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For
Immediate Release 4/9/13
5th Annual Ching Ming Ceremony Honors
Riverside’s Chinese Pioneers
Olivewood Cemetery to be the site of ceremonies on April
13th
The
return of Ching Ming observances in Riverside is now
firmly established, and the fifth annual public ceremony
will take place at the cemetery where many of Riverside’s
Chinese Pioneers are buried. This year the event will take
place on Saturday, April 13th, at 4:00 pm at Olivewood
Cemetery, 3300 Central Avenue, Riverside. Participants and
observers will gather in an older area of the cemetery
that contains many Chinese graves on the south side of
Central Avenue, near the railroad tracks at the west end
(reached by turning right at the cemetery entrance).
Many of
Riverside’s ethnic or religious communities have a time of
the year when they remember and honor those members of the
community who have died, sometimes in a church or temple,
and sometimes at the cemetery. For the Chinese there is
Ching Ming, the “Grave Sweeping Day,” or “Day of Purity
and Brightness,” when families go to the gravesites, clean
them and have a small offering and prayer ceremony.
At the
time when the Riverside Chinese community was comprised
almost entirely of men – from the 1880s until the 1940s –
it became the responsibility of the community to take care
of the Ching Ming ceremonies because the families, who
normally performed the rituals, were back home in China,
due to the various Exclusion Acts and other discriminatory
laws. Also, most of the male residents of Riverside
Chinatown never married at all because of those racist
laws prohibiting women from coming to California to become
part of a family. There was a period of around 60 years
when no Ching Ming ceremony was held in Riverside, because
there were few, if any, descendents of the original
Riverside Chinatown residents to perform the ceremonies.
This
event is open to the public, and people who wish to come
are encouraged to participate at whatever level they feel
most comfortable. Activities will include a literal
cleaning of the gravestones with scrub brushes and water,
in addition to making offerings of tiny cups of wine and
flowers, prayers accompanied with the burning of incense,
the offering of “celestial money,” and a small meal of
remembrance, eaten at the cemetery. Participants are
welcome to bring whatever supplies they would like to
contribute, or may come just to observe.
A
private ceremony for George Wong, the last resident of
Riverside’s Chinatown, will be held earlier in the day at
Evergreen Cemetery where he is buried.
For
more information about Ching Ming you can go to the Save
Our Chinatown website at:
http://saveourchinatown.org
Contact Margie Akin
(951)787-0318 or (951)675-8312 |
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Update: Dragon Challenge Met with Success!
 A
hearty thank you to all the Riverside Chinatown supporters
who made donations toward this end-of-the-year challenge.
With your help, we were able to meet the challenge and
benefit from the generosity of the 5 Rivers Partnership.
We express our gratitude and appreciation to the family of
Voy and Fay Hing Lee Wong: Don Wong, Janlee Wong, Linda
Huang, and Julie Duncan for their continued support of
saving this heritage archaeological site. It's a great
win-win!
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Links to News Items:
RIVERSIDE: Chinese ancestors honored at grave ceremony April 13,
2013
RIVERSIDE: 5th Annual Ching Ming at Olivewood Memorial Park
[photo gallery] April 14, 2013 (?)
Ceremony to honor Chinese pioneers April 12, 2013
Women in Preservation: M. Rosalind Sagara and the California
Riverside Chinatown Community March 25th, 2013
Save Our Chinatown Committee in Riverside, Calif.: An
Interview with Judy Lee, University of California, Riverside
Librarian Jan 9, 2013
USC architecture student fights to save Chinatown December 10,
2012
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2012: Judy Young In Riverside
Fall 2012 see page 5
Riverside: Cool Historical Items Auctioned to Save Chinatown
January 28, 2013
Asian Pacific Librarians Association Interview January 9, 2013
RIVERSIDE: Traditional Chinese ceremony observed
Press Enterprise April 1,
2012
4th Annual Ching Ming Ceremony Honors Riverside’s Chinese
Pioneers [ Press Release: ] March 28, 2012
RIVERSIDE: Ruling throws out approval of Chinatown building.
Press Enterprise
March 27, 2012
RIVERSIDE: Chinatown appeal ruling is a reversal Press
Enteprise October 27, 2011
Steps Toward Victory for Campaign to Preserve Riverside’s
historic Chinatown [ Press Release ] October 27, 2011
From Gold Mountain to Orange Farm: How the Chinese Shaped
California's Citrus Industry KCET.org July 13, 2011
Buried History of Riverside's Chinese Immigrants Threatened
by Development KCET.org July 15,2011
The Last Resident KCET.org. August 5, 2011 Article:
Activists fight to preserve Riverside's Chinatown site.
Los Angeles Times. 6/26/2011
Press Release:
Riverside’s Historic Chinatown Chosen as Top 100 in National
Challenge: Public online vote to decide winner 5/31/2011
"Save
Riverside Chinatown" News and Notes December 2010, Chinese
Historical Society of Southern California. See p. 4.
"When do 'Model Minorities' stand up and fight? The battle for
Riverside's Chinatown continues" by Judy Lee. Riverside JACL
Newsletter December, 2010
A look back: Working to save Chinatown
By NITA HILTNER Press Enterprise
October
2, 2010
"Today's Mystery, Tomorrow's History"
News and Notes [Chinese
Historical Society of Southern California Newsletter] June 2010
"Group gathering at cemetery to honor Riverside's Chinese pioneers"
by David Olsen Press Enterprise April 4, 2010
“Throwdown in Chinatown,” by Erin Tobin, Inland Empire Magazine,
December 2009.
(Reprinted
with permission.)
"Chinese Americans fight for preservation of historic
Riverside Chinatown site" Xinhua News
September 24, 2009
"Apology to Chinese, though some expect more efforts to follow",
The Press-Enterprise,
Monday, September 14, 2009
“Sides debate effect of ruling on Chinatown site in Riverside,”
by Alicia Robinson, The Press-Enterprise, Saturday,
September 5, 2009.
Old Riverside Foundation,
President’s
message about the struggle to save Chinatown. ORF Newsletter,
Spring 2009.
“California’s apology for past discrimination: Saying ’sorry’ says
something: The state’s regret for the way past generations treated
Chinese immigrants may help heal hurts that have festered for
decades.” Los Angeles Times Editorial July 25, 2009
“California Apologizes to Chinese Americans”
TIME, July 22, 2009 On July 17, the California legislature approved
a landmark bill to apologize to the state’s Chinese American
community for racist laws enacted as far back as the mid–19th
century. The legislation was co-sponsored by State Assembly members
Paul Fong and Kevin de Leon.
Judge’s tentative Chinatown findings leave both sides with questions
The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Thursday, July 9, 2009
“Riverside Chinatown Rescue Efforts Continue,”
by Margie Akin, Japanese American Citizens League, Riverside,
Newsletter, June 2009. (Reprinted with permission.)
Work at former Chinatown site in Riverside will remain halted, court
rules The Press-Enterprise May 19, 2009
“Artifact of Disposal: The Historic Riverside Chinatown
Archaeological Site is Under Assault,” by Scott L. Fedick,
Chinese American Forum, Vol. XXIV, no. 4, April 2009.
(Reprinted with permission.)
"Fight to Save Riverside's Chinatown is a Pan-Asian Effort"
Pacific Citizen March 29, 2009
Construction delayed on historic Riverside site The
Riverside Press-Enterprise
March
20, 2009
Tale of Two Sinkholes
DAN BERNSTEIN
The Riverside Press-Enterprise
- March 13, 2009
Judge Orders Work Halted for Project at Riverside’s Second Chinatown
The Riverside Press-Enterprise - February 25 ,2009
Riverside, CA Judge Issues Temporary
Restraining Order to Developer - Angry Citizens Fight to Save
Riverside, CA Historic Chinatown Site Various dates Asianconnections.com
Reckless Digging: Stop Defiling Riverside’s Historic Chinatown site,
an Opinion Editorial by Dr. Scott Fedick The Riverside
Press-Enterprise - February 24, 2009
Work halts for now at Riverside’s former second Chinatown The
Riverside Press-Enterprise - February 18, 2009
Crews cited over noise at controversial Chinatown site in Riverside The Riverside
Press-Enterprise - February
17, 2009
Breaking Out Of the Beltway
DAN BERNSTEIN
The Riverside
Press-Enterprise - February
17, 2009
Opponents of Chinatown site development seek restraining order The Riverside
Press-Enterprise - February
17, 2009
Chinatown Dig Plan Wins Approval The Riverside
Press-Enterprise - February
10, 2009
Lawsuit targets Riverside council’s OK of building over old
Chinatown The
Riverside Press-Enterprise
- November 8, 2008
Hidden Heritage: Riverside lot is center of dispute over old
Chinatown, new building The
Riverside Press-Enterprise - October 6, 2008
Links to SOCC press releases:
Chinese
New Year Celebration part of Local Revival February 6, 2010
Chinese New Year Banquet to Start with a Bang January 26, 2010
Resolution
from the Los Angeles Lodge of the Chinese American Citizens
Alliance, in support of a Riverside Chinatown Historical Park
August 2009
Riverside Chinatown Trial Thursday July 6, 2009
PREPARING FOR
TRIAL July 2009
PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION UPHELD May 13, 2009
Chinatown
Injunction Hearing Friday March 19, 2009
Temporary Restraining Order Granted For Riverside’s Historic
Chinatown February 24, 2009
CHING MING FESTIVAL IN RIVERSIDE February 2009
City to Vote on Controversial Discard
Policy for Riverside’s Historic Chinatown Archaeological Site February 5, 2009
Gala Chinese New Year Banquet Sold
Out January 23, 2009
Ticket Deadline for Chinese New
Year Banquet Approaches January 16, 2009
Major Damage Sparks Legal Action February 2009
Lawsuit Filed Against Planned
Building on Riverside Chinatown Site November 6, 2008
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