History&Perspectives

2011 CHINESE AMERICA History&Perspectives THE JOURNAL OF THE CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA CHINESE AMERICA HISTORY & PERSPECTIVES The Journal of the Chinese Historical Society of America 2011 CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA with UCLA Asian American Studies Center Chinese America: History & Perspectives — The Journal of the Chinese Historical Society of America Chinese Historical Society of America Museum & Learning Center 965 Clay Street San Francisco, California 94108 chsa.org Copyright © 2011 Chinese Historical Society of America. All rights reserved. Copyright of individual articles remains with the author(s). ISBN-13: 978-1-885864-46-8 ISBN-10: 1-885864-46-9 Design by Side By Side Studios, San Francisco. Permission is granted for reproducing up to fifty copies of any one article for Educa- tional Use as defined by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To order additional copies or inquire about large-order discounts, see order form at back or email [email protected]. Articles appearing in this journal are indexed in Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life. About the cover image: Young Chinese Athletic Club of Oakland, CA, 1928. Photo courtesy of Arthur Tom Collection. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Preface v INTRODUCTION 1 Laurene Wu McClain THE CHINESE LADY AND CHINA FOR THE LADIES 5 Race, Gender, and Public Exhibition in Jacksonian America John Haddad DRUMMING UP CHINESENESS 21 Chicago’s Chinese Children’s Rhythm Band in the 1930s and 1940s Jeff Kyong-McClain BORN LUCKY 29 The Story of Laura Lai Jean Dere CHINGWAH LEE 37 San Francisco Chinatown’s Renaissance Man Atha Fong ARTHUR TOM 49 William Wong FLEXIBLE AUTHENTICITY 57 Din Tai Fung as a Global Shanghai Dumpling House Made in Taiwan Haiming Liu CHASING CHINA 67 Adoption Tourism, Images of China, and the Negotiation of Asian American Identity Jillian Powers About the Contributors 75 About the Editorial Committee 77 Guidelines for Manuscript Submission 79 Chinese Historical Society of America Membership Form 81 iii Preface The Chinese America: History & Perspectives editorial committee is pleased to launch its 2011 edition as an online journal. We are excited about the possibility of drastically increasing our readership! Last year’s 2010 edition, offering both hard and online versions, was our transitional year. We hope you enjoy our 2011 totally online edition and keep in mind that we are still working on increasing accessibility and user friendliness, such as being able to download a specific article. We welcome your feedback. v Introduction Laurene Wu McClain Laurene Wu McClain, “Introduction,” Chinese America: His- tion that persuaded many Americans to pay the rather high tory & Perspectives —The Journal of the Chinese Historical admission fee to see her. As Haddad observes, Afong Moy Society of America (San Francisco: Chinese Historical Society of became a “household name” after just several months in the America with UCLA Asian American Studies Center, 2011), 1–3. United States. Newspaper articles publicized her appear- ances, her demeanor, and, of course, her bound feet. She his 2011 edition of Chinese America: History & Per- even met members of Congress and President Jackson him- spectives explores the status of Chinese in the United self, as well as Philadelphia doctors. TStates from the 1830s to 2008. The articles pro- Through his research into this fascinating event, Had- vide us with insights into how White America reacted to a dad tells us about America’s perception of the Chinese, the Chinese woman during the era of Andrew Jackson, how a China–United States trade, and the subtle similarities dur- Caucasian elementary school teacher encouraged children ing this period between American middle-class women and in Chicago to emphasize Chinese cultural heritage in per- Chinese women, both of whose societies demanded that formances throughout the city during the 1930s, how three females be relegated to the home. Haddad also speculates on Chinese Americans—Chingwah Lee, Laura Lai, and Arthur why Afong Moy might have agreed to make such a trip, and Tom—overcame obstacles to become successful in their why she stayed in the United States for some years after the respective endeavors during the mid-twentieth century, how Carnes’ marketing trip was over. a Taiwanese restaurant specializing in Shanghai-style dump- “Drumming Up Chineseness: Chicago’s Chinese Chil- lings established a franchise store in Southern California in dren’s Rhythm Band in the 1930s and 1940s” by Jeff Kyong- 2000, and finally, how transnational travel affects the iden- McClain relates the story of Olga Huncke, who taught at Chi- tities of Chinese children adopted by U.S. families in the cago’s Haines Elementary School, which during the 1920s twenty-first century. and 1930s had a growing number of Chinese students. Miss “The Chinese Lady and China for the Ladies: Race, Gen- Huncke organized a group of approximately fifty Chinese der, and Public Exhibition in Jacksonian America” by John youngsters dressed in traditional Chinese garb to perform as Haddad tells us about importers Nathaniel and Frederick a band before the National Association of Music Clubs meet- Carne, who had been selling expensive luxury goods from ing in Chicago in 1927. From that beginning, Miss Huncke France to wealthy Americans, but by the 1830s saw that incorporated more and more aspects of Chinese culture into the rising middle class in the United States was a potential her classes, including Chinese music and poetry. Her classes market for high-quality but less expensive products from performed plays inspired by Chinese history and culture. China. Hoping to sell such goods as shawls, silk boxes, These performances understandably generated considerable lacquered furniture, fans, and snuffboxes in America, the attention within the Chinese community in Chicago, but Carnes wanted a marketing strategy that would draw atten- news about Miss Huncke’s students was also reported in the tion quickly and dramatically to their products. They worked Chicago Daily Tribune and the North American Chinese press. with one Captain Obear, who persuaded the father of Afong Miss Huncke began to focus increasingly on the Chinese Moy from the Guangzhou area to let her board the Washing- Rhythm Band. While only approximately 16 percent of her ton, a merchant vessel laden with Chinese goods headed for students were of Chinese ancestry during the 1930s, she had the U.S. market, in 1834. Afong Moy, with her interpreter, all of her students of various nationality groups play instru- appeared in numerous cities in the eastern portion of the ments inspired by Chinese orchestras, such as drums, the United States, from New York to Washington and onward to pipa, and the erhu. This band performed at weddings, art Richmond and New Orleans, against the backdrop of beau- exhibits, and conventions. During the Sino-Japanese War, the tiful Chinese products. While she was obviously used as a band was used during patriotic activities, including the visit marketing tool, the Carnes charged the public to see her. The by Madame Chiang Kai-shek to the United States in 1943 advertisements emphasized her tiny, bound feet—an attrac- to support China’s wartime campaign. The band traveled to 1 2 Laurene Wu McClain various towns in the Chicago area to raise funds for China, generation of Chinese Americans, while imbued with certain and eventually even performed at an anti-Fascism event. Jeff facets of Chinese culture, was also very much involved with Kyong-McClain’s article provides us with valuable information “American” culture. He also wanted to prove that Chinese regarding how a teacher and her band of youngsters served to Americans were a major asset to the United States. rally the public around the cause of Chinese nationalism. His career took various twists and turns as he worked as Jean Dere’s article “Born Lucky: The Story of Laura Lai” the Chinese YMCA boys’ secretary, then became Gray Line reveals little-known but very interesting facets of the life of Tour’s chief Chinatown tour director, started publishing the Laura Lai, the spouse of Him Mark Lai, whose contributions Chinese Digest with Thomas Chinn, went to Hollywood to to the study of Chinese Americans were innumerable and perform in The Good Earth, gained renown as an expert on remarkable, and to whom the Chinese Historical Society of Chinese art, and founded the Chinese Historical Society of America owes a great deal of gratitude for his constant sup- America with Thomas Chinn, C. H. Kwock, H. K. Wong, port. While many of us know about Him Mark, fewer people and Thomas Wai Sun Wu in the 1960s. Atha Fong provides know about Laura Lai. Jean Dere’s article fills this gap. us with a tribute to a man who has left important legacies The piece starts with a quotation from Laura Lai: “I was to the Chinese community. As she points out, more needs to lucky.” That good fortune was reflected early in her life, when be revealed about the Chinatown pioneers, like Chingwah, Laura’s father insisted that instead of saving a slot for a “paper of the early to mid-twentieth century, whose work preceded son” to go to the United States, he should report that he had the advent of Asian American Studies programs in the 1960s a daughter. Unlike her mother, who felt that boys were supe- and 1970s. rior, her father treated girls and boys with an even-handed William Wong’s oral history of Arthur Tom, who lived from attitude. Laura attended elementary school in Hong Kong, 1912 to 2006, provides us with a fascinating picture of Oak- came to the United States in 1949, and lived in San Francisco land’s Chinatown during the early twentieth century through Chinatown, where she continued with her education.

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