History of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles facts for kids
Los Angeles has been home to many Chinese Americans for a long time. In 2010, nearly 400,000 Chinese Americans lived in Los Angeles County. This was about 4% of everyone living there. In the city of Los Angeles itself, about 67,000 Chinese Americans lived there.
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History of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles
The first Chinese people in Los Angeles arrived around 1850. Their names were Ah Luce and Ah Fou. Another early Chinese person was a servant for Joseph Newmark, a well-known person in the city.
On October 24, 1871, a sad event called the Chinese massacre of 1871 happened. About 500 white men attacked Chinese residents in Chinatown. This was a violent riot motivated by racism. Between 17 and 20 Chinese immigrants were killed.
By 1900, about 3,000 Chinese people lived in Los Angeles. Most of them came from areas in China called Sanyi and Siyi, in the Guangdong province. The original Chinatown, known as Old Chinatown, started to shrink as people moved away.
A new train station, Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, was built in 1933. It covered much of the old Chinatown area. So, a new Chinatown was created. Peter SooHoo Sr. and Herbert Lapham helped buy land for this new area.
Christine Sterling, a community leader, opened "China City" in 1938. It was a place for tourists to visit. Chinese people who worked there also lived there. After two fires, "China City" fell apart and was gone by the 1950s.
In 1951, most of the remaining old Chinatown was torn down. This happened to make way for the Hollywood Freeway. Only small parts like Sanchez Alley and Garnier Block were left.
More Chinese people came to Los Angeles after 1965. This was because of a new law called the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Many of these new immigrants came from Hong Kong. By the late 1900s, many Chinese people moved to suburbs. These included cities like Monterey Park, Alhambra, Arcadia, and Rosemead.
By 2013, even more Chinese people moved into communities in the San Gabriel Valley. These cities included San Gabriel, San Marino, and Walnut.
Where Chinese Americans Live
The San Gabriel Valley has a very large Chinese population. Many Chinese immigrants in this area come from Taiwan and Hong Kong. You can find many Chinese people living in cities like Monterey Park and Alhambra.
Important Places and Groups
The Chinese American Museum is located in Downtown Los Angeles. It helps people learn about Chinese American history. The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California is also in Los Angeles. It works to preserve Chinese American history and culture.
Languages Spoken
For a long time, Cantonese was the main language spoken by Chinese people in Los Angeles. But by 2022, Mandarin Chinese became more common.
Education for Chinese American Students
Many Chinese communities in the San Gabriel Valley have special schools. These schools offer extra education, mostly for ethnic Chinese students. Students come from different Chinese backgrounds. Weekend schools often attract students from a wider area. Daily programs usually serve students who live nearby.
In 1993, about 10,000 Chinese American children attended Saturday morning Chinese language programs. These classes were held at four elementary schools in the Rowland Unified School District. By 2006, a local directory listed many such places. It showed 135 after-school tutoring centers, including buxibans. The directory also listed 90 Chinese language schools, 90 dancing and music schools, and 50 art centers.
Weekend Chinese schools also held classes during summer weekdays. They also had after-school classes on other weekdays. In 1993, the cost for a year at a weekend Chinese school was about $200 to $300 per child. This would be about $405.16 to $607.74 today. Classes usually ran from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Some public schools in the San Gabriel Valley gave foreign language credits to students who attended these Chinese schools.
Chinese Schools in Los Angeles
In 1976, 11 Chinese weekend schools in Los Angeles County started a group. It was called the Southern California Council of Chinese Schools. By 1993, almost all Chinese schools in the San Gabriel Valley belonged to this group. The council also ran schools in California and Arizona.
The Hacienda Heights Area Chinese School opened in 1982. It started with about 100 students in a church. In 1984, it moved to Dibble Adult School. By 1990, it moved again to Cedarlane Junior High School because it had more students. In 1993, it had about 550 students.
Michael Chen helped start the Ming Yuan Institute in 1987. It held classes at St. Steven's Catholic School in Monterey Park. In 1993, the school had 750 students in its main Saturday program. It also had 50 students at a smaller campus in Rowland Heights.
The San Fernando Valley Chinese School was founded in 1971. It was supported by the San Fernando Valley Chinese Cultural Association. Since 1988, it holds its classes at Andasol Elementary School in Northridge.
Notable Chinese Americans in Los Angeles
- Lanhee Chen
- Judy Chu
- Helen Liu Fong
- Michelle Kwan
- Ted Lieu
