STOCKTON, Calif. — If the walls of the teal-accented, 2-story Chinese Benevolent Association building right off downtown Stockton's Crosstown Freeway could talk, they'd probably sound a lot like association co-president Dr. Albert Louie.
"They had a 1,100% support to build this," said Louie while looking at a wall full of pictures of donors and reminiscing on what the scene used to be like inside the building. "On Sundays, the senior citizens would come here to watch Chinese movies in 16 millimeters."
Louie cares so much because every room and every artifact are symbols of countless immigrant families, like his, who were helped there.
"In the old days, a Chinese (immigrant) coming to the country, their only employment opportunity was within the Chinese community," said association board member Douglas Hsia. "Even if you worked for the railroad, basically you were working for a Chinese foreman so your reference within the Chinese community was very important."
The Chinese Benevolent Association of Stockton provided that good reference and much more. Though society changed, much of the structure and organization stayed the same.
"Our leaders couldn't manage it and the majority of them didn't know what to do," said Louie. "They thought it's best if we allowed the wrecking balls to have it."
But no wrecking ball could withstand the force of Louie's leadership and persuasion. The building and organization were saved and services like Chinese classes, dragon dancing and community events grew more popular. Years later came an idea:
"Framed pictures, calligraphies, writings and our history was in the basement," said Louie. "We thought, 'well this is too precious to throw away.'"
Starting with the basement and storage rooms, artifact after artifact was restored and brought to display cases in a room near the building's entrance. It was years of hard work that allowed the new museum to be ready for visitors just in time for the association's 100th-anniversary celebration scheduled for Saturday.
"Here we have a lot of treasures, artifacts and history of the Chinese community in Stockton," said Hsia. "We are here to uphold the heritage."
Looking back at all that heritage can be heavy, especially for people like Louie whose family heirlooms are among the exhibits, but reflecting is important. Now those decades of history have a permanent place to live on all thanks to a strong culture and a bit of passion in downtown Stockton.
"We didn't expect that we would even make it this far," said Louie. "But somehow we did."
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Anniversary celebration and museum opening details
Open house:
- Saturday
- Free admission
- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- 212 East Lafayette St., Stockton
Banquet:
- Saturday
- $50 per ticket
- 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- 5052 West Lane, Stockton
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