Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-21
CHINESE PREPARE
FOR FIESTA WEEK
ORIENTAL QUARTER WILL BE
ON REVIEW
Eastern Visitors Who Have Never
Seen a Chinatown Will Have an
Opportunity During Gather
ing Of shrlners

Fiesta. Under the direction of the
Chinese chamber of commerce the yell
low men are getting out their decora-
tions and bunting and fixing up for the
days when the Mclean" men and
women will sweep down on their set
t.ement and look at them and their
property to see what a real Chinatown
looks like.
For Chinatown will be one of the
great attractions of the Fiesta. To
the hundreds of eastern visitors who
have never seen q Chinatown the local
settlement of celestials will be one of
the greatest points of interest. To an
easterner the life Of the celestial Is a
closed book OF mystery. His ways and
his habits, his jealousies, his love af-
fairs and his killings, his home life
and his business, all have such an
attraction that an easterner will go far
to get just one little peep at the yell
low man in his natural surroundings
1t may be that 1t Is because the Chi
nese have always kept themselves aloof
from the whites that this condition eX-
lists, but at any rate the visitors are to
he given a run for their money.
Opium Joints on Exhibition
In Chinatown there are now six
opium dens, each one well furnished
and picturesquely filthy. With guide
the visitor can go into these places.
They can see row or two of half con-
scious Chinese, under the influence of
the poppy juice, each rolling his pill
and smoking it, and each just as
picturesquely filthy and greasy as his
surroundings.
But Chinatown is not Chinatown un-
less there is plenty of dirt and grease.
without those attributes a Chinatown
would be like the police commission
without Sam Schenck. 1t Is necessary
for the color schceme that the settle
ment be dirty and that the streets be
not of the cleanest but no tourist need
be alarmed, for there exists no con-
tagious diseases in the Chinatown and
no one has ever been known to con-
tract any disease from association in
the district.
AS in the time of New Year, China
town will be aglow with lights and
music. The music of course will be
of the heartrending kind and not
suited to tender ears, but 1t Will be
Chinese music the same and a novelty.
Already the little yellow women have
begun to get out their robes and to
dress up the little celestial babies.
Greatest in the Country
Since the burning of the San Fran
cisco Chinatown Los Angeles has at
tanned the distinction of having the
greatest Chinatown in the country and
the yellow people intend to live UP
to it.
There are more good looking women
in Chinatown than in any other Chi
nese settlement and more good looking
| Chinese children. AS for the men OF
the settlement, as many of them as
have time and can afford, will put on
their silk robes and button caps and
look more picturesque than they feel,
and try to give the visitors a treat.
The attractions of the district are
many. Chinese restaurants where Chi
nese dishes are served to the tourists,
tie Bow Wong Wui hall of the Reform
associa ton, the great hall where the
Chinese dragon is kept the opium
dens, temples, joss houses, tong halls
and all the other things that go to
make up a celestial district.
AS ever in the lead for the advance
ment of his. people, George Lem, one of
the richest Chinese merchants in the
world, is heading the list in behalf of
the Fiesta.
1t was through his efforts that the
dragon company was formed and the
great dragon brought from Portland.
The monster is made of hand-worked
embroidery, studded with looking
glasses and gold thread. On several
occasions tnlS dragon Hdu ueeH Cal
red through the streets of Los An
geles during Fiesta times, but the Chi
nese became afraid of the federal Of
ficers and it is a question as to whether
or not the dragon will figure in the
Fiesta parade of this year.
Dragon on Exhibition
The federal officers have been in the
habit of reviewing the two or three
hundred coolies needed to carry the
giant dragon and of taking out many
of them and deporting them if they
did not have certificates. This has
scared the celestials to such an extent
that they fear to come into the city
But whether or not the dragon is
carried in the parade it will be on
exhibition in Chinatown for the en-
tire Fiesta season and guides will be on
hand to explain the dragon, Its an
cestry and it's various sections.
SO that all in all the celestials are
doing their part for the Fiesta and
hope to have the streets of their settle
ment in gala attire, the shops proper
ly dressed for the occasion and their
men, women and children will be-
decked in their best.