Cal Day 2006 Poster -- Oakland's old San Pablo Avenue Chinatown

OACC Helping Rediscover Oakland's Chinese Heritage
November 2005

From the Oakland Chinatown History Research Committee of the 1970s, to the Hall of Chinese Pioneers, Ernest ... (More) OACC Helping Rediscover Oakland's Chinese Heritage
November 2005

From the Oakland Chinatown History Research Committee of the 1970s, to the Hall of Chinese Pioneers, Ernest Chann's walking tours, and Bill Wong's photo and oral history collections, Oakland community historians are working to ensure our rich cultural legacy is preserved for future generations. Community members have always looked to maintain this tradition, and thanks to the efforts of turn-of-the century pioneering newspaper editor Ng Poon Chew and his family, residents of Oakland since the 1906 quake, we can reach back and trace the history of Oakland's Chinese heritage to the earliest days of the city.

When redevelopment was scheduled for a downtown area recorded to have been the site of one of Oakland's earliest Chinatowns, archaeologists acting in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act determined the area was likely to have archaeological remains of this early community.

This news presented Oaklanders today one last opportunity to recover details of this little-known community before they are lost forever. Protecting community heritage needed community action, and an Oakland Asian Cultural Center exhibit provided an essential venue for people to get informed on what might be at stake, and how they might want to take part.

The San Pablo Avenue Chinatown exhibit opened in Fall 2004, and shared what was so far known about the city's "official" Chinatown of the 1860s. Community members continued to contribute background research, and with archaeological knowledge at the ready, reviewed the contracting archaeologists' draft treatment plan, providing input that will help the contractors improve their study and fulfill legal requirements about the treatment of unique cultural resources.

A new twist in our understanding of the San Pablo Avenue area's history came with a discovery by hometown Oaklander Kelly Fong. Working with archived records created under the old Chinese Exclusion laws, she discovered the 120-year-old buildings standing at the old Chinatown's site had a further history. From 1906 to 1923 they housed Hing Chong & Co., then part of a Chinese garment district just north of City Hall. As the word spread, a new discovery was made that showed connection to this area continued. Carol Chong came forward to tell the story of how her parents in the 1950s ran a laundry in these same buildings, creating a business and home where Carol herself was born. Carol's family history, photos, and remembrances of neighborhood family businesses are now contributing new understandings to our rich heritage in Oakland.

Archaeological excavations of the San Pablo Avenue Chinatown are scheduled to begin in December, in the area between Telegraph, San Pablo Avenue, 20th and 19th Streets. With plans for future exhibits, and an advisory role in the treatment and interpretation of recovered archaeological remains, the OACC will continue to be involved in the rediscovery of this chapter of history!

(photos and text by Anna Naruta)

Photo caption:

Oakland native Kelly Fong volunteered with the UptownChinatown.org project, diving in to see what could be learned from various records more than a hundred years old. The idea that other parts of our heritage from the earliest days of Oakland could be lost without our even knowing about them let her to further research. She produced a study on 19th-century Chinese American businesses in Oakland Chinatown and throughout the city. Her original research was recognized by Cal Berkeley's prestigious university Medal Finalist award at her May graduation.

Photo caption:

Standing at the San Pablo Avenue Chinatown site in the front of the building where she was born and raised, Carol Chong holds a photo of herself and her siblings in the backyard of their home.
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