Stand Up and Be Counted
2025-02-04 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Loyola Law School, 919 Albany St, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States
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February 2025 Program
2025-02-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Chinese immigrants in inland Southern California labored on Chinese-operated truck farms known locally as “Chinese gardens.” These vegetable farmers provided a variety of fresh produce to Chinese and non-Chinese urban residents. A landscape archaeology analysis of Chinese-operated farms around the cities of Riverside and San Bernardino reveals that Chinese truck farming shaped the built environment in both the United States and China, anti-immigration laws impacted the movement of Chinese laborers without American citizenship the most, and that vegetable farms became part of a racialized landscape where harassment by law enforcement was common. Chinese truck farmers made invaluable agricultural contributions to inland Southern California and created alliances with non-Chinese landlords, but ultimately their visibility on the landscape made them continual targets of race-based exclusion.
Bio: Laura Ng is a historical archaeologist who researches late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Chinese migrants and their transpacific lives. These migrants often lived in segregated communities, but they also migrated back and forth between the U.S. and villages in the Pearl River Delta region of China. Laura is currently investigating racism and transnationalism at Chinese truck farms in Southern California and at the Evanston and Rock Springs Chinatowns in rural Southwestern Wyoming; the latter two sites are community-engaged projects conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dudley Gardner and Chinese
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March 2025 Program
2025-03-05 19:00 - 20:00 | YouTube
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April 2025 Program
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
Click to register. Online event.

CAM Advancing Equality
2025-04-16 18:30 - 20:45 | Pico House, 424 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
U.S. v Wong Kim Ark: Explore the Landmark Case That Granted Citizenship to Anyone Born in the United States
Join us at the Chinese American Museum on Wednesday, April 16th, from 6:30 PM to 8:45 PM for Advancing Equality: United States vs. Wong Kim Ark. This event will explore the landmark 1898 Supreme Court case that solidified birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, as well as the lasting impact of the case and its continued relevance in shaping civil rights protections today.
The evening will feature a panel of experts, including Helen Zia, activist and author; Dr. Linda Trinh Vo, Professor Emeritus at UC Irvine; Connie Chung Joe, JD, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL); and Professor Hiroshi Motomura, Faculty Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA Law. The program will also feature special guest Norman Wong, great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark. Together, the event explores the crucial role of equal protection under the law in driving meaningful change in the United States.
The event will take place in person at the historic Pico House, located at 424 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. A live stream via Zoom will be available for those who cannot attend in person.
This event is part of CAM’s ongoing series, Advancing Equality: Conversations on Civil Rights Protections, co-presented by the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative, as part of their National Conversation on Race series.
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May 2025 Program
2025-05-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
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June 2025 Program
2025-06-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite

CHSSC Summer Picnic 2025
2025-08-16 11:00 - 14:00 | CHSSC Heritage-Visitors Center, 411 Bernard St, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States

Rock Springs Commemoration
2025-08-28 - 2025-09-02
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September 2025 Program
2025-09-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite

October 2025 Program
2025-10-01 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite

CHSSC At 50
2025-11-08 16:00 - 21:00 | Golden Dragon Restaurant, 960 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
4:00 – 6:30 pm Video presentations and exhibits (Please RSVP to info@chssc.org to view even if you are attending the dinner and program)
6:30 – 9:00 pm Dinner and program
If you are not attending the Dinner & Program, but want to check out the Viewing Room and the Museum, please RSVP to info@chssc.org to view our exhibits for free.

November 2025 Program
2025-11-10 11:00 - 15:00 | Shadow Park Clubhouse, 12800 South St, Cerritos, CA, 90703, United States

Free Health Fair
2025-11-15 10:00 - 14:00 | First Chinese Baptist Church, 942 Yale St, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States

LTHS Short Story Contest 2026
2025-11-21 - 2026-02-28
LITTLE TOKYO HISTORICAL SOCIETY SEEKS ENTRIES FOR 2026 SHORT STORY CONTEST
The Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, seeks fictional short stories for its 13th annual Imagine Little Tokyo short story contest in the categories of English language, Japanese language and youth (18 and younger). The deadline is February 28, 2026 midnight Pacific Time. The contest is presented by LTHS in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum’s Discover Nikkei project.
The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness of Little Tokyo through a creative story that takes place in Little Tokyo. The story has to be fictional and set in a current, past or future Little Tokyo in the City of Los Angeles, California. The short story committee will be specifically looking for stories that capture the spirit and sense of Little Tokyo. Both generative AI and plagiarism are strictly prohibited. Each category winner will be awarded $500 in cash with their short story being published in Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society website. A special anniversary hybrid (in-person and virtual) award ceremony and dramatic readings of the winning stories are also being planned for 2026 at the Japanese American National Museum.
For more information and guidelines, refer to the Little Tokyo Historical Society’s website: https://www.littletokyohs.org/.
If you would like to financially contribute to the contest, e-mail imaginelittletokyo@gmail.com

CHSSC Christmas Party 2025
2025-12-08 12:00 - 15:00 | Shadow Park Clubhouse, 12800 South St, Cerritos, CA, 90703, United States

January 2026 Program
2026-01-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Eventbrite
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Video Descriptions
Revisiting East Adams (10:00 mins (edited)) By Jenny Cho, 2004
Revisiting East Adams captures the history of a Chinese American community in downtown Los Angeles from the 1930s to 1950s. During this period, the intersection of East Adams and San Pedro Street was home to a vibrant Chinese American community that preserved Chinese culture through social and religious organizations such as the Chinese Presbyterian Church, Chinese schools and various youth groups. East Adams was also a self-sustaining community whose residents earned a living by working at local businesses such as the City Market on 9th Street, the CFO gas station, and the Kwong Hing Lung grocery store. The stories of these former Chinese residents expand our understanding of the history of Los Angeles.
Chinatown Two-Step (17 mins) By Eddie Wong, 1975
Chinatown Two-Step spotlights the importance of the Los Angeles Chinese Drum and Bugle Corps as an important fixture of the Chinese American community — not only serving as its representative in parades and events, but also as an activity bringing the young Chinese American middle class together.
Southern California Chinese American Living WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Presentation (10 mins (edited)) By Kenneth Eng, 2021
It is estimated that almost 20,000 Chinese American men and women served in the U.S. military during World War II. Sixty years after the end of the War, a dinner was organized by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Los Angeles Chinatown, to honor those veterans, living and passed. Southern California Chinese American Living WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Presentation spotlights the formal award by ranking military leaders, of Congressional Gold Medals to living Chinese American WWII veterans or their families.
Celebrating Tyrus (9:13) By Pamela Tom, 2022
Celebrating Tyrus is Pamela’s 2022 short film about the Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, whose paintings were the inspiration for the classic Disney animated feature Bambi. The film offers an intimate look into Tyrus Wong’s work on Bambi and his passion/hobby: kite making and kite flying. Tyrus’s kites and inspiration send viewers soaring towards the sky.

Sing Lee Theatre Film Series
2026-01-16 - 2026-03-22 | Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Presented in partnership with the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies.
Series
Echoes From Spring Street: The World of Sing Lee and Chinese-Language Cinema in L.A.

At the Friday, January 16 screening, Janet Louie, PhD Candidate at Harvard University Department of East Asian Languages and Civilization, along with Kurt, Willie Lew’s nephew, will be speaking on opening night about the history of the Sing Lee theater, an important part of Los Angeles film history as well as Chinatown’s history.
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The March Fong Eu Story
2026-01-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Shadow Park Clubhouse, 12800 South St, Cerritos, CA, 90703, United States
RSVP event coordinator Gordon Hom (562) 397-3148 if you would like to attend.

February 2026 Program
2026-02-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
“Little Manila in DTLA, and Carlos Bulosan’s Los Angeles”
Speaker Biography:
Gerald G, Gubatan is co-editor of the anthology, “Filipinotown: Voices From Los Angeles,” a collection of stories by and about people connected to Historic Filipinotown. Gerald is an Urban Planner who has served elected officials at L. A. City Hall and Sacramento’s State Capitol. He is the founding board president of Fil-Am Arts, Inc. A proud graduate of Belmont High School in Los Angeles, Gerald attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from UCLA and completed graduate studies in urban planning at California Polytechnic University, Pomona.
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Sierra Madre Playhouse
2026-02-21 09:00 - 13:00 | Sierra Madre Playhhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA, 91024, United States

Golden Dragon Parade 2026
2026-02-21 13:00 - 16:00

March 2026 Webinars
2026-03-11 19:00 - 2026-03-25 20:30 | Eventbrite
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
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Wednesday, March 25, 2026
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April 2026 Program
2026-04-08 17:30 - 20:00 | Golden Dragon Restaurant, 960 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Our April program is in-person at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown jointly sponsored by The China Society of Southern California.
Purchase your dinner tickets, $40/person, by selecting the number of tickets you would like to purchase and click on the Get Tickets button. The cost of the ticket includes a 3% transaction fee.

Speaker Bio:
Randel Urbauer is a photographer videographer with a BFA from Art Center College of Design. For over 30 years, he ran his advertising photography studio in the Brewery Arts Complex in Los Angeles. His clients range from Cadillac to Cartier which took him to several international locations and dozens of cities within the US and Canada. In the early days of digital capture, he won the digital image competition held by the Advertising Photographers of America. He always enjoys sharing knowledge and collaborating within the arts community. In 2013 he created a short film documentary based on the Los Angeles artist Lynn Foulkes which screened at the Hammer Museum’s Bing Theater.

May 2026 Program
2026-05-06 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
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Speaker: David Chan
David R. Chan is a charter member of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (officially member #8). As a member of the Society’s Board of Directors, he also represented CHSSC with speaking and media appearances on Chinese American historical topics. After a decade long hiatus for his career as a tax attorney and familial responsibilities, he re-emerged as a writer and observer on Chinese food in the United States, weaving in aspects of our Chinese-American history into today’s Chinese foodie world.

June 2026 Program
2026-06-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Eventbrite
Program Title: The Sunset Route: Engineering and the Legacy of the Second Transcontinental Railroad
Program Description: This program details the strategic and technical challenges of building the Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route between 1869 and 1883. It highlights engineering marvels like the Tehachapi Loop and San Fernando Tunnel, while honoring the grit and sacrifice of the 3,000 Chinese laborers who made this transcontinental link possible.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Raymond Douglas Chong is a Professional Engineer, Senior Roadway Manager, and Public Historian. President of Generations, LLC, he is an acclaimed journalist, filmmaker, and poet. His work bridges technical expertise and historical research, focusing on transportation systems and the essential legacy of Chinese labor in America.
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July 2026 Program
2026-07-09 17:00 - 20:00 | Golden Dragon Restaurant, 960 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Our July program, jointly sponsored by The China Society of Southern California, is an in-person book talk with best-selling author Lisa See and her newest book, Daughters of the Sun and Moon at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown. Lisa See will sign copies of her book, available for purchase, starting at 5:00 PM. A dinner banquet at 6:00 PM is followed her book talk at 7:00 PM.
Purchase your tickets, $45/person. Select the number of tickets you would like to purchase and click on the Get Tickets button. The cost of the ticket includes a 3% transaction fee.
You can now purchase your tickets with credit card or PayPal.
If you prefer to pay by check, please mail a check, $45/person, payable to The China Society of Southern California, to:
Bob Lee
c/o Jin Hing Co.
412 Bamboo Lane
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Please mail your check prior to July 1 and include the name(s) of the people attending.
We will have Lisa’s new book for sale at the dinner and before July 9th at Jin Hing Co. in Chinatown. The book will be $28 cash/check, $29 credit card. The book is normally $29 plus tax.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Beloved New York Times best-selling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.
In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles, Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain – America – where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed foot-binding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.
Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved. Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa See is the New York Times best-selling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.

Yosemite Pilgrimage 2026
2026-07-29 - 2026-07-30 | Yosemite National Park, CA, United States
In 2013, National Park Ranger Yenyen Chan, CA State Park Superintendent Jack Shu, and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California initiated the annual Yosemite Pilgrimage based on Yenyen’s ongoing research on the many contributions made by early Chinese in Yosemite National Park.
This year marks our 14th annual pilgrimage led by retired National Park Ranger Yenyen Chan.
It will be based in Lee Vining’s Gus Hess Park Solar Pavillion, located next to Yosemite National Park’s eastern entrance at the intersection of Hwy 395 and Hwy 120. It is a 30-minute drive to and from Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. Attendees may choose to drive up on Tuesday, July 28, or one day earlier on Monday, July 27.
Click to view itinerary
Email Sam Chow (sam.chow@chssc.org) if you are interested in going.
Below is a schedule overview:

Yosemite Pilgrimage Celebration
2026-08-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Barnes Park Service Clubhouse, 440 S McPherrin Ave, Monterey Park, CA, 91754, United States
Join us for a “recap” of this year’s Yosemite Pilgrimage. Please RSVP so enough snacks are available.
Click here to RSVP

CHSSC Summer Picnic 2026
2026-08-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, 411 Bernard St, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Join us for our annual summer picnic and admire our new paint job, hear our UCLA intern sing a little Cantonese opera, see the books we are giving away, and enjoy lunch with old and new friends.
Please RSVP info@chssc.org. Let us know who is coming and if you are bringing $20 cash/person or a main dish, vegetable dish, or salad that serves 8-10 people.
Hope to see you there!
