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CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

ANNUAL GALA 2OO8


C h i n e s e
STAFF
H i s t o r i c a l
S o c i e t y o f Sue Lee, Executive Director
A m e r i c a Francis Wong, Deputy Director
M u s e u m & L e a r n i n g C e n t e r
Judy Hu, Communications Manager
9 6 5 C l a y S t r e e t
S a n F r a n c i s c o , C A 9 4 1 0 8 Anna Naruta, PhD, Director of Archives
(415) 391-1188 | gala@chsa.org Liana Koehler, Administrative Assistant
chsa.org | CivilRightsSuite.org Lenora Lee, Operations Manager
http://youtube.com/CHSAmuseum Pam Wong, Programs Coordinator

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Charlie Chin, Ar tist-in-Residence

CHSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Paul Fong, President CORE CONSULTANTS

C o n n i e Yo u n g Yu , 1 s t Vi c e P r e s i d e n t Ex hibition D esi g n
D o u g C h a n , E s q . , 2 n d Vi c e P r e s i d e n t Gordon Chun Design
L i n d a A . C he u , Tr e a s u r e r
Vi r g i n i a C . G e e , S e c r e t a r y Contract R eg istrar
D o n a l d C h an Maren Ar t Ser vices
Cedric Cheng
Wi l l a r d C h i n D esi gn and A rt D irection
Barre Fong Jeff Mellin, Big Blue Ox
Calvin Fung
Robert Fung Journal D esi g n
Russell Leong Side by Side Studios
Galin Luk
D r. R o d n e y L u m EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Wi l l i a m G . R o o p Chinese America: History & Perspectives —
A l i s a Ye e The Journal of the Chinese Historical Society
of America
Colleen Fong, PhD (chair) • Him Mark Lai
J e f f r e y P. Wo o , E s q . , L e g a l C o u n s e l • Laurene Wu McClain • Ruthanne Lum
McCunn • Russell Jeung, PhD • Russell Leong
• Anna Naruta, PhD
BOARD EMERITI
Him Mark Lai
SPECIAL GALA THANKS TO Wendy Soone–
P h i l i p P. C h o y Broder • Robert Barde • Theresa Burke •
Dr. Donald Cheu • Jeffrey Gee Chin • Liana
Koehler • Evan Leong • Franklin & Daisy Leong
FOUNDERS • Felicia Lowe • Rita Mah • Charles McClain •
T h o m a s W. C h i n n Laurene Wu McClain • Ruthanne Lum McCunn
• Lewis Sykes • John Kuo Wei Tchen • Richard
C. H. Kwock & Sophie Tom • Lisa Wong • Ron Wong
Chingwah Lee
H . K . Wo n g Established in San Francisco in 1963, CHSA
T h o m a s W. S . Wu , D D S is a 501(c)(3) non-profit operating under Fed-
eral Tax ID #94-6122446
CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

ANNUAL GALA 2OO8


Saturday September 20 Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

6 PM RECEPTION
No-host Cocktails
Silent Auction begins

7 PM DINNER
Greetings by
Mistress of Ceremon ies
Cynth i a G ouw
Welcome & Acknowledgements
Sue Lee
CHSA Ex ec utive Di rector
and
Paul Fong
CHSA Board P res ident

8 PM PROGRAM
CHSA’ s Vi sual Ann ual Celebrat ion 2008
with musical score composed by J on Jang
and
T hree Hundred Years:
From the E mpress of Ch ina to the Present
Tr ibute to Phi li p Choy – Architect of A meri can Hi story
Music composed by Jon J ang
Per for med by F rancis Wong, saxophone, and Jon J ang, piano

World premi ere of the new vi deo


Hi m Mark La i: The Master Arch iv ist
by Lowedown Product ions and the Chinese Hi stori cal S oc i ety of
America

with remarks by Laurene Wu McClain


Mak i ng Ch inese A meri can History
C onclus i on
Sue Lee
CHSA Executive Director
Cynthia Gouw
Mistress of Ceremonies

Born near Berkeley, California, to Chinese


American parents, Cynthia Gouw em-
braces creating understanding within the
global community as she seeks compelling
stories around the world and has worked to-
ward ensuring bi-lingual education and pres-
ervation of Chinese culture.

As a three time Emmy Award winning TV


News Anchor and Reporter and a nationally
recognized journalist, she has worked in the
top media markets in the country, including
the ABC and CBS affiliates in San Francisco,
Los Angeles, Dallas, and Sacramento.

In Philadelphia, Cynthia is Founder and Di-


rector of Creative Content for SnapGlowTV,
a web-based video-oriented women’s chan-
nel, which will launch this fall on Philly.com,
the most visited local internet site in the
region. Cynthia hosted the TV show Asian
Outlook, a half-hour talk show focused on
the affairs of the Pacific Rim for WYBE. The
Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters
named her show “Best TV Talk Show Series”
in 2006. She’s interviewed Oprah Winfrey.
In 2007 she worked with General Colin
Powell to inaugurate his new chairmanship of the Eisenhower Fellows in Philadelphia.

For her work on Pacific Time, KQED-FM San Francisco’s nationally syndicated NPR program, the
Asian American Journalists Association recognized Cynthia with a National Award for her report-
ing on Asian American issues. The Public Radio News Directors also awarded “Best Large Market
Public Affairs Program” to a show featuring Cynthia’s reporting on the Korean American commu-
nity and the tenth anniversary of Los Angeles’ civil unrest.

The Chinese American Council’s Member of the Year and the Asian Bar Association of Sacramento’s
Honoree of the Year, Cynthia has also been recognized by the California State Legislature, and was on
the Advisory Board of Stanford University’s “Grade the News”, a media and ethics watchdog group.

Cynthia is also an actress who co-starred as “Caithlin Dar” in the movie Star Trek 5: The Final
Frontier and also won the top prize on the syndicated TV talent show Star Search and was named
the “$100-Thousand Dollar Spokesmodel Grand Champion.” MORE Magazine, a fashion and
beauty magazine, named her as one of the top models over forty in a nationwide model search.
Crowned Miss Chinatown Los Angeles 1983 and Miss Chinatown USA 1984, Cynthia is currently
a contract model with Wilhelmina Models, New York.

Cynthia received her BA in Political Science/International Relations from UCLA and her JD from
UCLA’s School of Law. She and her husband split their time between their homes in Philadelphia
and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jon Jang
MU SI CIAN/Com poser

Jon Jang has followed his own path of cre-


ating music which has become “two flowers
on a stem,” a metaphor expressing the symbi-
otic relationship of his cultural identity and mu-
sical aesthetics as an American born Chinese.
For two decades, Jang’s works chronicle and
bring to life the Chinese immigration experi-
ence in the United States.

Works include Chinese American Sym-


phony commissioned by the Sacramento
Philharmonic Orchestra and Oakland East
Bay Symphony, Unbound Chinatown — A
Tribute to Alice Fong Yu; Paper Son, Paper
Songs; Island: the Immigrant Suite No. 2 for
the Kronos Quartet and Cantonese Opera
singer and the score for the dramatic ad-
aptation of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The
Women Warrior. In April 2004 at the Banli-
eues Bleues Festival in Paris, Jon and James
Newton composed and performed When
Sorrow Turns to Joy — a Musical Tribute to
Paul Robeson to commemorate the anniversary of the World Peace Conference in 1949. Chinese
American Symphony — which pays tribute to the Chinese who built the first transcontinental railroad
in the United States and is dedicated to Philip P. Choy — gave its Bay Area premiere at the Paramount
Theatre in Oakland on February 22, 2008.

Jang’s ensembles have toured in Europe, Canada, China, South Africa (1994) and the United States. In 2001,
Jon performed on piano with Max Roach in Zurich, Berlin, Milan, and the Royal Festival Hall in London.

FRANCIS WONG MUSICIAN

Few musicians are as accomplished as Francis Wong, con-


sidered one of “the great saxophonists of his generation” by the
late jazz critic Phil Elwood. A prolific recording artist, Wong is
featured on more than forty titles as a leader and sideman.  For
over two decades he has performed his innovative brand of Asian
American jazz/creative music for audiences in North America,
Asia, and Europe with such luminaries as Jon Jang, Tatsu Aoki,
Genny Lim, William Roper, Bobby Bradford, John Tchicai, James
Newton, Joseph Jarman, Don Moye and the late Glenn Horiuchi. 
But to simply call the Bay Area native a musician would be to
ignore his pioneering leadership in communities throughout North-
ern California. Wong’s imaginative career straddles roles as var-
ied as performing artist, youth mentor, composer, artistic director,
community activist, non-profit organization manager, consultant,
music producer, and academic lecturer.
Excerpts from Philip Choy told the audience of politicians
“Long Road Home: including four U.S. Senators, seven Con-
the Creation of the Chinese gressmen, and historical society buffs, that
American Symphony” “many of the historical facts presented at
by Jon Jang the program were false, distorted and inac-
curate. A white supremacy attitude persists
A preview from Chinese America: History & Per- and prevents many from recognizing the va-
spectives – The Journal of the Chinese Historical lidity of the Chinese role in the construction
Society of America, 2009 special edition of the transcontinental railroad.”

Reading this article, I became angry, but proud that


Uncle Phil took a strong stand and spoke out. In-
The Chinese American Symphony, which pays stead of going ballistic, I channeled my anger into
tribute to the Chinese who built the first transconti- something positive and creative.
nental railroad in United States, is also dedicated
to Philip Choy, a longtime visionary leader and
historian. During the 1950s, Chinese Americans
were victimized by the era of McCarthyism. It Laying Down the First Track of
was taboo to utter a word about Chinese Ameri- the Chinese American Symphony
ca or China. Despite the realities of both racism As a composer, I used Volpe’s exclusion of the
and anti-communism, Philip Choy and others laid contributions of Chinese laborers in his speech
the early tracks of Chinese American history. Just to add another layer to the meaning of the
like the Chinese workers of the Central Pacific Chinese American Symphony. The work opens
railroad who were ahead of the Irish American with the sound of a percussion instrument
workers of the Union Pacific in the race to build called the anvil representing the golden spike.
the railroad, Philip Choy was ahead of his time But when the anvil is struck, one cannot deter-
before the term Asian American was invented. mine the racial identity. Is it an Irish American
Where did the birth of the idea of the Chinese worker? Is it a Chinese worker? This places
American Symphony begin and how does Philip the responsibility on the listener to make their
Choy fit in all of this? choice. When we hear the Danny Boy refer-
ence performed on the pennywhistle early in
the symphony, we can immediately make the
Who Built the Railroad? Irish connection. But even today, the Chinese
Americans have no anthem like Danny Boy,
The article, “Gold Spike rites snub Chinese rail which has been considered the unofficial Irish
workers,” by Ken Wong and published by East/ American anthem. …
West on May 14, 1969 described then-CHSA
President Philip Choy’s indignation of the snub-
bing of the Chinese:
Excerpts from Jon Jang’s forthcoming
The main speaker, Federal Transportation article in a special volume for 2009, on
Secretary John A. Volpe asked, “Who else the fortieth anniversary of a wealth of
but Americans could drill ten tunnels in activism in the San Francisco Bay Area
mountains 30 feet deep in snow? Who and beyond.
else but Americans could chisel through
miles of solid granite? Who else but Ameri- Chinese America: History & Perspectives
cans could have laid ten miles of track in – The Journal of the Chinese Historical
12 hours?” Society of America is sought by readers,
researchers, and libraries throughout the
The irony of Volpe’s speech was that these nation and the world. A complimentary
“Americans” were in fact, foreign-born Chi- copy is one benefit of becoming a member
nese who would be barred for years from of CHSA.
becoming citizens.
Philip P. Choy
Philip P. Choy was born and raised in San Francisco Chinatown. A retired architect, Choy is a
renowned authority on California and Chinese American history and historical sites. He has served
on the San Francisco Landmarks Board, the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Advisory
Committee, and the California State Historical Resources Commission.

When the Angel Island Immigration Station— Philip P. Choy and Him Mark Lai then co-taught
today a museum—was slated for demolition, he the nation’s first college-level course in Chinese
served on the Chinese Cove Historical Advisory American history.
Committee to develop the preservation of the his-
toric site and the poetry-inscribed walls of the de- He has created or consulted on numerous histori-
tention barracks. In 1993 he prepared the case cal studies, publications, traveling and permanent
report that placed the Station on the National exhibits, and media projects. With Him Mark Lai,
Registry of Historic Places. Choy researched and produced Outlines: History
of the Chinese in America (first edition 1971); Jour-
With Him Mark Lai and Thomas W. Chinn, he neys Made...Journeys to Come: A Pictorial History
co-edited A History of the Chinese in Califor- of the Chinese in America (2001), and, as a KRON
nia–A Syllabus (San Francisco: Chinese Histori- six-part television series, the early masterwork
cal Society of America, 1969), a reference work documentary, Gam Saan Haak – The Chinese of
based on their identification and analysis of a America. His most recent book is Canton Footprints:
wide range of historic documents, and which Sacramento’s Chinese Legacy (2007). This evening
was prepared in response to popular and institu- premieres the new edition of his seminal study, The
tional demand for accurate historical information. Architecture of San Francisco Chinatown (2008).
Him Mark Lai

Photo by Dr. Donald Cheu


The Master Archivist

Proclaimed by The Chronicle of Higher Educa-


tion as “the Scholar who legitimized the study
of Chinese America,” Him Mark Lai has been
at the core of many community institutions as
well as a pivotal figure for the Chinese Histori-
cal Society of America (CHSA). CHSA is proud
to announce an upcoming project about Him
Mark Lai’s scholarship and determination to re-
cord and celebrate the lives of the descendants
of Chinese immigrants to America.

Born in San Francisco in 1925 to immigrant


parents, Him Mark Lai’s trailblazing accomplish-
ments are many and varied. In 1969 with Phil
Choy he team-taught the first college-level course
in the United States on Chinese American his-
tory at San Francisco State College (now San
Francisco State University), before moving on to
teach the first course at the University of Califor-
nia, Berkeley. He has written books and essays
on Chinese American history and compiled two
bibliographies on Chinese language materials
on the Chinese in America. Major works in-
clude: Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Im-
migrants on Angel Island, 1910–1940 (coauthor
with Genny Lim and Judy Yung; San Francisco: HimMarkLai.org
HOC DOI, 1980); Cong Huaqiao dao Huaren
[From Overseas Chinese to Chinese American] 2009 will debut the first phase of HimMarkLai.org
(in Chinese; Hong Kong, 1992), Becoming Chi-
with
nese American: A History of Communities and
Institutions (Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press, In Search of Roots 尋根
2004); Chinese American Voices from the Gold
Rush to the Present (coauthor with Judy Yung and • Details about the founding of the “In Search of
Gordon H. Chang, Berkeley: University of Cali- Roots” 尋根 program, which guides young Chinese
fornia Press, 2006), as well as articles on the his- Americans with ancestral roots in China’s Pearl Riv-
tory and society of Chinese in the United States er Delta region to research their family history and
in Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic discover and travel to their ancestral village
Groups (Cambridge, 1980) and The Encyclope-
dia of Chinese Overseas (Singapore, 1998). He • Online editions of Him Mark Lai’s ever-evolving &
has consulted on the special collections of and updated manuscript reference materials developed
in 2000 made a major donation of his research for the “In Search of Roots” program, and links to
files to the Ethnic Studies Library of UC Berkeley. current program activities.
He has served as an adjunct professor of Asian
American Studies at San Francisco State Univer- Through this project, the Chinese Historical Society
sity and past president of the Chinese Historical of America aims to bring awareness and under-
Society of America. An integral part of the Edito- standing of the depth of Him Mark Lai’s contribu-
rial Committee of the Society’s journal since its tions to Chinese American history and create an
inception in 1987, Him Mark Lai also currently interface for people worldwide to be able to ac-
has multiple books in prep and in press. cess, learn from, and work with Him Mark Lai’s
groundbreaking scholarship.
Laurene

Photo by Dr. Donald Cheu


Wu McClain
Laurene Wu McClain is a history professor
at City College of San Francisco and a practic-
ing attorney. She is the co-author, with Charles
J. McClain, of “The Chinese Contribution to the
Development of American Law” in Entry Denied:
Exclusion and the Chinese Community in America,
l882-l943, and co-editor of California Legal History
Manuscripts in the Huntington Library. She edited
“Breaking Racial Barriers: Wo Kee Company—A
Collaboration Between a Chinese Immigrant and
White American in Nineteenth-Century America”
and “A Chinese American Woman’s Plight during
the Cultural Revolution” by Wen Zhengde for the
2005 edition of Chinese America: History & Per-
spectives—The Journal of the Chinese Historical
Society of America, and authored “From Victims
to Victors: A Chinese Contribution to American
Law—Yick Wo versus Hopkins” for the 2003 edi-
tion. Daughter of Chinese Historical Society of
America co-founder Thomas W. S. Wu, her recent contributions to CHSA include years of committed
service on the Editorial Committee of Chinese America: History & Perspectives. Her work has been
published both in China and the United States.

photo by Alana Lowe Schwartz


Felicia Lowe
Felicia Lowe is an award winning independent
television producer, director, and writer with more
than 30 years of production experience. Him
Mark Lai – The Master Archivist is Lowe’s second
collaboration with the Chinese Historical Society
of America. Chinatown YWCA is exhibited regu-
larly in the Museum. Currently in post production
for Chinese Couplet, a film about her relationship
to her mother told through her mother’s six names,
Lowe received an Emmy for “Best Cultural Docu-
mentary” for Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities
of San Francisco – Chinatown. The lively hour-long piece on the history of San Francisco’s oldest neigh-
borhood has been broadcast numerous times on PBS. Carved in Silence, documenting the experiences
of Chinese immigrants detained at Angel Island Immigration Station and China: Land of My Father, a
personal journey to meet her paternal grandmother in China for the first time, have also been broadcast
on PBS and abroad. Lowe’s innovative works are used extensively in classrooms across the country and
have been shown in museums and film festivals. Lowe has taught film production and scriptwriting at
San Francisco State University and Stanford University. A descendent of Angel Island detainees, Lowe
has served on the board of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, which is dedicated to
preserving the history and site of this National Historic Landmark.
Bruno of Hollywood photo,
William Hoy Collection, CHSA,
Gift of Lily Way Leong, 2000.1.61
CHSA IS GRATEFUL FOR THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF: DONORS
Kathy and Rolland Lowe
PREMIER SPONSORS H. Marcia Smolens
KTSF
PG&E Louie-Marsh Family Fund
Mark Ross Foundation Mabel Yick Louie
Nibbi Brothers Associates, Inc.
DISTINGUISHED PATRONS Paul & Emma Louie
Gee Family Foundation Peter Wiley
Sam Wong Hotel Raymond Huang
Robert & Alva Herr
HONORED BENEFACTORS Virginia C. Gee
Andrew Leong
IN-KIND DONATIONS
Cresleigh Development LLC
Him Mark & Laura Lai Alisa Yee
Dr. Kou-ping and Connie Young Yu Cedric Cheng
Parkmerced Connie Young Yu
San Francisco Waterfront Partners LLC Dr. Rod Lum
Shorenstein Company Ed & Janet Chen
Ted & Doris Lee Eddie Way
Wells Fargo Foundation Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
Galin Luk
CONTRIBUTORS Gloria Ng
Grand Hyatt New York
Annie Soo
Ming’s of Palo Alto
AT&T
Nicolas Studio
Bruce Chin
Omni San Francisco Hotel
Buck Gee
Paul Fong
Burr Pilger Mayer
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
Chao Suet Foundation
Southwest Airlines
Dr. Donald Cheu
Straits Restaurant
Thomas and Eva Fong Foundation
Tommy Toy’s Cuisine Chinoise
Jackson Pacific Ventures
US Airways
Hazel Louie
Yank Sing
Linda Cheu
May & Sinclair Louie
WINE SPONSOR
New York Life
Poon Foundation Courtesy John De Luca
Reuben & Junius
Sarah & Phil Choy FLORAL DESIGNER
United Commercial Bank Michael Daigian Design

www.parkmerced.com
SW HOTEL
The Ban croft Li brary
C aliforni a Historical Society a n d
Chinese Histori cal Soc iety of Ameri ca
present

T he C hineseof
C aliforn ia
Through a unique collection of artifacts, images,
documents, and personal stories, The Chinese
of California explores the complex history and
unique challenges Chinese Americans faced in
the fight for civil rights. As legislation directed
at people of Chinese descent removed the
constitutional guarantee of equal protection
under the law, discrimination and violent
attacks intensified, and Chinese Californians
had to fight for basic human rights.

A first-ever collaboration of the Bancroft


Library, California Historical Society, and
Chinese Historical Society of America.

February 7-August 30, 2008


at the California Historical Society
678 Mission Street, San Francisco

It was great becau se of yo u !

Historic photos (clockwise from upper left): [Streetscene with three men] California Historical Society Collection, FN-32814;
[Affidavit in re Cheung Hung Fon, minor son of native-born San Franciscan Cheung Ah You], 1908, from Papers relating to
Chinese in California, 1894-1926, BANC MSS C-R 153c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley; [Marching
with flags of U.S. and KMT], Chinese Historical Society of America, Courtesy Hing Dear. (Title image: Gordon Chun Design)

Thank you also to the CHSA Advisory Committee: Philip P. Choy, Colleen Fong, Erika Gee,
Him Mark Lai, Paul and Emma Woo Louie, Ling-chi Wang, Connie Young Yu, Judy Yung;
Chinese of California Curatorial Team: Anna Naruta (CHSA, Lead Curator), Theresa Salazar
(Bancroft Library), and Mary Morganti (CHS); Translators: Him Mark Lai, Danian Lu, Danny
Loong; Registrar: Maren Art Services; Exhibition Design: Gordon Chun Design

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