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San Francisco (USA)
By Peter Lee
In 1848, San Francisco was just a little settlement of no more than 400 people. In that very year, little patches of gold
were discovered at Sacramento. The news spread all the over the new continent within several weeks and thus started the good
mining fever of the wild wild west. By 1851, San Francisco grew to become a major city of 200,000 - considered enormous at
the time.
Today, San Francisco is of course, a major cosmopolitan city of its very own character - an unusual blend of the West and
the East. Last year, it became the first city in USA to be dominated by Asians. Though you will probably find many prominent
Chinese in San Francisco, the history of Chinese there is filled with blood, sweat and tears - sharing the same plight as the
Negros in the series Roots.
Today, strolling down the famous Chinatown of San Francisco is certainly a rewarding experience you should not miss while
you are there. Every piece of architecture, every alley, every structure there tells a "sweat-and-tears" story.
A trip to the Chinatown starts at the Dragon Gate at the beginning of famous Grant Avenue. The two lion-like mystical
creatures guiding the entrance are of great historical significance. Guess what? They were given by the communist party of
China in 1969 as a gesture to initiate a friendlier relationship with USA. They were carved and positioned according to the
Fengshui of San Francisco and probably that's why the Chinese in San Francisco have prospered well over these years.
Today, Grant Avenue is a Chinese marketplace selling Asian artifacts and food. It has become popular among Westerners who
want a taste of the exotic East.
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A unique feature of Grant Avenue is the street lamps. These lamps were designed in the shape
of pagoda at its tall top. The "roofs" of the pagodas were painted in red and emerald, emphasizing the strong feature of
Chinese architecture which is rarely encountered even in China itself. It is almost unbelievable that Grant Avenue was a
notorious red light district at the turn of the last century. It was not until the 1906 earthquake that destroyed the
brothels and gambling dens that Grant Avenue finally got its grace.
Sacramento Street is the oldest habitat of first generation Chinese in America. In 19th century, many mainland Chinese
left for America by the illusion of opportunities to make great fortune there. Instead, they were sold as slaves to the
greedy gold mining enterprises. Like other slaves, Chinese did not enjoy proper rights and status then. They were not allowed
to even rent a bed anywhere. The only exception under the law is the piece of land at Sacramento Street.
The building at 220 Sacramento Street is today an active religious centre. It got its name, Cameron Building, from the
famous sympathic Presbyterian. This great Christian united her fellows to risk their lives to protest against the notorious
yellow slavery and child prostitution gangs. Their persistence finally won the support of the white government in 1914. A Red
Light District management law was finally passed and the activities of the gangs were finally suppressed. Since then, the
building was named after Cameron as a memorial to her great deed.
There is a grand pagoda at the centre of Washington Street, but, wait, don't mistake it as a temple. It is now the Bank of
Canton since 1960. It started its life as telephone exchange for Pacific Telephony and Telegraphy Company. The employment
policy of the exchange then is worth mentioning. All the operators were Chinese females and vacancies were given to only
daughters of existing operators. As an operator, each was required to remember all 2,800 telephone numbers of Chinese
entities in the town. As it was a sensitive issue among the Chinese circle to disclose contact numbers to others,
confidentiality was of upmost important. These unusual employment criteria were designed to cater to this problem. However,
the introduction of a new telephone system in 1949 caused the exchange to close down.
Golden Gate district is another "must-visit" spot in San Francisco. Keep you in suspense until next issue. Enjoy your
weekend.
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