Chinese Historical Society of Southern California

Mills Alley Plaques Dedication

Ricky Leo — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 04:42:46 +0000

On Tuesday, January 9, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California was invited to the dedication of two re-worded plaques marking the location of the former location of the Yuen Kee Laundry which was burned down by an angry mob in 1885. Susie Ling spoke on behalf of CHSSC.

2023 Holiday Open House

Ricky Leo — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:27:06 +0000

Our 2023 Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 9 was held at our Chinatown Heritage Center. This well-attended event was an opportunity to come and visit our facilities, enjoy some good food and good company. The weather was ideal. Our DJ, Robert Chong, provided Christmas music, a photo slideshow showed our activities for the past few years, and two strawberry cakes were provided by Phoenix Bakery. Thanks to all of the volunteers who helped out with the Open House with a special thank you to our Board Member Grace Leo who took on the responsibility for planning, organizing the event.

The Story of Tsinoys

Ricky Leo — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:41:35 +0000

On October 28, 2023, Susie Ling, Associate Professor of History, Pasadena City College, gave an interesting and informative talk about Chinese Filipinos, also known as Tsinoys. Members of the Artesia and Cerritos city councils were in attendance.

Paintings in Print

Ricky Leo — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 01:09:28 +0000

Our monthly program on November 6, 2023 was a joint dinner/program with the China Society of Southern California at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown and featured guest speaker Michelle Bailey, who is an Assistant Curator at the Huntington Library.

The 44 attendees enjoyed a delicious nine course dinner before listening to Michelle Bailey’s informative presentation on the Paintings in Print exhibit in the Chinese Garden at the Huntington Library. She also provided information about the new Chinese Medicinal Garden at the Huntington.

Special Session of Court

Ricky Leo — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 22:22:46 +0000

CHSSC was invited to this special event honoring Judge Ronald Sing Wai Lew. He was a strong advocate of the Asian American community, who believed in the fair application of the law, regardless of his personal beliefs. He chose to be a mentor, assisting minorities to apply for judicial positions. He will be remembered for his kindness, integrity and contagious smile.

Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew Bio

Judge Ronald Sing Wai Lew (劉成威) was born in Los Angeles, the third of nine children. His father was a Chinese launderer who operated the Mandarin Laundry in Downtown Los Angeles. Judge Lew worked his way through school in his father’s laundry business.

After graduation from Loyola University, Judge Lew began Southwestern University School of Law. His legal education was interrupted by the draft into the U.S. Army where he served as a First Lieutenant. Afterwards, he returned to Southwestern and began practicing law in 1971. He worked as a deputy city attorney for two years before going into the private practice of law.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed Judge Lew to the federal bench for the Central District of California. He was the first Chinese American appointed as a United States District Judge in the continental U.S.

Judge Lew was involved in public service for a number of years. Also active in civic, community affairs, Judge Lew helped to establish the Chinatown Service Center, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association.

Timeline Updates

Ricky Leo — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:29:27 +0000

Some significant events have occurred since our last timeline entry for October 2021.

In November 13,14 2021, CHSSC was a community partner for the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Chinese American WWII Veterans at ceremonies in Los Angeles Chinatown and Simi Valley.

On March 2, 2022, we launched our new website and digital archives.

The premier of our Grandview Gardens Restaurant Online Exhibit was on June 15, 2022. The virtual exhibit features murals by Tyrus Wong and the history of the restaurant, in both Old and New Chinatown.

The 10th Yosemite Sing Peak Pilgrimage from July 29-31, 2022 was a milestone event. With the efforts of Ranger Yenyen Chan and others, the contributions of the Chinese in the establishment of Yosemite as a National Park is more widely known.

The re-dedication of the Lang Station plaque and a new plaque honoring all Chinese railroad workers was done at the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Vista Canyon Multi-modal Station in Santa Clarita on October 20, 2023.

Click on the button below to view the timeline:

Launch of our redesigned website and digital archives

Premier of our Grandview Gardens Restaurant Online Exhibit.

Awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to Chinese American WWII Veterans and their families.

10th Yosemite Sing Peak Pilgrimage. Group photo at May Lake.

Dedication of plaques at the new Vista Canyon Multi-modal Station in Santa Clarita.

Paintings in Print: Studying Art in China

Ricky Leo — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 23:14:08 +0000

Our November monthly meeting is a joint dinner/program co-sponsored with the China Society of Southern California. It features Michelle Bailey, Assistant Curator, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Her talk will center on the current exhibit entitled “Paintings in Print: Studying Art in China”. it will be on Monday, November 6, 2023. The dinner and program are at the Golden Dragon in Chinatown. Dinner starts at 6:00pm and the program is at 7:00pm. Buy your tickets, $40/person, at https://staging.chssc.org/event/paintings-in-print/.

Description of the Exhibit at Huntington Library

In the 16th century, Chinese publishers began creating educational manuals filled with colorful prints of paintings and texts on the history and methods of brush arts. The manuals were unprecedented because they taught aspiring painters and collectors from the growing merchant class how to create and appreciate literati art—a combination of painting, calligraphy, and poetry long practiced by elite scholars. This exhibition at The Huntington, which runs from October 7, 2023 to May 27, 2024, explores the ways these manuals used innovative printing methods to introduce the techniques, history, and appreciation of painting to widening audiences in early modern China.

About Michelle Bailey

As assistant curator for the Center for East Asian Studies, Michelle assists with interpretation of the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, exhibition planning, and educational programming. Prior to joining The Huntington, she served as curatorial assistant for Chinese and Korean art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 2000 to 2010. She received her M.A. in Art History from the University of California, Riverside, and B.A. in International Relations from the University of Redlands.

Photos from the Huntington Library Exhibit

SCCLA 48th Installation & Awards Banquet

Ricky Leo — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 22:42:29 +0000

Standing, L to R: Ricky Leo, Grace Leo, Justin Lum (Albert Lum’s son)

Seated: Nowland Hong

My wife Grace and I were invited to the 48th Installation & Awards Banquet for the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) by its founder Albert Lum. Although Albert was unable to attend, we met his son Justin Lum and Nowland Hong.

The late Hon. Ronald S.W. Lew was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. His wife, Mamie Lew, accepted the award on his behalf.

Photos from the banquet

CHSSC Hosts Visiting Scholars

Ricky Leo — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:29:36 +0000

Standing, L to R: Jamie Lee (University of Arizona), Ricky Leo (CHSSC President), Albert Lowe (CHSSC Board Member and Archives Chair), Cecilia Salvatore (Dominican University), Sadaf Ahmadbeigi (UCLA), Dee Winn (UCLA), Sumayya Ahmed (Simmons University), Vanessa Reyes (East Carolina University)

Seated, L to R: Eugene Moy (CHSSC Past President), Michelle Caswell (UCLA), Linda Bentz (CHSSC Board Member and Historian), Grace Leo (CHSSC Board Member)

On October 21, 2023, a distinguished group of scholars came to visit our Chinatown Heritage Center. The visitors were faculty members from archival studies programs in universities across the United States. They are collaborating on a national scale to apply for a larger community archives internship program to be funded by Carnegie Mellon and IMLS.

They were interesting in finding out about how our past UCLA interns have benefited from their internships. They also wanted to view our facilities and to examine our collection of artifacts.

We served them afternoon tea and also showed them our online digital archives.

Afternoon tea

Presentation by Albert &Linda

Discussion led by Albert & Linda

Demonstration of our online assets

Visiting our artifacts display

Drum & Bugle Corps display

Inside our archives building

Vista Canyon Metrolink Station Ribbon Cutting

Ricky Leo — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 16:51:21 +0000

On October 21, 2023, CHSSC President Ricky Leo spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newest Metrolink station in Santa Clarita, the Vista Canyon Multi-modal Station. He spoke about the contributions of the Chinese in the building of the railroad, including the 7,000 foot long San Fernando Tunnel. The historic plaque that the Historical Society dedicated in 1976 at the nearby Lang Station, which is no longer in operation, was moved to this new location. At that time, the Historical Society had only been organized less than one year earlier. The 1976 dedication was for the 100th anniversary of the driving of the last golden spike completing the railroad between San Francisco and Los Angeles. He told the crowd about how the 3,000 Chinese laborers who blasted through solid rock, endured intense temperatures and lost lives and limbs to complete the tunnel.

CHSSC President's Speech

Mayor Gibbs, Supervisor Barger, Representatives from Metrolink and our other distinguished speakers and guests, it is a great honor for me to speak today on behalf of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.

As the current president, I would like to applaud the work of Metro to provide a new location for the historic plaques that my organization and the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society had installed and dedicated forty seven years ago in September 1976. Our historical society had only been organized less than a year earlier in November 1975. We felt that it was important to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike at Lang Station, linking the rail line between Northern and Southern California. Our plaque commemorated the Chinese contribution to the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad and the San Fernando Tunnel which linked San Francisco to Los Angeles. We returned on September 5, 2001 on the 125^th anniversary ceremony organized by Metrolink. In attendance was Former California Secretary of State March Fong Eu. I would like to quote part of her speech:

“We stand today on hallowed ground, consecrated by the blood, sweat, and tears of 3,000 laborers of Chinese ancestry… As with the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad, it was the vision of railroad magnate Charles Crocker, doing what others would not, or could not do. They battled solid rock, blistering heat, and desiccating winds. Cave-ins, boiler explosions and breaking cables claimed lives and limbs. As they cut their way through the San Fernando mountains, their daily progress was measured by fractions of an inch… The 7,000 foot long San Fernando Tunnel remains as one of the state’s engineering marvels. Chinese laborers had, once again, done the impossible, but they received no credit for their triumph. In fact, the final 1,000 feet of track was laid by Caucasian workers.”

The Chinese Historical Society returns here today, for the re-dedication of the plaques at this new location, which will ensure their long-term preservation. Our plaque honors the Chinese laborers who not only helped to unite a nation, but the state of California as well. We need to keep their story alive so that future generations will know and appreciate their contributions.

Thank you to Metro and all those involved for this opportunity to join in the celebration today.

Photo courtesy of Ricky Leo

CHSSC plaque from 1976 dedication at Lang Station.

CHSSC plaque at the 2023 dedication at Vista Canyon Metrolink Station.

Photo from 1976 Golden Spike at Lang Station

CHSSC President Chuck Yee and California Secretary of State March Fong Eu reenacting the driving of the golden spike at Lang Station commemorating the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad linking San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Photo from the CHSSC archives

Photos from the Vista Canyon Metrolink Station ribbon cutting

All photos courtesy of the City of Santa Clarita except where otherwise noted.