Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-26
CHINATOWN IS
HAVING BOOM
HANDSOME NEW BUILDINGS
BEING ERECTED
Merchants, There Are Waslng War for
Cleaner Streets and Say They
Want other Improve
rnents

In an attempt to bring the Los An
geles Chinatown to the front as one
of the most spectacular and pictur-
Iesque OF local attractions, George Lem,
the most prominent merchant of the
Chinese settlement, has organized a
company of promotion, with himself
as head and chief director.
Mr.. Lem has been recognized as the
most consistent worker in the city for
the betterment of the Chinese in this
city He is q native of China, but has
spent the last thirty years in this
country, amassed fortune and, unlike
his countrymen, has no intentions of
returning to China to spend his last
days there.
The little sentiment on Apahlasa and
Marchessault streets has recently taken
on new color. New buildings are
springing up. The old shacks are being
torn down and with their wealth of
tragedy and romance are being con-
signed to the waste pile.
Is Working Wonders
Mr.. Lem as president of the Chinese
chamber of commerce is doing Won
ders in Chinatown. His word was the
momentum which started the fund to
build the fine Bow Wog Wui building
on Apablasa street. He is also the
chief agitator in an attempt to found
a fine Chinese hospital in the settle
ment.
Recently Lem presented a petition to
the city for assistance in helping to
clean up the Chinatown streets. Those
streets have been at their worst during
the Chinatown new year period, when
hundreds of tourists from all parts of
the country throng the streets of the
quarter and take thousands of pictures
to be sent to nearly every city of the
United States.
Tht latest attraction to be produced
by Mr.. Lem in Los Angeles is a great
dragon, brought from China for exhi-
bition here and valued at $4,000.
The dragon was built for the Portland
exposition and exhibited there and now
has been brought south and will prob
ably remain here. 1t is on exhibition
at the Bow Wog Wui hail. and if all
plans are carried out that monster
dragon, manipulated by two hundred
Chinese, may grace the next Fiesta
| parade.
Want Better Streets
| "What l want to do is to get the
tourists and visitors to Los Angeles
interested in Chinatown" said Mr.. Lem
yesterday.
1.-The settlement should be one of the
most picturesque in the country, espec-
tally since the San Francisco settlement
has been wiped out.
There is only one way to get the
people here and that is to make the
quarter attractive. On New Years,
when the people flock here by the hun
dreds, we do the best we can to en-
tertain them. We spend much money
on decorations and lights and dress
up the children in their best clothes
and that helps a whole lot. We want
better streets, however, and we are
going to fight until We get them.
81 have worked hard for a cleaner
town and a number of the old shacks
have been torn down. We are build
ing fine new buildings in many spots
in the quarter and we hope to make
mnay improvements, but Chinatown
without some grease and dirt would
not be Chinatown. SO we are going
to leave scores OF the old dens and
places and furnish as many attractions
for the visitors as possible.
II brought the dragon here to make
the people come to the settlement.
What we want mere is something to
interest the visitors and In another
year the local Chinatown will undergo
a wonderful change"