First annual Lion Dance Festival held in San Francisco Chinatown

(SAN FRANCISCO) The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian hate sentiment hit hard to the San Francisco Chinatown businesses. The challenges also have motivated a large number of the Chinese Americans coming back to save the fading Chinatown. Mike Mak has been one of them. He created an auto show in 2021 and the first annual Lion Dance Festival over the weekend of July 16 and July 17 in Chinatown.

First annual Lion Dance Festival was historical. We can always see lion dance performances in San Francisco Chinatown streets all year round. But it was the first time in history to have almost 10 lion dance troupes to perform in one single event.

Tourists and local community members were excited to see the performances during the 2-day long Lion Dance Festival. The performing lion dance troupes were Leong’s White Crane, Yau Kung Moon, Hung Sing Choy Li Fut, Jing Mo Athletic Association, Mak Fai Kung Fu, Rising Phoenix, Westcoast Lion Dance Troupe, Chang Nai.

Mak is an entrepreneur and presently running an auto parts company for sports cars in the South Bay. "It was very historical to see all the masters from different lion dance troupes getting together to have dinner in Chinatown. It was the first time in the history of Chinatown," said Mak.

Mak talked about how he started coming back to Chinatown because of the pandemic. "I learned from the news last year that San Francisco Chinatown has been hit hard by the pandemic and anti-Asian hate crime, I want to contribute."

Mak said he organized and hosted the first car show with other Chinatown organizations on Grant Avenue in Chinatown at October 2021.

The car show was also the first of its kind in the history of San Francisco Chinatown. "It was very successful. Then I had the idea of hosting the first annual Lion Dance Festival in San Francisco Chinatown this year," Mak said.

Because of his involvement at the San Francisco Chinatown, Mak started getting into more of the Chinese culture by inviting lion dance troupes to perform at his company events during the Chinese New year. He found that their performances were very popular among his customers and visitors.

Mak, a resident of San Jose, has not joined any organizations in San Francisco Chinatown yet, he got to know Alvin Louie, founder of the San Francisco Unified Lions Club, at the first car show last year. Mak connected with Louie and worked together for the first annual Lion Dance Festival on July 16 and 17.

Mak, Louie, and Carol Fung, immediate past president of the San Francisco Unified Lions Club, have much in common. They are the second generation Chinese Americans and stayed at San Francisco Chinatown for a period of time when they were young. They all have a strong commitment to the revitalization of Chinatown.

The parents of Mak are the first generation immigrants coming from Hong Kong. They settled at Stockton in Joaquin Valley where Mak was born. When Mak was an elementary school student, he was sent by his parents to stay at grandma's SRO apartment in San Francisco Chinatown during summer every year. Mak's parents were busy at work to make for a living.

"I remember I would do the translations for my grandma and other seniors there. It was an unforgettable memory in my life," Mak said. He came to attend college at San Jose State University and majored in business. He has always been an entrepreneur by starting high technology companies in the past. Now he owns a sports car auto part company in the South Bay.

"There are only two real Chinatowns in the U.S. now: San Francisco and New York Chinatowns. All other Chinatowns like the one in Los Angeles are getting smaller. If we don't fight for San Francisco Chinatown now in history and culture, once it is gone, it is gone. It will never come back," Mak said he has already planned for a second car show in Chinatown later this year.

Alvin Louie got to know Mak in the Chinatown auto show last year. Louie was very supportive to organize the first annual Lion Dance Festival with Mak. "I recently came across and befriended Mike Mak who has the vision and the passion to revitalize Chinatown from the lockdown from COVID and the violence affecting the Chinese Community," said Louie.

Louie founded San Francisco Chinatown Unified Lions Club in 2016. Within six years, the club became the third largest club in the state and its outreach was local to international projects.

Louie was born in the Chinese Hospital and lived in a SRO apartment above a produce market at Stockton and Pacific Streets with parents and siblings in the early 1970s. His parents moved out of Chinatown later and operated a grocery store in the Crocker Amazon

neighborhood. The family lived in the back of the store for six years.

Childhood memories have inspired Louie to enjoy coming back to Chinatown for food and events all the time. He first joined the San Francisco Chinatown Lions Club and served the community by participating in the volunteer work for 18 years. He decided to found San Francisco Unified Lions Club in 2016 to expand its service to a broader community.

Carol Fung is the immediate past president of the Unified Lions Club for three years. Fung, a second generation Chinese American, has strong roots in San Francisco Chinatown. Her parents came to San Francisco in the 1960s. Fung lived in Chinatown until she was 4 years old.

"As a child growing up in the 70’s around Lutheran Church on Washington and Polk Street, we went to Chinatown to help carry grocery bags for my mom, attended banquets at Empress of China and New Asia. Enjoyed dim sum at various restaurants," said Fung.

"Thank Jennifer Cheung for being our Emcee, Sound Innovations for the sound set up, Frank Jang for documenting this historic event," Fung said, "Also all the sponsors and donors who believed in this project, State treasurer Fiona Ma, who is a Lion member of the Silicon Valley Cyber Lions Club, and Martin Yan for their support."