We of CHCP mourn the passing of Judge Michael Kwan with heartfelt remembrance. To CHCP and the Asian American community, he was the president of the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association and helped to create the movement to reclaim our history at the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Click to view a tribute letter by CHCP Advisory Board Member Connie Young Yu.

The “East Meets West: Chinatown Nightclubs” webinar was our first co-hosted session between the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group (BACGG) and CHCP … and broke all previous attendee records. Attendees came from all parts of the nation (including Hawaii), plus folks from Canada, Japan, and England to laugh, listen, and learn from the daring dancing dolls, Coby Yee and Cynthia Yee, and Calvin Fong, son of a nightclub owner.

The Webinar consists of 3 parts:

1. Cocktail Lounge/Waiting Room (featuring music, dancing and a cavalcade of stars and entertainers):
   • Classic Photos of Nightclubs (02:30 – 07:18)
   • Video including Dancing by Toy and Wing (07:18 – 13:30)
2. Calvin Fong’s Keynote Presentation (23:40 – 1:00:55)
3. Panel Discussion (1:00:56 – 1:48:00)

Abstract

This webinar explores a little known, but exciting, topic in Chinese American history: Chinese American nightclubs. Many of the performers (singers, dancers, magicians, acrobats, comedians, etc.) were Chinese with headliner names; like the “Chinese Frank Sinatra” or the “Chinese Ginger Rogers.” Many performers were 2nd generation Asians coming out of the Great Depression and who loved entertaining but were shut out from performing live on American stage or in the movies. The Chinese nightclubs offered a venue for them to show their many talents and opened opportunities that they could not realize otherwise.

For information about the panelists: https://bacgg.org/index.php/webinar-east-meets-west-chinatown-night-clubs-july-15-2020/

Please Support Us

Please consider helping support our webinars to preserve Chinese American heritage, so it may live into the future.

To support CHCP: https://chcp.org/donate/

To support BACGG: https://bacgg.org/index.php/due/

Thank you for your consideration.

David Yick, CHCP President
Ron Chan, BACGG Executive Director

By Maggie, 2019/2020 CHCP Student Docent Cultural Ambassador

It was wonderful seeing everyone share their hobbies and talents at the recognition day. From playing the piano, to singing, to art, CHCP Student Docents have a wide range of talents.

I became a member of the SDCAP because I am interested in learning more about my own culture and the history of Chinese Americans in the United States. Students like myself are often not taught about how significant Chinese Americans are to American history, and so I joined this program in hopes of learning more so that I can spread my knowledge to others as well.

The most memorable event from my time in the SDCAP program is the yearly Chinese New Year celebration at the History Park. I enjoyed seeing people of many cultures learn more about Chinese New Year and experience Chinese New Year activities with their children. It was also a fun experience being a part of the dragon team.

Lillian Gong-Guy Memorial Scholarship

By Allan Low and Debbie Gong-Guy, 2020 CHCP Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs

For the sixth year, the Chinese Historical & Cultural Project (CHCP) is honored to announce the recipients of the Lillian Gong-Guy Memorial Scholarship (LGGMS) awards on Sunday, May 17th. We are living in unprecedented times. Due to the current shelter-in-place order to contain the COVID-19 coronavirus and the possible health risks to our students, guests, and members, the Student Recognition event scheduled at San Joseʼs History Park had to be cancelled. However, we are proud to virtually announce our 2020 scholarship recipients and continue this tradition.

The Lillian Gong-Guy Memorial Scholarship was established in 2014 in tribute to CHCPʼs late co-founder, Lillian Gong-Guy, to recognize exemplary seniors who have demonstrated academic achievement balanced with strong community service and involvement. Our five scholarship award recipients this year truly represent the future leaders of our community.

Our scholarship winners are:

• Tia Tyng Chang of Henry M. Gunn High School
• Melissa Lee of Fremont High School
• Alisha Naidu of Lynbrook High School
• Joshua Zhang of Saratoga High School
• Serena Zhang of Evergreen Valley High School

To learn more about our exceptional scholarship recipients, please click here (or click on an individual recipient's name above).

In addition to the Co-Chairs, Allan Low and Debbie Gong-Guy, this yearʼs Scholarship Committee members are Anita Wong Kwock, Bozena Teo, Brenda Wong, Judy Wong, and Karyn Wong.

We would like to thank all the donors to the LGGMS program for their continued generosity and support. For more information, please contact us at scholarship@chcp.org.

By Dave Yick, 2020 CHCP President

I would like to thank all who were involved in the making of CHCP’s first Speaker Series Webinar. Special thanks go to our Panelists* Donald Young, Connie Young Yu, and Gordon Smith, and our Moderator* Erwin Wong…They all were GREAT!…with tons of information and personal insights. And much thanks to all our CHCP Family and Friends who tuned in; we appreciate your continued support.

Even if you have already viewed the complete PBS Series and the Webinar, as Connie emphasized in her closing statement, it is worth seeing it again, since there is so much information to take in. The 5-part documentary series “Asian Americans” is now streaming for a limited time on PBS, co-produced by CAAM, at this website: https://www.pbs.org/show/asian-americans/

The last 20 minutes of the Webinar can be seen via the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f9chgpjcfvraxru/AABSskyeWD84gppJSDIKI2-ua?dl=0

* Panelists:

• Donald Young – CAAM Director of Programs and CAAM Executive Producer for the PBS Documentary Series, “Asian Americans”
• Connie Young Yu – An internationally recognized Chinese American writer, historian, and lecturer. Connie is included in Episodes 1 and 5 of this PBS Series. She is a long time CHCP member and Advisory Board Member.
• Gordon Smith – Vice President and Head Docent, Japanese American Museum SJ

Moderator: Erwin Wong – CHCP Director and Speaker Series Chair

New CHCP Advisory Board member Nathan Louie, along with his team of greeters clad in his beautiful Chinese robes, posed on the red carpet at the California Theatre with Baldwin Chiu, Larissa Lam, and their 6-year-old daughter Caliya.

Baldwin Chiu (aka Only Won) and Larissa Lam are a music and filmmaking husband-wife team and have been past CHCP Speaker Series presenters. The couple premiered their documentary film, “Far East Deep South,” at this Cinequest Film Festival event. The documentary tells the Chiu family’s journey to find their grandfather’s remains in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Watch their new music video below, highlighting Asian American history while putting their own twist on a song from the hit musical “Hamilton.” It’s a family affair with their daughter Caliya (aka Lil’ Won)! Be sure to watch other music videos by this talented couple, available on YouTube.

CHCP participated in the “Gathering: Collecting and Documenting Chinese American History” exhibit at the Museum of Chinese in America in New York City (MOCA-NYC) by sending information and an artifact (altar vessel) representing the Chinese American Historical Museum (CAHM) at History Park in San Jose.

By Brenda Hee Wong, 2020 CHCP Director

CHCP collaborated with the Chinese American Pioneer Heritage Committee on a conference held Feb. 22/23, 2020 to increase knowledge of the “LOST CHINATOWNS”, almost 100 communities abandoned because of Chinese Exclusion, discrimination, violence and economic displacement. The conference was held in historic Marysville Chinatown, once the second largest in the US, to honor the Chinese Americans’ role in building California—especially the railroads, roads, wineries, mines, delta levees, water and irrigation systems and agricultural farmlands. CHCP Director Brenda Hee Wong exhibited 24 panels and spoke of San Jose Chinatowns. CHCP Advisory Board Member Gerry Low Sabado did the same to recognize the Chinese of Pacific Grove/Monterey. Organized educational & cultural events were held in conjunction with the 140th Anniversary of the Bok Kai Parade, Bomb Festival, and Moo Lung, restored oldest parade dragon.

Bomb Day, or “Yee Yeut Yee” in Chinese, takes its name from the colorful firing of the bombs highlighting the celebration, which is in tribute to the Chinese Water God, The Bok Kai.  The video below shows one of 14 bombs set off that day along with thousands of firecrackers! A ring wrapped with red ribbon shoots out from the bomb which creates the mad dash to grab the ring which has a number attached for a special good fortune message.  The message is read to the owner of the ring back at the temple. The person able to grab the ring is rewarded with a big “li see”, a red envelope usually from a business that wants the good luck message.

By Alison Woolpert, Member of Yuki Teikei Haiku Society (YTHS)

Roger Abe set up a wonderful tour of the Chinese American Historical Museum in History Park San Jose. The museum building, a reconstruction of the original 1888 Ng Shing Gung Temple or “Temple of the Gods,” served the Chinese community as a cultural center.

Docents Brenda Hee Wong and Anita Wong Kwock explained that the two-story brick building was used not only as a meeting place, but also as a school where children could study calligraphy and the Chinese classics, a hostel, and a place to worship. The upstairs temple houses the original carved and gilded teak wood altar that has been lovingly restored. Along with the many artifacts of daily life and celebrations showcased downstairs, there is a pictorial timeline starting in 1850 to the present that shows what was going on in the USA, San Jose, and China.

Following the tour, members spent time in History Park and later gathered at the Markham House to share our haiku from the day.

Attendees: Roger Abe, Patricia Machmiller, Philip Hsieh, Linda Papanincolaou, Eleanor Carolan, Joan Zimmerman, Amy King, Carolyn Fitz, Marilyn Gehant, Noreen Brennan, Clysta Seney, Mimi Ahern, Carol Steele, Alison Woolpert

Haiku Poetry and Testimonials from YTHS Tour Members

It was a thrill to be in the haiku group with Roger Abe (YTHS) on our recent visit to your beautiful Ng Shing Gung temple museum. Your collection is so rich. I appreciate the splendor of the temple area. Downstairs I was especially intrigued by the schoolroom exhibit, the clothes, and the pottery, all of which give such a strong sense of lived lives. I can only imagine their joys and sorrows, but more clearly now, thanks to your museum.

You expressed an interest in the haiku that some of us wrote. You will have noticed that we write "modern" haiku as well as the classical 5-7-5 syllables. But we do try to include an indication of season. Below are the two haiku that I read. In the first one "blossom" suggests spring. In the second one, "first meal" suggests the New Year.

   broken blossoms
   the finger-length lotus shoes
   for bound feet

   first meal
   scratching his name
   on his new rice bowl

Best wishes,
(Joan) Zimmerman

Great presentation!

   two children
   board the winter trolley—
   double happiness

   a stranger finds rest
   at the feet of spring mountains
   Temple of Five Gods

Roger Abe

Very insightful tour of Ng Shing Gung, Temple of the Gods. My haiku:

   year of the rat
   we take the stairs to the Temple
   of the Five Gods

I look forward to returning to Ng Shing Gung in the future to spend more time.

Alison Woolpert

The Saturday tour was a very memorable event. The museum that you have created is certainly well done; what an asset to the San Jose community you have provided.

Here are some haiku that I wrote reflecting on the day:

   the colorful head
   of a paper lion—
   spring in a glass cage

   decorated staves
   of the Eight Immortals—
   grand majesty orchids

   red silk slippers
   handmade for the newborn—
   snow moon

Sincerely,
Patricia J. Machmiller

By Pinki Fung, 2019 CHCP Co-Vice President

This special annual event was held on May 2, 2019 in Milpitas, California. It honored community members who have dedicated their time, energy and efforts to improving the lives of those in California Assembly District 25.  Many people came together to support more than 80 community members who were recognized and given medals of honor for their dedication and hard work.

Thank you to our Advisory Board Member Vicki Young, for nominating CHCP as one of the Community Heroes honorees. CHCP was honored to be there at this very special event.

Attendees: CHCP Co-Founder Gerrye Wong, CHCP Co-President Dave Yick, CHCP Co-Vice President Pinki Fung, CHCP Directors Karyn Wong, Peter Young, Erwin Wong, Kelly Chew and Brenda Wong.