncture. He enjoys surfing and backpacking when he is not in the city.

The Board of Directors and staff of the Museum are proud to have these three talented, young individuals on the CAM development team.

Castelar School has been a major institution in the Chinatown area for nearly 120 years.
(Courtesy of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. (CHSSC))

A History of Castelar School

Castelar is the second oldest continuing elementary school in Los Angeles c. 1882.
(Courtesy of the CHSSC.)
See bigger picture (52K JPEG).

Castelar School, the second oldest continuing elementary school in Los Angeles, has been a major institution in the Chinatown area for nearly 120 years. Since its establishment in 1882, it has been a focal point for the immigrants who settled in the north part of downtown LA. In the late 1800s, they included mostly Italians, Serbians, Croatians, French, and Central and South Americans who came in search of a better life for themselves and their children. These children were the first to attend Castelar school. It was not until 1920 that the first Chinese American, Mary Jane Fong, enrolled at the school.

The institution was named after Emilio Castelar, a statesman, historian, and journalist who served as the third and final president of the Spanish Republic in 1870. Originally called "Castelar Street School," it stood at what was then "Castelar Street," located north of Hill Street. In 1965, "Castelar Street" was changed to "North Hill Street," and the word "street" was deleted from the school name. It then became "Castelar Elementary School."

In 1903, a fire destroyed the original four-classroom building. In 1904, a new wooden school was constructed and, in 1923, the school underwent expansion. Fifty years later, in 1973, the wood frame school was demolished and replaced with the present structure. Although the school’s design and its student ethnic population have changed over the years, the school’s soul as a wellspring of hope has not.

Castelar Through the Years

1910s

Herbert Turchi, an Italian American, and Josephine Turchi, a Mexican American, both attended Castelar around 1915. Herbert was a second-generation Castelar student; his mother also attended the school in the mid-1890s. Herbert, a plumber, and his wife, Josephine, lived on Yale Street in Chinatown after they were married. Former Castelar School principal William Chun-Hoon and Paul Louie of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California conducted an interview with the Turchis in 1982, asking them to share their memories about the school.

Josephine remembered that the school had a sewing room on the second floor so that girls could learn how to sew. The female students were also taught to cook at Gates Street School in Lincoln Heights. Herbert remembered that Castelar School had the "Castelar Penny Lunch," a program that provided meals to impoverished and immigrant children.

Herbert also added that when he was young, the community comprised of mostly Italian, Serbian, Croatian, and Latino Americans. Within 70 years, however, the community became completely Chinese American.

1940s

Dore Hall Wong (front, center) and all of her brothers and sisters
attended Castelar School c. 1940.
(Courtesy of Dore Hall Wong.)

Former Castelar principal Dore Wong, who attended the school during World War II, has wonderful memories of being a Castelar student. What Mrs. Wong remembers the most about those days was the importance of showing patriotism. She and her schoolmates did the morning Pledge of Allegiance in the form of a military march, and school performances were taught in military format.

Like many Chinese American students then, Mrs. Wong attended Chinese school after leaving Castelar each day. During the World War II years, each Chinese student also had to wear an identification tag, which showed s/he was not of Japanese descent.

1970s

Through the Bilingual Education Program, started in 1973,
Castelar students were taught English and Chinese or
English and Spanish. (Courtesy of the CHSSC.)

Traditionally, after graduating from Castelar School, the majority of the students went on to Nightingale Junior High in Cypress Park and then Belmont High School, which was then located on the outskirts of downtown LA. In 1976, the Voluntary Integration Busing Program to the San Fernando Valley began. During that year, the graduating class of Castelar entering junior high school was bused to North Hollywood. This strictly voluntary program was an attempt to bring students from the inner-city to predominately white neighborhoods.

The new graduates from Castelar School would wait at the bus stop in Chinatown at 7:00 a.m. for the school bus to take them on a 45-minute commute to North Hollywood. They would then be returned at 4:00 p.m.

(L to R) Tony Chew--Deputy to Councilmember Lindsay, Dr. Ruby Ling Louie--president of the Castelar School Community Council, Councilmember Gilbert Lindsay, crossing guard, principal William Chun-Hoon, Jo Ann Semon, vice president of the Castelar School Community Council c.1975. (Courtesy of the CHSSC.)

For some students, it was the first time they had fellow students who were not Chinese. In addition to those from Chinatown, Latino students from East Los Angeles and African American students from the Adams District also participated in the Voluntary Integration Busing Program. Consequently, one of the participating San Fernando Valley schools, Madison Junior High, developed a multi-ethnic student population.

Many of the Castelar students in this busing program believed that it was one of the most wonderful experiences of their lives. At Madison Junior High, some of them achieved high academic grades and were placed in honors classes. Others became active in after-school sports or other extra-curricular activities such as orchestra, band, and the Glee Club. The program was so successful that one year, almost the entire graduating sixth grade class from Castelar chose to attend Madison Junior High.

Today, voluntary busing is still an option for the graduates of Castelar who wish to attend middle school in the San Fernando Valley.

By contrast, the Desegregation Busing Program with San Fernando Valley elementary schools was not well received. In 1978, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) planned to desegregate its schools by forcing a percentage of Castelar’s students to be bused to two predominately white elementary schools in the San Fernando Valley. However, two to three hundred parents protested against this program and it was not passed.

The 1970s was also a time when the student population changed significantly. Previously, the majority of the students at Castelar had been from Hong Kong. In 1975, the first influx of Southeast Asian refugees - first from Vietnam, then from former Cambodia - began to arrive in LA. Many of these Southeast Asian children enrolled at Castelar. First regarded as "different" by the long-time students, they quickly adjusted to the Chinese American way there.

As student enrollment increased, the facilities were also expanded to accommodate the change. In 1977, Castelar School and the Castelar Children’s Center were moved to a new school building that cost $2.5 million. In addition, the school gained the attached Chinatown Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Due to the large number of students for whom English was a second language, the Bilingual Education Program was introduced in 1973. The method entailed teaching students in their native language while gradually introducing them to English.

Also, in 1972, USC and UCLA students established the Asian Tutorial Project in which college students came to Castelar on Saturday mornings to tutor the children in English and math and to help with recreational activities.

1980s

Castelar students at the playground c. 1982.
(Courtesy of the CHSSC.)

Ten years later, Castelar School received an increase of new students from Mainland China. When the People’s Republic of China opened its doors in 1979, many immigrants from the Mainland settled in Los Angeles Chinatown. Between 1987 and 1992, Cantonese-speaking students from Mainland China increased by 65%.

1990s

The ethnic composition of Castelar’s 950 students in the 1990s was as follows: 82% Asian American (Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian); 15% Mexican American; and 3% African American and Caucasian. Because of the continuing immigration of families from China to Los Angeles, students of Chinese descent are expected to remain the majority of Castelar’s multi-ethnic student population.

Instructors at Castelar lead their students in celebrating the many holidays and traditions that reflect the school’s multicultural heritage throughout the year. During the Chinese New Year, students are taught Chinese songs and dancing. On Cinco de Mayo, the students celebrate through artwork projects, performances, and eating foods related to this holiday. In addition, the children learn to create arts and crafts for Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions.

Castelar's Historymakers

Bill Chun-Hoon, Castelar principal from 1973 to 1992,
was the first Chinese American principal in LAUSD history.

William Chun-Hoon (principal, 1973-1992) came to Castelar as the first Chinese American principal in the history of the LAUSD. There was so much transition during my term as principal, which was what made it exciting, he explained. This was due to the influx of Southeast Asian students, the new school building, and the mandatory and voluntary busing programs. During his term, more Chinese-speaking teachers were hired to staff the Bilingual Education Program.

Dore Hall Wong attended Castelar in the 1940s
and returned as its principal from 1992 to 1997.

Dore Wong (principal, 1992-1997) was one of thirteen children from the Hall family, which has had a long history in the U.S. She and all of her brothers and sisters attended Castelar Elementary School. She had such a wonderful experience as a student in the ‘40s that she returned as principal from 1992 to 1997. In fact, her daughter, Diane, is currently a teacher there.

Mrs. Wong stated, the uniqueness of the school is that it is self-sustaining, and that students have a thirst for knowledge and the desire to achieve, which are all a part of Asian culture.

One thing that has remained the same since her schoolgirl days is that the students still show a tremendous amount of respect toward their teachers. Mrs. Wong has also observed that a high number of teachers currently at Castelar have been working as instructors there for over twenty years. Not many schools can boast of that kind of record, she noted. In addition, the number of second and third-generation Castelar students who have attended the school is a testament to its outstanding reputation.

Cheuk Choi (principal, 1997 to present) began to work as an instructor at Castelar in 1978. He moved up the ranks in the LAUSD and became the principal in 1997. He enjoys being the principal at the school because Castelar has a fine tradition and a dedicated staff. Mr. Choi attributes the Castelar teachers’ dedication and long teaching terms to the strong support that the parents and the community have given to the school.

Current teachers who have taught at Castelar for over 20 years include: Betty Chan (27 years), Helen Chan (27 years), Phyllis Chiu (25 years), Ellen Inafuku (29 years), Diane Manke (27 years), and Christine Soldate (29 years).

Micheline Reece was a revered teacher
at Castelar School from 1962 to 1992.

Micheline Reece (teacher, 1962-1992) was regarded as a legend by the students who had her as their instructor. She came out from New York in the 1960s, accepted her first and only job as a teacher at Castelar, and remained an instructor there for 30 years. Mrs. Reece almost did not become a teacher at Castelar because a friend had told her that Chinatown was not a good area. After her first year of teaching there, however, she did not have any desire to go anywhere else.

Mrs. Reece created many art and play programs at Castelar. She even wrote the school’s theme song. She explained that she enjoyed teaching because of her courteous and studious students, and she described her teaching style as "firmness with kindness." I knew I always gave a lot of homework, she explained, but it was good for the students. I had a vested interest in each and every student.

As one of Mrs. Reece’s former students, I can attest that it was a privilege and honor to have had her as my teacher. She truly cared about her students, and even regularly brought the children to her home for ice cream or lunch on Saturday mornings.

Mrs. Reece, now retired, is enjoying life and keeping very busy.

Castelar School Today

Castelar is the only LAUSD school with an attached library - the Chinatown Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library established in 1977. Many Castelar students attend the library during school hours to work on their projects and return after school to complete their homework. In addition, since 1989, Castelar children have been participating in the after-school "Grandparents and Books" program in the library. In this program, grandparents from the community volunteer their time to read stories to the children.

The school’s attached Children’s Day Care Center is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to accommodate working parents. The day care service is provided to kids up to the second grade.

Because of Castelar’s many support programs and services and its commitment to academic excellence, the school has attracted parents outside of its school district who enrolled their children at the elementary school. In addition, because Castelar is known as a community school with tremendous respect for education and teachers, many of its alumni enroll their own children in the school.

For the individuals who have attended Castelar, it was not just an elementary school; it was also a community school. In the years to come, Castelar will continue to play a significant role in the Chinatown community due to its excellent educational standards, dedicated staff, and helpful programs and services. Furthermore, with the continuation of immigrants from China and Southeast Asia, Castelar will continue to play a special part in welcoming new immigrant children into the Los Angeles area much like it did 120 years ago.

By Helen Chung-Fung
Museum Volunteer and Castelar Alumnus, Class of ‘77

Helen Chung-Fung (mhf1328@aol.com) lived in Los Angeles Chinatown during the 1970s and attended Castelar School. She received a B.A in sociology from UCLA, and is currently a consultant in Worker’s Compensation Insurance. For the last two years, Helen has been an event planning volunteer for the Historymaker Awards.

While this rendering of ethnic history has significantly enriched our understanding of the lives and experiences of those who are marginal in American society, nevertheless, it has not made a great enough impact toward challenging the stories told in popular histories. If the only critical edge to writing ethnic history is to reveal the partiality and "incompleteness" of all historical accounts and to assert that, in addition to whites, ethnic minorities are also essential actors shaping U.S. history, then the change instigated is not an actual alteration of the stories already told, but rather that more needs to be told. What this often translates to in terms of curriculum planning in the university is that the basic U.S. history survey courses continue to teach what they have always taught while an optional series of courses is offered that focuses on ethnic histories, women’s histories, and/or the histories of people with alternative lifestyles. Implicit in this system is the positing of ethnic history as supplements to dominant versions of history, and the "burden" of teaching or taking courses on ethnic history lies solely on the interests or political affiliations of teachers and students.

What remains for scholars of ethnic history to do is to demonstrate how race, gender, class, and sexuality underlie all accounts of history. The very absence of race in the various accounts of history still speaks to the "racialization" of history, because racial analysis is a critical examination of that which is excluded and included. In this manner, race, along with gender, class, and sexuality, inform all of our understanding and knowledge of history.

In underscoring the political limitations of historical accounts that merely "add" to our knowledge of history, I am in no way suggesting that accounts which focus primarily on the experiences of ethnic minority are not "political" or should not be written. Rather, in many cases, because there is a growing awareness of the histories of ethnic minorities, an analysis of what is omitted in popular versions of history is possible.

Thus, as I begin my endeavor to write an account of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles between the years 1943 and 1960, I intend not only to explore what Chinese Americans did during the 1950s, but also to explore how this understanding alters the history of what has already been told about the early Cold War years. For example, in addition to looking at how many Chinese/Americans migrated out of Chinatown and into the suburbs of Los Angeles, I will analyze how this movement into the suburbs redefined notions of a U.S. national identity based on suburban domesticity during the 1950s.

While I now have a clearer sense of what my political investments are in writing ethnic history, the actual task of researching and writing my project still awaits me. Like many researchers of ethnic history, it has been fairly difficult locating a systematic set of research materials on Chinese Americans in Los Angeles during the 1950s. While I have a few clippings here and there from Chinese and English language newspapers as well as from magazines that are relevant to my project, there just doesn’t seem to be that cache of materials locked away in some back corner of an archive.

Volunteering at CAM this past year has tremendously enhanced my admiration for the dedication and work of curator Suellen Cheng who has tirelessly collected and tracked down over the years materials that speak of the experiences of Chinese Americans both a century ago and in recent years. I am now more aware than I have been of how my work is only possible because of all the work that has been done by previous scholars. What the Museum staff and volunteers have given to the public is doing the impossible, grand task of preserving the multiplicity of cultural memories of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles. I am grateful for their selflessness and commitment to this endeavor.

In terms of my own research, I have found, as many researchers have, that material artifacts are not the only available sources for historical interpretation. Rather, as I have spent many lunches and engaged in countless conversations with El Pueblo office assistant Jim Fong, Museum volunteer Herb Tom, and board members Jerry Jann and Elmo Gambarana, I have come to realize the value and worth of living "artifacts." For as "art" and museum exhibitions often capture memories of the past, the stories and experiences that these men have shared is also an attempt to contain (if it is ever possible to do so) some version of a time past. By conducting and focusing on oral interviews, I have immersed myself in the process and politics of history and memory, which also require a critical examination of what gets remembered, suppressed, or forgotten as people recount their histories.

So, as I now begin my interpretation of "what happened" during the early Cold War years in Los Angeles and explore its significance in history, I look forward to talking and listening to a diverse group of people and discovering what will be remembered about this period in history.

Cindy Cheng
Co-Chair
Chinese American Museum Council of Scholars

Cindy I-Fen Cheng is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of California, Irvine. Her primary field of study is 20th century U.S. history with an emphasis on feminist studies and critical theory. Her dissertation, tentatively entitled "Contesting Chinese American Identities in the Age of Cold War Politics," focuses on Chinese Americans in Los Angeles between the years of 1943 and 1960. She received a B.S. in physiological science and a B.A. in Asian American studies in 1995 at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1997, she earned her M.A. in history at UCI. She has volunteered at the Chinese American Museum since October 1999.

We invite you to join the Friends of the Chinese American Museum as a member. Donations from individuals like you enable us to continue bringing exhibits and programs to the community. Your contribution will support CAM development and services including educational programs, gallery and traveling exhibits, artifact acquisition and preservation, and Museum site construction. Please join us today. Thank you for supporting the Chinese American Museum.

FCAM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law (FCAM non-profit #95-4176897).

Fong See and Family c. 1914.
Back row: Ray, Ming. Front row: Eddy, Fong See, Sissee, Ticie, and Bonnie.
(Courtesy of Lisa See.)
See bigger picture (41K JPEG).

From July 23, 2000 through January 1, 2001, "On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience" is open to the public at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. This exhibition is based on Lisa See’s acclaimed book, On Gold Mountain, which is a history/memoir of her Chinese American family.

The "On Gold Mountain" exhibit personalizes the experience of Chinese Americans in the Los Angeles Chinatown through the narrative of six generations of the See Family, whose patriarch, Fong See, immigrated to California in 1867. This exhibit relates the See Family’s experiences to the fortunes of other early Chinese Americans in Southern California and addresses universal themes that all immigrants to America face such as choosing between the old world and the new, maintaining culture and language, and holding on to traditions while responding to the demands of assimilation.

As visitors enter the exhibition "On Gold Mountain: A Chinese American Experience,"
they will experience the difficult conditions under which the Chinese traveled to
America through the re-created environment of a trans-Pacific steamship.
Exhibition runs from July 23 through January 1, 2001.
(Design concept by John Marshall.)

As a part of an ongoing collaboration between the Autry Museum and CAM, "On Gold Mountain" contains photographs and artifacts on loan from the Chinese American Museum. The exhibit also features re-created environments encountered by Chinese immigrants that include the interior of a trans-Pacific steamship. Four of the eight galleries use audio components and one gallery utilizes a video display that explores stereotypes of Chinese people depicted in popular films over the years. Toward the end of the exhibit, an area is devoted to genealogy that illustrates methods used by Lisa See to uncover her own family history. This part of the "On Gold Mountain" exhibit also introduces visitors to useful resources for exploring their own family history regardless of their cultural background.

James Hong ( )
Co-Editor and Museum Assistant

FCAM is proud to announce that Executive Director Jean Bruce Poole was honored at the Fourth Biennial Celebration of Phenomenal Women at California State University, Northridge on October 7, 2000. She received a Phenomenal Women Award in the "public history" category.

The Friends will host its next Chinese New Year Banquet on Friday, January 26, 2001 at the Gourmet Carousel (911 North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA). Mark your calendars, and come celebrate with us!

CAM is in need of two Internet-equipped computers and laser printers for volunteer and intern projects. They should have 600MHz or faster processors, at least 10GB of hard drive space, and preferrably 64MB of memory. If you would like to contribute funds towards these equipment or have appropriate equipment to donate, please contact assistant curator Estella Chung at estella_camla@hotmail.com or (213) 628-0605.

CAM seeks funding support for its newsletter. $2,000 is needed per issue to cover the printing and postage cost. If you would like to donate toward newsletter production, please contact curator Suellen Cheng at (213) 626-5240 or editor Sherie Yang at CAMnewsletters@yahoo.com

Special thanks to:
William Chun-Hoon
Micheline Reece
Dore Wong

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