Mei Wah Lau 廖美華

Mei Wah Lau: Of course, Lung Kong is one of the older association that is very traditional. Women, they have their own group. And then men, they have their own group. Women does not participate in their meetings. And woman is pretty much like a backup of the Lung Kong. If any, events, the woman help out. They are the one who go, who prepare foods, and who serve foods. And they cannot represent Lung Kong in CCBA’s supervisory committee. 

Timestamp: [00:14:36] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: Lung Kong Tin Yee, just like I mentioned earlier, then they have the men side, the women side. And not only Lung Kong, they have some association the same thing, like the Wong Family Association. They have the Gee Tuck Sam Tuck [Association], they kind of separate men and women. Woman cannot be president. So those are the couple of association that they have those regulations, that kind of they are changing a little bit, because before a woman stay home, cook, take care of the family. But nowadays, you know, we go to school, we go to work, and then we share part of the responsibility of the family. So it’s different now. So the reason why I got to be the president of Chinese Woman’s New Life Movement Club. Part of it because of Mrs. Esther Woo Jan. And she recommended me to be the president, but which we still have to vote. So I got the majority vote, and I was elected, and that gave me more chance to serve the community. 

Timestamp: [00:17:10] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: Chinese Women’s New Life Movement Club is a place where we got a chance to do something for the community other than the husband. 

Timestamp: [00:32:18]

Mei Wah Lau: Lung Kong, they have a lion group Lung Kong Tin Yee, so, which is, they have separate operation. And they have also the singing group. So it’s usually, women handle it, but men can join. So, every time when they have conventions, that the lion group that Lung Kong Tin Yee will come and do the show. They have teachers to teach them. So it’s not only the elderly join, but I’m so happy to see younger generation join. Kids about 12 and teenagers, they join and they learn. They learn not only how to play the lion dance, but they learn at the same time how to respect your elders. That is something that I really like, that they doing that, because by joining the lion dance group, the teacher is very strict. You have to follow the rules. You cannot do this. You cannot do that. If you are not disciplined, then you are out. So, this is something that I really like, too. And then another, they have the singing group, is they put people together. You don’t need to be a very good singer, but they get together, they practice, and then they enjoy. A couple of hours every week or every month. So I like the concept of setting up different groups. 

Timestamp: [00:22:03]

Mei Wah Lau: Well, whenever there is, disasters happens, like, flooding, earthquakes, doesn’t matter where they from. They’re from Taiwan, they from China. They will just contribute because we are all Chinese. Doesn’t matter. It just happened that you were from China, and then they are from Taiwan. But they don’t talk about political when it comes to charities. So which is, which is, I’m happy to see that. But, of course, some association then they all in into the Republic of China, some of them the other side. But for me, we have this association. We don’t talk about politics. So we talk about unity. We are Chinese. We are here to serve our communities. To serve everyone. 

Timestamp: [00:33:26] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: Doesn’t matter where you from, what side you are. When it come to elected officials or somebody is running for Congress or local officials, we try to help. They usually have fundraising dinners or events. Then we always go support them. Of course, some people might not join in because, okay, I don’t like you because you are supporting which side. But, you can do your own. That doesn’t matter. So we don’t really have a set rules who you have to support. So like, let’s say I live in Alhambra. So we have Chinese running for council member or mayor. Because I live in that city and I want to support Chinese Asian, to get more involved in the political so that they can represent us to voice what we need. So. But some people don’t think that way. So. But everyone have their own choice, you know? So that’s something that we cannot control. 

Timestamp: [00:35:14]

Mei Wah Lau: So, I started my term in 2020. But a few months after that the pandemic hit. Okay, so there’s a lot of events that we have to cancel. But instead of running those events, then I kind of, put more effort on helping out the community during the pandemic. And people say, “Hey, you have the guts to go out to deliver food to every, you know, people, those who live in apartment—senior housing. I said, “Oh, well, I just prepared myself, double mask, wear my glove. And if I get it, I get it.” You know, but you have to think of those people that needs it. Family that can’t go get food. Don’t have food. Nobody cook for them. So I was lucky that during that time I was safe. I never catch one time. So, and then and year 2021, then they start to open a little bit. So I kind of like, continue what, instead of, like, having actual meeting face to face, then I do a Zoom meeting. So carry on the function of the CCBA and then until my time’s up. So I was the first woman president, elected for 130 years. 

Timestamp: [00:44:02]

Mei Wah Lau: That’s the one problem that we are facing. Just like you said. Some of the member. For me, then I understand, Cantonese and English, but some tou zu [土著] [native born]. They born here and then they probably understand Toisan, which I don’t understand. So meetings then we have to conduct in Chinese Cantonese because more members, especially those elderlies that only speak Cantonese. So we try, starting from my term, I for the minutes I try to have it translated in English. So they have the Chinese and English version and during the meeting if some important matters, we will repeat it one time, one more time in English. And then, if they have questions, then they can always raise and then we can give them answer, if we have answer at that time. 

Timestamp: [00:51:55] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: That’s the problem that we, not we as, I can say, most of the association facing is like with the association member getting less and less because the younger generation don’t want to join because we conduct meeting in Chinese and they don’t understand. They might understand a little bit, but not fluently. Plus what they can see, “Is what are you guys doing, every time you only go to play mahjong [麻將] or pai gow [牌九] and then sing karaoke and then go to restaurant. What else do you guys do?” For them is not productive. So they don’t have interest to join. 

Timestamp: [00:53:24] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: But a lot of the association, the, whoever the members, original members that’s still alive, still in charge of this association. They don’t want change. They don’t want change. So if they don’t change, we can’t get new members. 

Timestamp: [00:54:58]

Susan Dickson: What changes do you see in Chinatown since you started coming here? 

Mei Wah Lau: I feel it’s sad. I’m sorry to say that, but it is sad. Because, okay, our elderly generations has been alone in Chinatown for these years. Now they are getting old, or they may pass away. The children inherit the property and they don’t want to run the property, so they sold it. Whoever buys it, not Chinese. Most of them are not Chinese. So other ethnics coming in or Jewish or. So they kind of changing Chinatown. So, but for those associations that have buildings here, we really want to have them keep it as a historic building. They cannot touch it and change. Whatever they want to rebuild, we want to see that the building looks Oriental. At least some sort of like when people look at Chinatown. Yeah. Okay, well we know it’s Chinatown is not a Koreantown or whatever town. 

Timestamp: [01:06:57] 

~~~~~~~

Mei Wah Lau: But there’s one thing that I don’t agree with some of the groups. CCED [Chinatown Community for Equitable Development] or whatever. I kind of drop out from them. Their group to the meeting. They always said, “We want low income housing. We want affordable income for the Chinatown residents.” If I’m the investor, do I want to build all affordable housing? Build everything for the low income? “I want to have a supermarket.” You want me to buy food? I mean to sell food only for the low income? We want Chinatown to be—more people to come in, more tourists coming in. You have a supermarket, but you have to sell food to the low income, which I don’t agree. If you continue to have low income, who is come to Chinatown? You want to have something that people want to come to Chinatown to look at, to spend money. Gondola, same thing. But anyway, yeah, people think differently and I just don’t agree with them. So I kind of stopped joining the meeting. So that’s one thing that I didn’t do well.

Timestamp: [01:08:36]