West Gate

West Gate. Chinatown. , "Cooperate to Achieve" , At the grand opening of New Chinatown in 1938, guests passed through the West Gate - the first of Chinatown's four gates to be constructed. Chinese Consul T.K. Chang composed an inscription for the top of the gate which translates "Cooperate to Achieve" in Chinese characters. During opening ceremonies, Governor Frank Merriam dedicated a bronze plaque commemorating the contributions the Chinese made to the building of the railroads. But while it seemed that the Chinese had finally found a permanent home, they were still unable to become American citizens. Perhaps for this reason news from China stirred deep feelings of patriotism for the home country. , Seven years before New Chinatown opened, Japan conquered Manchuria and began mounting periodic raids into China. Then, in July 1937, Japan suddenly attacked and seized nearly all Chinese coastal cities and industrial areas. New Chinatown opened a year later and its residents - together with those from the other Chinese enclaves in Los Angeles - became involved in a variety of civic activities to benefit the homeland. They participated in the New Life Movement, the Rice Bowl Campaign, and the Seven-Seven Campaign to raise money to help China defend itself and to alleviate the suffering of its people. , Beginning in 1938, Los Angeles Chinese sponsored a Moon Festival to raise money for United China Relief. Over several weeks, excitement escalated as a Moon Festival Queen (a precursor to today's Miss Chinatown) was selected for her beauty and manners. David Soo Hoo, the brother of the founder of New Chinatown, suggested that the Mei Wah girls form a drum corps. In the years to come, the corps would become a regular feature at parades and festivals throughout the southland. , After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II, the Pacific would remain virtually closed, with the result that little or no merchandise could be imported. For many mom-and-pop shops in Chinatown, this meant buying cheap curios from Mexico, while in restaurants chefs improvised, using apples and jicama in place of water chestnuts. These were minor inconveniences when American-born sons of Chinese descent were shipping out and fighting for the United States. , Ten Thousand Treasures , Man Jen Low - which means "Ten Thousand Treasures" - was one of the first Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles. It opened in the late 1800s in a "two-by- four shack" at 1st and Mateo streets in Downtown Los Angeles, then later as a much larger establishment on Marchessault Street where Union Station stands today. Woo Fon Lee, the second generation son, moved the restaurant to Gin Ling Way when New Chinatown opened in 1938. , There came a day not long after World War II ended when a Los Angeles Times food editor and some of his friends were talking about the name of the restaurant. They felt it sounded too foreign for modern times. Believing that Lee was Mr. Woo's last name - and humorously relating it to Confederate General Robert E. Lee - they suggested that the restaurant be renamed General Lee's. Clothing designer Rudi Gernreich designed new waiters' uniforms, which were so popular that female customers begged to purchase them. From its humble beginnings, General Lee's clientele grew to include celebrities like Gregory Peck and Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler.