Ryan Wong 黃六松
Ryan Wong was born in Battambang, Cambodia and is a Chinese American of Chiuchow heritage. His family immigrated to the U.S. as refugees during the Vietnam War, first arriving in San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles in 1979. Growing up in Chinatown, Wong attended Castelar Elementary School and frequented the Chinatown Library. He also attended the Confucius Chinese School, established by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in 1952. As of 2024, he is the president of the Friends of the Chinatown Library and works with the Rosemead-based accounting firm Thong, Yu, Wong, and Lee, LLP. .
Ryan Wong was interviewed by Susan Dickson and Susie Ling on August 13, 2024.
History of the Chinatown Library
Ryan Wong: So one thing I was sharing with my family recently is I didn’t even know the background of how the Chinatown Library came about. I mean, I’m so impressed. I am the beneficiary of other donors, other people that came before us. We just thought it was a part of the school. It was a government establishment. So, yes, we hang out at the library every day. Every day, even the weekends.
Timestamp: [00:11:23]
Experience of the Confucius Chinese School
Ryan Wong: Chinese school is a place where they teach you things that Castelar doesn’t teach you. They’re kind of like your parents. How can I explain it? The Confucius way of thinking, filial piety, doing the right things. It’s not about—I don’t think I learned any math or science in Chinese school. It’s just Chinese language, how do you deal with elders, how do you deal with people. Those are all the subjects that I remember. I don’t remember math or science from our Chinese school. So it’s more like—because the parents are not around, they are the parents. That’s what it feels like. It shapes us. Yes.
Timestamp: [00:15:29]
Involvement with Friends of the Chinatown Library
Ryan Wong: But now in Chinatown, when we, whatever we’re doing, in the one hour that we provide, it feels like it has a much further reach. And I mean, one of my partners here, John Lin, his wife, teaches at Castelar. One of my CPA partner’s wife teaches at Castelar. And I’ve been challenging her for a while. This is 10, 15 years back. There’s no PTA, no PTSA at Castelar. I would love to sponsor. We will contribute to start. And she couldn’t find enough parents to even be interested. And it kind of makes sense because everyone’s so busy doing what they do for themselves, right? There’s no time for them to take a step back to see what else does our community need. So no, we are blessed that we can finally be able to see how the community can benefit from us now. The other way around. Again, I think things happen for a reason.
Timestamp: [00:31:27]
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Susie Ling: What are your goals as president of the Friends of the Chinatown Library?
Ryan Wong: Oh, I’m still so impressed with one of the librarians there, Lynn, she seems to be a community activist. And whatever the library’s doing now, it seemed to me that’s not even just library functions. It’s community events. So those are what’s getting us more and more excited to be involved. But that’s probably a better question for my wife, which I thought she should be president. [Laughs]
Susie Ling: So your goal perhaps is to support the staff, as they are very competent and already have a direction.
Ryan Wong: Yes.
Timestamp: [00:32:33]
Future of Chinatown
Susie Ling: Now as someone, my last question, as someone who’s been, as you said, with Chinatown or knowing of Chinatown for 45 years or so, what is your concerns and impression of Los Angeles Chinatown today?
Ryan Wong: I mean, nothing to do with the library or Castelar. It just feels like when you drive down through Chinatown or when you have relatives or friends coming into town, I mean, we go to Chinatown just to visit Chinatown, but it doesn’t feel like Chinatown anymore. It feels like it’s a forgotten town. I mean, it’s sad. Emotional. That’s how everyone interprets it. But how can we turn it back to the shiny day of what Chinatown should be? That’s a bigger question.
Timestamp: [00:33:19]
Full Transcript