Raising a Flag, and a Divisive Issue

The first time they tried to raise the Chinese flag in Los Angeles’ Chinatown two decades ago, a mob of anti-communists tore it down and burned it.

On Sunday, a group of Chinese Americans will try again. And this time, they say the red banner with its signature five yellow stars is here to stay.

If they are right, it would mark a significant shift in Southern California’s Chinese American community, which has traditionally viewed the flag as a symbol of the Communist government’s repression that many older residents fled. The region has the largest Taiwanese community outside of Asia. Taiwan broke away from China after the 1949 Communist revolution and it is on the island where anti-Beijing sentiments are perhaps strongest.

Chinese flags have flown in New York and San Francisco Chinatowns for years, but Los Angeles remains a conspicuous holdout.

But perceptions are changing. China’s booming economy is one big reason, as many local businesses now have financial ties to the mainland. The flag-raising is supported by a group with younger Chinese Americans who see it as a way of stirring national pride.

“This Chinatown is old,” said Peter Lau, president of the China Unity Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, which is organizing the Sunday flag-raising. “Things are already changing here. I want the change.”

The heart and soul of Chinatown’s traditional community has long been dictated by the 116-year-old Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Assn. and the 26 family associations that fall under it. Its members not only include those who fled the communists, but aging veterans who fought the Red Army. A Taiwanese flag flutters above the organization’s headquarters on Broadway.

“It’s not time yet to raise the Chinese flag,” said Edwin Mah, the 56-year-old president of the benevolent association. “The hatred is still in the heart of these old-timers.... They still cannot accept communism.”

Mah and others believe this is a particularly bad moment to raise the Chinese flag because of the renewed tensions between Taiwan and the mainland over the anti-secession law, which provides a legal framework for Beijing to use military force if Taiwan explores formal independence. The law prompted massive protests in Taiwan over the last few weeks.

“Wait another 10 years or so,” added David Ma, a former president of the association. “We still have the older generation here. When they pass away, it will be time.”

San Francisco’s Chinatown saw similar divisions last year. Taiwanese American members of the Chinese Six Companies -- the influential neighborhood association similar to the L.A. benevolent association -- challenged an incoming president in court when he refused to be sworn in before the Taiwanese flag and staged his own inauguration with Chinese flags. A judge ruled against the critics, but a lasting rift had formed over which country to pledge allegiance to.

So far, it appears there is little organized opposition to the flag-raising in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Instead, critics have responded with indifference, saying they will not attend the ceremony.

But the effort has won the support of 85-year-old businessman David Lee, a fifth-generation Chinese American whose family opened the famed General Lee’s restaurant in 1860.

Lee tried to raise the Chinese flag briefly in 1984 in Chinatown Plaza, but it was quickly torn down. Now, Lee is offering his green office building on Bamboo Lane for Lau to display the banner.

A self-proclaimed antagonist of “Taiwanese die-hards,” Lee said he believes raising the Chinese flag will help unify a community that he believes is too ethnically divided.

“In my community, they do not accept me as one of them because I’m American born,” said Lee, sporting a black Johnny Walker whiskey baseball cap.

To Lee and others, the growing ties between the mainland and the Los Angeles area are hard to ignore because of soaring business opportunities. China is Southern California’s premier trading partner, accounting for $85.6 billion in two-way trade. That’s double the amount in 2000 and almost twice as much as the second-largest trading partner, Japan. By comparison, Taiwan accounted for $14.8 billion in two-way trade last year, enough for fourth place, according to the L.A. County Economic Development Corp.

China Unity Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, the organizer of the flag-raising, is dedicated to improving relations between China and Taiwan. Its goal is eventual reunification of Taiwan with the mainland government.

Lau, the group’s 49-year-old leader, is a native of China’s southern province of Guangdong. He is a Chinese-language advertising director who served as president of the old-line Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Assn. in 2003 and 2004. Lau said he tried to bring the old-line association closer to China. He led a “breaking the ice trip” with 38 association members last year to 10 Chinese cities in a month, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

“We are all Chinese,” Lau said through an interpreter. “We should care about our homeland. The mainland will only get stronger.”

Lau has won strong support in his quest from the Chinese government. Sunday’s event will be attended by the Chinese deputy consul general.

“I think the flag-raising in Chinatown symbolizes the support for China, not only in Chinatown, but across a wider range of the Chinese community,” said Xiaomei Zhou, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Consulate. “It’s not our goal to have flags everywhere. But we’re very happy to see the first permanent flag there. And we’re very confident there will be more in the future.”

Backers of Taiwan, however, see the flag-raising as the triumph of money over political principles and doubt it will have much meaningful resonance.

“People in the U.S. are interested in human rights and democracy,” said Matthew Chou, deputy director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. “You won’t find that in China. In Taiwan, they have the same values as here.”