Jostling (politely) to be 'No. 1' in Southern California's Chinese American community
Three leaders vie for the unofficial post that acts as a link to the Chinese mainland.
As the death toll rose after the Sichuan earthquake last spring, three leaders of Southern California's mainland Chinese community rushed to mobilize assistance.
Sue Zhang, a septuagenarian socialite whose father was a famed Communist Revolution-era general, helped organize a benefit concert at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.
John Chen, a onetime local government official in China who runs a furniture business in Ontario, led a candlelight vigil at an outdoor amphitheater in Monterey Park.
John Cheng, a soft-spoken maker of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, announced fundraising drives in Chinese-language media.
All told, they helped raise more than $400,000. They also raised their own profiles.
Over the last few years, Zhang, Chen and Cheng have been at the center of polite jostling for who will emerge as "No. 1," a title that has taken on almost mythic proportions in the Chinese community. It's a mysterious and decidedly unofficial post that some describe as being an ambassador bridging the Chinese government with Chinese immigrants in America.
There's no pay, much grief and no clear process for gaining the title. To be recognized as No. 1, a person must have the strong ties to the communist government but also be seen as a leader in the mainland Chinese American community, where there is far from unanimous support for the homeland government.
Then there is the plight of the last two who were No. 1.
San Marino businesswoman and FBI informant Katrina Leung exited the scene after being accused of being a double agent for China in 2003.
At her peak, Leung was a Republican activist who enjoyed unrivaled access to China's top leadership, claiming to have held 2,100 meetings with Chinese officials over 20 years. She helped arrange a meeting for former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan and the Chinese president at the time, Jiang Zemin.
Before Leung, the No. 1 was said to be entrepreneur and newspaper owner Ted Sioeng, who became embroiled in a fundraising scandal linking Chinese money to the Democratic National Committee in the mid-1990s.
The stigma has taken a toll.
Zhang, Chen and Cheng said it was unfair to be compared to Leung and Sioeng. The three said their activities are cultural, not political, and they downplayed their ambitions to seize the role. The position of No. 1, they said, could use some distance from its controversial past.
