Listening for the Trains to Come, (sculpture).

Listening for the Trains to Come, (sculpture).

Sun, May, 1954- , sculptor.

Peter Carlson Enterprises, fabricator.

Listening for the Trains to Come, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Steel, bronze or brass.

Approx. 8 ft. x 15 ft. x 6 in.

(On first panel:) The Chinese came to Los Angeles, as well as/other parts of the state, as a result of the/deteriorating social and economic condi-/tions within China during the mid 1800's./The "push", created by the situation in/their native land, combined with the "pull"/of opportunities in California in general./The result of this "push-pull" situation was/the immigration of the large numbers of/Chinese from 1850 to 1890. (The passage of anti-Chinese legislature (sic) by 1890 stopped/ the flow of Chinese immigrants during the/ 19th century.) From 1861 to 1890, the/Chinese population of Los Angeles not only/increased greatly but also helped produce/Chinatown. In 1861, the number of Chi-/nese in the city had risen to 29:21 men and/8 women. There were also several Chinese/businesses in operation: an herb shop,/restaurant, curio store and six laundries./These places provided employment oppor-/tunities for some of the Chinese and mark/the entry of Chinese entrepreneurs into the/city. By 1870, there were 172 Chinese in/Los Angeles, half of whom lived in Negro/Alley (east of Los Angeles Street and north/of Aliso Street). This area became known as/Chinatown.

(On second panel:) Between 1860 and 1910, the Chinese com-/munity in Los Angeles, like other Chinese/communities in the United States, was over-/whelmingly male. The scarcity of women/was partly due to discriminatory U.S. im-/migration practices that barred Chinese women./Partly it was due to the sojourner mentality/of early immigrant men who planned to/return soon to China and saw no need to/bring women with them to this new land./Only two Chinese families were listed in/the 1860 Los Angeles Census, and in 1900,/it was 59. The participation of Chinese/women in the labor force grew steadily. The/typical family structure of the early Chinese/Americans in Los Angeles included a hus-/band, a wife, children and one or more/lodgers. Thus, not only did the early/Chinese women in Los Angeles take care of/both children and lodgers at home, but they/sometimes worked outside of their homes/to supplement family incomes.

(On third panel:) By 1880, Chinese truck gardeners made up/almost 90% of all the market gardeners in/Los Angeles county. Truck gardening and/vegetable peddling not only were the two/agricultural roles Chinese took up earliest,/but were also the ones in which they have/remained the longest. Long after the anti-/Chinese movement drove Chinese immi-/grants and their American-born children/out of diverse occupations, small numbers/of Chinese market gardeners and produce/sellers remained. By 1890, Chinatown had/taken on the form and structure which was/to last until the 1930s. Its center was/Los Angeles Street and Alameda Street. In/1916, it became known that the area was to/become a focus of rail transport. Chinatown/was to be torn down and a railways freight/yard with terminal facilities built in its place./This meant that the Chinese must leave the/area. In 1931, the Supreme Court ap-/proved the construction of Union Station./The Chinese were told to move. Eventually,/New Chinatown was developed north of the/Civic Center in an area originally zoned for/commercial-industrial use. unsigned

Site installation incorporating rows of large bells, pitchforks and shovels into a steel fence structure. Along the top half of the fence structure are spaced four bronze or brass panels. Each panel has a photographic image of the Chinese immigrant experience. The images depict an herbal shop, a produce peddler, agricultural workers and immigrant women.

Ethnic -- Chinese

Object -- Tool -- Shovel

Object -- Tool -- Rake

Object -- Musical Instrument -- Bell

Occupation -- Vendor -- Fruit Seller

Occupation -- Farm

History -- United States -- Immigration

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Los Angeles

Administered by Fong, Henry & Jane, 2096 Durango Drive, Los Angeles, California 91754

Located Chinatown Professional and Medical Center, 946 Adobe Street, Los Angeles, California

Nearby plaque: "Listening for the Trains to Come. 1992. Artist: May Sun. Commissioned by Adobe Investments Ltd. for Chinatown Professional and Medical Center in association with The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles." The sculpture was funded as a One Percent for Art project. Cost of the sculpture was $22,000. Medium of the panels is reported as bronze in one memorandum and as brass in another. IAS files contain copy of related article from Los Angeles Times, Nov. 15, 1992; and list of text credits for the panel texts. IAS files contain copies of related correspondence, memoranda and various other documents from artist, Chinatown Community Advisory Committee, and the City of Los Angeles. IAS files contain copies of related artist's sketches.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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