Ventura Downtown Visit - Accidental Discovery (China Alley)

Sunday, 4/6/2014

     Ventura Downtown Visit - Accidental Discovery (China Alley) 

Prelude

           

            I went exploring San Buenaventura Mission at Figueroa St. Ventura via GoldCoast Transit. It’s similar to Ride-On in Montgomery County.   The Ventura County Agriculture Museum visit last week prompted me for more research about Chumash Native Indians.  I was interested in their assimilation process into Spanish culture during the Spanish period 1769 – 1821.  Chumash resided in Ventura for over a thousand years, coexisting peacefully with other tribes, for the most part, until the arrival of European explorers. 

San Buenaventura Mission

            The building of San Buenaventura Mission in the land of Chumash to protect the territory marked the beginning of California’s colonization.  The soldiers captured the escaped Indians.  With the forced labor, Chumash, the master fisherman, brought the materials and their skills in agriculture and horticulture from their villages to the mission.  The contribution was vital to the rapid agricultural development during that period.   

            For the early settlers, is it the natural biological superiority rather than the sensitivity of cultural heritage for them to feel they had a right to take over the land occupied by Native Americans?  I found it very unsettling. 

            The Mission is located on 211 E Main St, in downtown Ventura.  I never made it to downtown Ventura even though I have been visiting my daughter’s family since 2009.  They always took us to the scenic Ventura Pier watching the surfer’s ride the waves close up.  We would walk along the trail covered with beautiful gazania flowers growing rampantly by the beach, and smell the salty sea air.  I was just one of many tourists on the pier.  Those are the quality family time before temporarily retiring my life in California.

I used to watch the surfers riding the waves at the end of the pier

            Downtown Ventura is only 5 miles from my daughter’s place.  I decided to check it out myself.  My son-in-law, a frequent Santa Barbara commuter, informed me about where to get off if I want to be in the heart of the downtown. 

Ventura and Santa Barbara

            Then I asked about what it’s like in Ventura.  He described to me based on the experience I had from Santa Barbara trip and we had nice Mexican lunch at Santa Barbara St.  He said, “Ventura and Santa Barbara are like twin sisters who grew up to be differently.  They both have

Santa Barbara Downtown

gorgeous stretch of Southern California coast, Mediterranean climate and Spanish Riviera architectural designs.  But, Santa Barbara turned to be much well city-planned as a palm-studded playground for the rich and famous with international glitz, while Ventura a blue-color town with its unique and careful preserving the real California heritage.  There are fancy dinners, coffee houses and nightclubs in Santa Barbara.  Ventura is a charming mix of mom-and-pop shops, antique stores, and thrifts coffee houses with local features.“

Ventura Downtown - Crown Plaza Hotel facing the ocean

GoldCoast Bus

            This is my first time riding GoldCoast.  The passengers are quite mixed with different ages and races, Caucasian, Filipino and Latino origins, no African Americans.  Of course, I am the only Chinese American again.  Surprisingly, I have never seen any African Americans around the town ever since I got here in January.   I was so used seeing them as we were riding Ride-on in Montgomery County, Maryland.  It was interesting, I have seen more back-pack youngsters, males and females, care-free homeless with their light-pack belongs everywhere, not particularly the one I saw in DC who were sleeping on the steaming sub-way vent with the plastic and newspaper covered, and tattooed and pierced folks with variety of artistic body arts.  This is California, the trendsetter for the rest of the countries.  Even amusing!  There are more people walking the dogs in the park or in the baby stroller than the caretaker like me with the real baby!

            I got off the Figueroa St. as directed from the driver, a middle aged Caucasian, who kindly pointed his finger across the street, next to a lush green park for home-bound bus stop when I asked him abut it.  And he announced loudly, “Mission San Buenaventura Station” to everyone.  Ventura is a quaint small town with folksy style driver.  I know Ride-on Bus in Montgomery County, Maryland uses the audio-controlled device – rather formal and urban.  

My homebound bus stop - behind the man on the bench are harmless elders with their bundled belongings

The Mission

            I strolled up the steps to the fenced courtyard looking in from outside.  The landscape had the tranquil scene of gardens with beautiful plantings, a mosaic tiled fountains and statues tucked in among the flowers.  The signs directed to the museum office pointed to me “closed.” Oh, well, I have to come again.  I took a few pictures with the sunny blue sky as the backdrop and the mission with the cross as the highlight.  Imagine this was the center of Spanish colonial empire during the 18^th century.  The primitive land and the Pacific Ocean nearby surrounded this fort-like mission.

The lush green park before I discovered the hidden history

The Fountain and the Lush Green Park

Figueroa Plaza

Downtown Ventura - The Mission used to be the center of the Spanish Colony

            I walked across the street toward the park with the mature shade trees.  The two blue-mosaic tiled fountains created a refreshing feeling in the hot summer-like weather.  People relaxed under the trees to spend a lovely afternoon with the sea breeze coming from the ocean. It has the warmth and dryness of desert-like climate. 

Two Tall Norfolk Pine Trees - Planted circa 1880 - The CA Millennium Landmark

The performers & China Gate

            There was a group of Spanish/Mexican band of four men and one woman who, dressed up the black costumes – ankle boots, large yellow bow ties, short Jackets and snug trousers, performing the Latin tuned music.   I strolled leisurely toward them humming the tune from Opera Carmen – Toreador and famous Bolero music BESAME MUCHO with them.   Then I came upon a red glazed gate with imperial-palace style roof and two round upright columns.  Couldn’t this be the temple 水門宮 - entrance to the China Alley I read it before?  Did I unintentionally stumble upon the historical mark that serves as a reminder about the

poignant past of Chinese immigrants in California? 

The Band Playing Carmen - Toreador & BESAME MUCHO  

China Gate - The Alley with Row Houses starts here

The Mural

            My heart beat a little faster when I saw this amazing Mural wonderfully painted with vivid colors – mainly orange and yellow base.  I quickly read the briefs on the commemorative plaque below the painting.  Yes, the era of Qing Dynasty, people mainly from Guangdong province of southern China had sailed the ocean and settled in Ventura, California in the 1860s.  They lived in crude small wooden buildings in tight quarters as the merchants, laborers, farmers, cooks, laundry men, ranch cooks, construction workers, fishermen, gardeners and servants of different sorts in the early community business.  They, around 200s Chinese lived here, nestled on the block between the sea not far behind those music performers and the San Buenaventura Mission.

The Old Man Tending the Little Child - Next to the Arch Gate

            They had maintained their language, traditional customs, and rituals until 1920s.   The City of Ventura designed the Figueroa Plaza with the Mural to honor the accomplishment of Chinese to the city in 1921.   The people with braided pigtails, long mandarin robes and Asian conical hats were going about their lives – old man tending the little one, hair cutting tradition, a family eating the meal with the man and a child looking on, and a couple worshiping in a makeshift temple 稟公堂. 

            See the laundry hanging on the clothesline?  Remember ChangCole Dry Cleaners, out by 9 and in by 4, crisp and sweet?  The unspoken stoicism passed down for generation.  There is hidden voice on the picture I could hear.  There weren’t anyone but me looking at the past history right under my nose.   

Epilogue

            The scenes were so familiar from the history books I read – the opium war, the transcontinental railroad construction, the early settlers’ perseverance and the unavoidable fate of discrimination and exclusion.  I stood right there pensively, reminiscing the pieces of unforgettable Chinese history. 

            Amid the locals, the majority of Latinos, and beach goers, I was overcome by incongruous feelings of intense foreignness and intimate familiarity.

            I might go back there again before I pack up for homebound Maryland soon.

P.S.  I took these pictures while I was waiting for my homebound bus next to the lush green park.  See the similarity between the twin cities - Santa Barbara and Ventura?   - The fleet of antique cars from the Coastal Scenic Drive that's attractive for fun-lovers across the U.S.   This is Southern California!

Antique car #1 - Downtown Ventura

Antique car #2 - Downtown Ventura

Antique? Not Sure

Coastal Scenic Drive nearby

Museum of Ventura County above will be my next field trip if I have time to venture out agin.

Three seats tandem generation near my daughter, son-in-law and grandson Forest's community.  It could be them one day after I packup home for Maryland.