Locally, Ethnic Chinese Mark Change at Casino

Hundreds of Southern Californians, gathering to watch the hand-over of Hong Kong from British to Chinese control, met early Monday at a place matching both the capitalist glitter of the former British colony and its risky road ahead under Communist rule: the Hollywood Park racetrack and casino.

Chuckling at the irony of the Southland site, Leo Chu, an owner of the sprawling casino and an immigrant from Hong Kong, offered his assessment of China reclaiming its territory. “It’s a crapshoot,” he said.

But with an estimated 400,000 Chinese American residents and more than $20 billion in annual trade with China, Southern California has a big stake in the international game of chance that is Hong Kong’s future.

Because of differences in the time zones, the key events overseas fell about 9 a.m. Monday in Los Angeles, and some area observances began much earlier. For interested Angelenos, this meant rising before daybreak to catch it all.

One local television station began its coverage at 2:30 a.m.; more than 100 people arrived at the Inglewood casino for the 6:30 a.m. start of its program.

By 8:30 a.m., about 700 people had turned up at Hollywood Park, paying $30 for admission to the daylong event, a benefit for the United Way. While many attendees were women and men who had fled the mainland or Hong Kong fearing repressive aspects of the Communist regime in Beijing, many expressed pride at the end of Britain’s colonial control and the start of what many see as potentially an important new era for China.

“I’m very excited that Hong Kong has finally been returned to China. I’m just hopeful China will do a good job with it,” said Kim Wang, 54, a real estate agent from Torrance.

Pearl Tse, 57, a Monterey Park resident who was born in Shanghai and fled to Hong Kong before eventually moving to Los Angeles, said she favored the change, despite her personal history as a refugee from communism. “It was the right thing to do. Colonialism was wrong,” she said.

Just before the ceremonies in the Hong Kong Convention Center commenced, the group at Hollywood Park split up to watch live, televised coverage that was offered in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. The groups went to different rooms, each named after a famous racehorse.

Reactions to the ceremony in each room differed sharply.

Like the reserved, Mandarin-speaking group in the Native Diver Room, those watching the English broadcast in the Seabiscuit Room were somber. The English-speakers were silent as Prince Charles announced the end of British “responsibilities” in Hong Kong and as he praised Hong Kong for having “none of the disturbances and dislocations that have accompanied change in some other parts of the world.”

Meantime, in the Affirmed Room next door, viewers of the Cantonese telecast roared with laughter whenever a close-up shot appeared of the prince or Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last British governor. But when one man called out to others to stand for the raising of the Chinese flag, only a handful obliged.

Organizer Chu said the mixed mood at the program was appropriate: “This isn’t a celebration. It’s an observance of a historic event.”

Chu said the program was meant to be neutral, not an endorsement of Britain or China. In keeping with its stated purpose as an observance rather than a celebration, several panels discussed topics such as the hand-over’s effect on Southern California’s economy.

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And this being Los Angeles, there was a touch of Hollywood: Actress Nancy Kwan, who won fame for herself and her native Hong Kong in the film “The World of Suzie Wong,” was present, mingling with the crowd.

Kwan, whose father was Chinese and whose mother was British, said she hopes that China will “keep its promise” to maintain Hong Kong’s freedoms.

The activities at Hollywood Park made up just one of several recent Hong Kong-related events in the Los Angeles area. Ceremonies at East Los Angeles College--attended by Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and prominently featuring China’s consul general--drew almost 20,000 people Saturday. Also Saturday, a group of Taiwanese protesters picketed the Chinese Consulate.

Wednesday, a concert dubbed “Bravo China” will be staged at the Hollywood Bowl.