Michael Cheung 張自豪
Michael Gi-Hao Cheung was born in Macao after his family fled Hoiping during the 1949 communist revolution. He studied at Tamkang University in Taiwan and immigrated to the U.S. as a student in 1976, where he attended California State University, Los Angeles and earned his MBA in Los Angeles at La Verne University. Cheung worked as an accountant. He became involved with Lung Kong Tin Yee Association in 1977 as a member and later leader of its lion dance troop. He also served as treasurer, and was elected as president of the association in 2006. In addition to representing the Cheung family of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, he serves as advisor for CCBA and Pan-American CCBA. He is also the chair of the Kuomintang [國民黨, Nationalist Party of China], was previously president of the Hoiping Association, and has also been involved with the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. Cheung has also served on the County’s Human Relations Commission and County Commission on Insurance as an appointee of then Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
Michael Cheung was interviewed by Suellen Cheng and Susie Ling on July 31, 2024.
Community Events and Relations with Taiwan
Suellen Cheng: Can you tell us about what kind of involvement?
Michael Cheung: Well, involved like, we have like a monthly event or annual event, where people from San Francisco, you know, we have the, we call the chun yan [春宴]…The spring banquet that we greeting for the people and sometime[s] as I have the language advantage, as I know Toisan, I know Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. And I connected to those, to the outside association like, you know, TECO [Taipei Economic and Cultural Office], and all the other consulates, and then we all just tried to be the liaison to do all the different events.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:21:01]
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Michael Cheung: Every time Chinese from Taiwan —the Republic of China, Taiwan—have some events every year, they have to send an event to Los Angeles to do a performance, we helped them organize them, and then, because they need overseas Chinese support. Well, bridging this event helped them to do that. And then like, in Los Angeles, or we sometimes we arrange, invite elected officials to Chinatown, come to CCBA board meetings. And we have to make announcements or help to, you know, fundraise.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:36:33]
Support for Local Elected Officials
Michael Cheung: I like that our voices will be heard. You know, so, we encourage all these Chinese Americans to [get] involved in politics like Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Rosemead. Every time they have the fundraising or they have an event coming up or get reelected, we try to help them. In the meantime, I just encourage all Chinatown people to go to support them.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:24:02]
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Michael Cheung: At that time, we were eager to have our—even America is a melting pot, but it’s still like a gelatin. Okay [laughs]. You can see the different colors, but you know, at least you have some people who understand you, the background, and are ready to speak for you. Of course we make other friends. But in the meantime, hopefully our very close friends will stand in the position, speak for us.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:25:15]
History of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association
Suellen Cheng: So from your own understanding, what is the purpose of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association? Were there, throughout the years, changes?
Michael Cheung: Right at the beginning because, you know this history that, you know, at the 1982 [sic] is the Exclusion Act, after that, Chinese have no place, no voice, and you can’t buy the property and you have no social status. So Lung Kong attempted to get families with same four last names to get together, help each other, and that is how all the associations in Chinatown with the same background came from there. Because in that time, the government didn’t take care of them. We have the Chinese Cemetery here. They received a letter from the county. You have to move all the remains to their own place. They’re not allowed to visit that Evergreen [cemetery]…
Suellen Cheng: So those are the issues that the community has to deal with. And so these organizations were there to help.
Michael Cheung: In the meantime they can help each other because when new immigrants come in here, they have no place to go. And they go to the associations seeking help. They can provide them a job, arrange the room and the board, like that. Just like nowadays the church has a similar function.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:25:57]
Changes in Function of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association
Suellen Cheng: Does Lung Kong still have those functions, because you still have different waves of immigrants, like Southeast Asians in the 70s and 80s?
Michael Cheung: Well, you know, nowadays, people are very independent now. They come and they are full function to take care of them. And now it’s only for, to keep their relationships with other people and, and then still, the ability for some people seeking for help, they still can provide them. But, I think, U.S. government now, I think, that they can function very well in doing all these jobs now.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:27:56]
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Michael Cheung: Well, you know, it’s only the second generation, because now they have their own associations. They have their own way to organize their activities, because nowadays those societies are more acceptable for different races, not in the early time. They have this, they have the discrimination thing. Nowadays, the second generation, they only go there, look at this as a history.
Timestamp: [Recording 1, 00:34:50]
Need for Chinese American Political Involvement
Susie Ling: You know, you keep mentioning that things are changing and the government is taking care of new immigrants more. But you are so active. I wanted to know what is your motivation to continue to be so serving of the family association.
Michael Cheung: I’m thinking it’s—we think, you know, the Jewish is so very successful in the political and all these fields. And Chinese people when they, last century they came here with labor. But this generation, they have a very good education, everything. And, unfortunately in the Chinese, they don’t [get] involved in much politics. And if you don’t involve in politics, we have no voice and that voice not be heard. So that’s why I’m promoting, hopefully all the next generation or in our, people in last generation, they success, they can help the next generation to achieve their goal. At least our voice can be heard. At least we don’t want to suffer the hundred years ago, the same treatment like the other races treated us. As a promote, as a motivation [claps hands] to push me to hopefully—
Timestamp: [Recording 2, 00:15:22]
Future of Chinatown
Suellen Cheng: What do you see the future of Chinatown?
Michael Cheung: I’m glad nowadays, see Chinatown has new high rise buildings. But hopefully they can bring more tourist.
Timestamp: [Recording 2, 00:17:00]
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Michael Cheung: You have to, you have to pay the rent. You have to pay the labor. You have to pay the wages. No client come in. You have to pay. You cannot sustain and survive. So only bringing tourists can make Chinatown more prosperous again….The association go with the Chinatown to the demand. If eventually, if no new business comes in and only the association functioning, it becomes less. Only if, more business come in and bring in people, because all the event they bring in people and then we have more members willing to join. Otherwise they come here, what for? To play mahjong? No, they don’t like it. Or if there’s some business, they can bring in the next generation in, coming here and enjoy the food and enjoy the meal or some activities. The only, only thing they have to, the more people coming in the town, otherwise…
Timestamp: [Recording 2, 00:20:04]