Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Year of the Monkey – no celebration in Merced

Here in the Merced Sun-Star newsroom, we try to stay on top of upcoming events and holidays.

That probably seems obvious. It’s part of our jobs to seek out this information if it doesn’t come to us. At times, it’s more difficult than it seems it should be.

Last week, we had our eyes set on covering any Chinese New Year celebrations set for today or this week.

I imagined photos of lanterns (think lots of red) and was hoping to read about the traditions surrounding the holiday.

What we found is that no groups or organizations seem to be celebrating the Lunar New Year on a large scale. No lantern festivals or parades with dancing dragons and drummers are planned. Merchants are unaware of any other retailers selling red envelopes to hold crisp new bills to give as tokens of good luck.

Last year, UC Merced hosted a Lunar New Year celebration. But this year, no such plans are in place.

Merced College later this month will offer a bus ride to the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco. But again, that’s not happening in this county.

In some places in California, such as New Saigon, banks must stock up in new bills before the holiday. And in San Gabriel, city officials are reviving celebrations.

Both Fresno and Modesto have annual celebrations, including parades and smaller cultural events.

If there’s anything going on in Merced today or in the next two weeks, it sure is hard to find out about it.

Q: Why is there not a large festival in Merced to celebrate Chinese New Year?

A: The owner of Gift Zone on Olive Avenue, which sells an eclectic collection of Asian paraphernalia, said it simply: There’s not a large Chinese population here.

The closest place with a large-scale celebration is Fresno, she said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2014 about 8.1 percent of Merced County’s population was Asian. That’s compared with 14.4 percent in California’s population.

Of course, the term “Asian” is pretty broad. Merced’s largest Asian population is Hmong, followed by Chinese and Vietnamese.

In 1880 after the Gold Rush, 108 of Merced’s 1,523 residents were Chinese.

Though hardly any evidence remains, Merced used to have a Chinatown, complete with a temple.

Merced’s Chinatown existed on 14th Street between K and M streets and thrived in the 1930s, according to an exhibit at the Merced County Courthouse Museum.

The temple was located above the Tea Garden Cafe at 454 W. 14th St. The temple was demolished in 1960 to make way for the construction of Highway 99, according to a column in the Sun-Star written by Sarah Lim, the museum director.

The altars from the temple, which date back to the 1870s, are on display at the museum.

I’m sure there are plenty of families who celebrate Chinese New Year privately. I wish them a year of good luck and health.

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 4:23 PM with the headline "Merced Mysteries & Minutiae: Year of the Monkey – no celebration in Merced."