History of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles

[[File:Los angeles chinatown0001.jpg|thumb|[[Chinatown, Los Angeles]]]]

Historically there has been a population of [[Chinese Americans]] in [[Los Angeles]] and the [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Area]]. As of 2010, there were 393,488 Chinese Americans in [[Los Angeles County]], 4.0% of the county's population, and 66,782 Chinese Americans in the city of Los Angeles (1.8% of the total population).<ref>[https://www.census.gov U.S. Census website], [[U.S. Census]]</ref>

==History== The historian William Mason stated that the first Chinese in Los Angeles were Ah Luce and Ah Fou, who arrived in 1850.<ref>Estrada, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=eJu4Wau5G5UC&pg=PA72 72].</ref> In his memoirs, [[Harris Newmark]] stated that the first Chinese person was the servant of his uncle, [[Joseph Newmark]].<ref>Estrada, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=eJu4Wau5G5UC&pg=PA71 71]-[https://books.google.com/books?id=eJu4Wau5G5UC&pg=PA72 72].</ref> [[Image:Chinatown Visitor Center.jpg|thumb|left|Chinatown Heritage and Visitors Center, [[Chinese Historical Society of Southern California]]]] The [[Chinese massacre of 1871]] was a [[Hate crime|racially motivated]] riot which occurred on October 24, 1871 in Los Angeles, when a mob of around 500 white men entered Chinatown to attack, rob, and murder Chinese residents of the city.<ref>{{cite web |url =http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/scandals/chinese_riots.html |title =Chinese Massacre of 1871 |publisher =University of Southern California |date =June 23, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014114252/http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/scandals/chinese_riots.html |archive-date=October 14, 2012}}</ref><ref name="laweekly">{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/news/how-los-angeles-covered-up-the-massacre-of-17-chinese-2169478|title=How Los Angeles Covered Up the Massacre of 17 Chinese|website=LA Weekly|first=John|last=Johnson|date=10 March 2011|access-date=1 August 2016|quote=There were 17. It was the largest mass lynching in American history.}}</ref> An estimated 17 to 20 Chinese immigrants were systematically tortured and then [[hanged]] by the mob, making the event the largest mass [[lynching]] in American history.<ref name="laweekly"/><ref>Erika Lee, Review of ''The Chinatown War: Chinese Los Angeles and the Massacre of 1871,'' by Scott Zesch, ''Journal of American History,'' vol. 100, no. 1 (June 2013), pg. 217.</ref><!--

In regards to the New Orleans lynching, also called the largest lynching:

* {{cite book|last1=Gambino|first1=Richard |author-link=Richard Gambino |title=Vendetta: The True Story of the Largest Lynching in U.S. History|date=2000|publisher=Guernica|isbn=9781550711035}}

Gambino notes lynching as distinct from a [[massacre]], and that it was the largest "as measured by the number of people illegally killed in one place at one time, the victims' identities predetermined for some specific alleged offense." This classification would not include [[massacre]]s, such as the [[Chinese massacre of 1871]], in which victims are chosen "without regard to their individual identities and in which no specific offense on their part is alleged." See also [[Porvenir massacre (1918)]]. However, others (e.g. those referenced below) do not restrict the definition of "lynching" to exclude those described by other labels like "massacre" or "terrorism". References: * {{cite book | url=http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/701719807 | title=Rough Justice: Lynching and American Society, 1874–1947 | publisher=North Carolina University Press | author=Wood, Amy Louise | year=2009 | isbn=9780807878118}} * [https://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2016/10/21/52801/commemorating-la-s-chinese-massacre-possibly-the-w/ "Commemorating LA's Chinese Massacre, possibly the worst lynching in US history"], Robert Petersen, Off-Ramp®, South Carolina Public Radio, 21 October 2016

-->

By 1900, there were about 3,000 Chinese in the city. Most residents of the [[Old Chinatown, Los Angeles|old Chinatown]] came from [[Sanyi]] (San Yup) and [[Siyi]] (Sze Yup) in [[Guangdong]]. The Old Chinatown began to decline as more Chinese left. The [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal]], built in 1933, was built over much of the former Old Chinatown, so a new Chinatown was established after Peter SooHoo Sr. and Herbert Lapham, an agent for the [[Santa Fe Railway]], negotiated a land purchase for what would become the new Chinatown.<ref name=ChoArcadiap7>Cho and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, ''Chinatown in Los Angeles'', p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5KzsbYLLzfAC&pg=PA7 7].</ref>

[[Christine Sterling]], a civic leader, developed "[[China City, Los Angeles|China City]]," a tourist attraction which opened in 1938. Chinese working there also lived there. After two fires, "China City" decayed and was gone by the 1950s. To make way for the [[Hollywood Freeway]], almost all of the remainder of old Chinatown was destroyed in 1951. The remaining portions were parts of Sanchez Alley and Garnier Block.<ref name=ChoArcadiap8>Cho and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, ''Chinatown in Los Angeles'', p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5KzsbYLLzfAC&pg=PA8 8].</ref>

More Chinese, especially those from [[Hong Kong]], immigrated to Los Angeles after the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965]] (Hart-Cellar Act) passed. By the end of the 20th Century many [[Chinese enclaves in the San Gabriel Valley|Chinese began moving to suburbs]] such as [[Monterey Park, California|Monterey Park]], [[Alhambra, California|Alhambra]], [[Arcadia, California|Arcadia]], and [[Rosemead, California|Rosemead]].<ref name=ChoArcadiap8/> By 2013, large numbers of ethnic Chinese moved into communities in the [[San Gabriel Valley]], including [[San Gabriel, California|San Gabriel]], [[San Marino, California|San Marino]], and [[Walnut, California|Walnut]].<ref>Medina, Jennifer. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/us/asians-now-largest-immigrant-group-in-southern-california.html?_r=0 New Suburban Dream Born of Asia and Southern California]." ''[[The New York Times]]''. April 28, 2013. Retrieved on March 11, 2014.</ref>

The [[2015 Rowland Heights, California bullying incident]] involved Chinese nationals living in the Los Angeles area.

==Geography== {{see also|Chinese enclaves in the San Gabriel Valley}} The [[San Gabriel Valley]] has a large Chinese population. Much of the Chinese immigrants are from Taiwan and Hong Kong. The population is concentrated in the cities of [[Monterey Park, California|Monterey Park]] and [[Alhambra, California|Alhambra]].

==Institutions== [[File:Chinese American Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Chinese American Museum]]]] The [[Chinese American Museum]] is located in [[Downtown Los Angeles]]. The [[Chinese Historical Society of Southern California]] is located in [[Los Angeles]], California.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-irvin-lai-20100725-story.html|title=Irvin R. Lai dies at 83; Chinese American community leader in Los Angeles|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 25, 2010| first=Ching-Ching |last=Ni|access-date=17 January 2016}}</ref>

==Language== Previously [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] was a major spoken language among the Los Angeles area Chinese. By 2022 [[Mandarin Chinese]] was becoming more dominant.<ref>{{cite web|last=Do|first=Anh|url=https://www.latimes.com:443/california/story/2022-04-17/with-mandarin-on-the-rise-cantonese-remains-under-threat|title=The quest to save Cantonese in a world dominated by Mandarin |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=2022-04-17|accessdate=2022-09-29}}</ref>

==Education== As of 2006 most of the Greater Los Angeles Chinese supplementary educational schools are located in Chinese communities, serving mostly ethnic Chinese, in the [[San Gabriel Valley]]. The ethnic Chinese students come from various ethnic Chinese backgrounds. The weekend schools have a tendency of attracting clientele from wider areas while daily programs have a tendency of attracting nearby students.<ref name=ZhouKim>Zhou, Min and Kim, Susan S. ([[University of California, Los Angeles]]). "[http://www.centerforurbanstudies.com/documents/electronic_library/neighborhoods/social_capital_and_education.pdf Community forces, social capital, and educational achievement: The case of supplementary education in the Chinese and Korean immigrant communities]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120906061645/http://www.centerforurbanstudies.com/documents/electronic_library/neighborhoods/social_capital_and_education.pdf Archive]). ''[[Harvard Educational Review]]'', 2006. 76 (1), 1-29. Cited page: 10</ref>

As of 1993 Saturday morning Chinese language programs in the San Gabriel Valley had about 10,000 Chinese American children as students. That year Chinese schools held classes in four [[Rowland Unified School District]] elementary school campuses.<ref name=LiHangingHerit>Li, Tommy. "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-06-03-ga-43035-story.html Hanging on to Heritage : Saturday-Morning Chinese Schools Are Teaching Language and Culture]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. June 3, 1993. Retrieved on March 8, 2015.</ref> As of 2006, the ''Southern California Chinese Consumer Yellow Pages'' had a listing of such institutes, stating that there were 135 academic after school tutoring establishments, with ''[[buxibans]]'' among them. The same directory listed 90 Chinese language schools, 90 dancing and music schools, and 50 art centers and schools.<ref name=ZhouKim/>

The weekend Chinese schools, in addition to Saturday classes, also held classes on summer weekdays and in after-school periods on other weekdays. As of 1993 the yearly tuition of a weekend Chinese school for children ranged $200 to $300 (with inflation accounted for, ${{inflation|USD|200|1993|r=2}} to ${{inflation|USD|300|1993|r=2}}) per person. Classes were generally held from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Some public schools in the San Gabriel Valley distributed foreign language credits to students of Chinese schools.<ref name=LiHangingHerit/>

===Chinese schools=== 11 Los Angeles area Chinese weekend schools in Los Angeles County co-founded the Southern California Council of Chinese Schools in 1976. In 1993 this council operated Chinese schools in California and Arizona, and that year almost all of the San Gabriel Valley Chinese schools belonged to this council.<ref name=LiHangingHerit/>

The [[Hacienda Heights]] Area Chinese School, which opened in 1982, initially held classes in a church and had about 100 students. In 1984 it moved to Dibble Adult School. In 1990 it began holding classes at Cedarlane Junior High School due to an expanding student body. As of 1993 it had about 550 students.<ref name=LiHangingHerit/>

Michael Chen co-founded the Ming Yuan Institute, held at St. Steven's Catholic School in [[Monterey Park, California|Monterey Park]], in 1987. As of 1993 the school had 750 students in its main Saturday program in Monterey Park and 50 students at a branch campus in [[Rowland Heights]].<ref name=LiHangingHerit/>

The San Fernando Valley Chinese School was founded in 1971 and had sponsorship from the San Fernando Valley Chinese Cultural Association. As of 1988 it holds its classes in Andasol Elementary School in [[Northridge, Los Angeles|Northridge]].<ref>Lingre, Michele. "Early Linguists : Private Foreign-Language Schools Give Bilingual Education a New Twist." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. April 28, 1988. p. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-28-vw-3128-story.html 2]. Retrieved on June 29, 2015.</ref>

== Notable people == * [[Lanhee Chen]] * [[Judy Chu]] * [[Helen Liu Fong]] * [[Michelle Kwan]] * [[Ted Lieu]]

== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * Cho, Jenny and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. ''Chinatown in Los Angeles''. [[Arcadia Publishing]], 2009. {{ISBN|0738569569}}, {{ISBN|9780738569567}}. * Estrada, William David. ''The Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space''. [[University of Texas Press]], February 17, 2009. {{ISBN|0292782098}}, {{ISBN|9780292782099}}. * Cho, Jenny and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. ''Chinatown and China City in Los Angeles'' (Postcard History). [[Arcadia Publishing]], 2011. {{ISBN|0738581658}}, {{ISBN|9780738581651}}. * {{cite thesis |last = Gow |first = William |date=2018 |url = https://escholarship.org/uc/item/51d3m1t8 |title = Performing Chinatown: Hollywood Cinema, Tourism, and the Making of a Los Angeles Community, 1882–1943 |degree = PhD |institution = [[UC Berkeley]] }} * Louis, Kit-King. ''A Study of American-born and American-reared Chinese in Los Angeles''. [[University of Southern California]], 1931. * Li, Wei (Department of Geography, [[University of Connecticut]]). "[http://usj.sagepub.com/content/35/3/479.abstract Anatomy of a New Ethnic Settlement: The Chinese Ethnoburb in Los Angeles]." ''[[Urban Studies]]''. [[SAGE Journals]], March 1998 vol. 35 no. 3. 479–501. {{doi|10.1080/0042098984871}} . * Zesch, Scott. ''The Chinatown War: Chinese Los Angeles and the Massacre of 1871''. [[Oxford University Press]], June 29, 2012. {{ISBN|019975876X}}, {{ISBN|9780199758760}}. * Wu, Frances Yu-tsing. ''Mandarin-speaking Aged Chinese in the Los Angeles Area: Needs and Services''. {{refend}}

== External links == * [http://www.leecu.com/history.html#LA Los Angeles Lee Family Association]

[[Category:Chinese-American culture in Los Angeles| ]] [[Category:Chinese-American culture by city|Los Angeles]] [[Category:Chinese-American history by location]] [[Category:History of Los Angeles|Chinese Americans]]