美京中華會館研究（1951-2000）

Abstract

一百多年來各地的中華會館（或稱中華公所）是美國華人社會中當地的「最高組織」，在過往種族歧視與隔閡的環境中，對外保護華人，對內統整一切事物，猶如當地華人的政府；一般來說，中華會館的主導權由最早赴美且佔絕對人數優勢的廣東人掌握。隨著時間流逝，政治、社會、法律等條件都發生改變，美國華人社群的組成日趨多元化，客觀環境的改變影響了各地中華會館，有些衰退了、有些消失了，不過最著名的舊金山駐美中華總會館與紐約中華公所，依然持續運作且紋風不動地由廣東人主導著；但在學界較少關注的另一隅，卻出現十分特別的景緻，位處美國首都華府的「美京中華會館」，不僅遲至二十世紀中期才成立，且在二十世紀末期更出現非廣東人群體加入領導層的情形。 本文即以此點出發，透過觀察百餘年來華府華人社群的變遷，力圖解答「美京中華會館何以擁有不同於一般中華會館的歷史發展情形」。本文以為，在華府以聯邦政府運作為核心，形成的特殊政治與經濟環境下，使「堂」（即「祕密會社」）轉變為較具有現代性，進而使其能主導本地華人的領導權，延遲了本地中華會館出現的時間；在第二次世界大戰後，美京中華會館終於登上歷史舞台，過往的特質依然延續著，其領導者（中華會館主席）多具有良好的教育程度，也具有較高的開放性質，也使其能夠貼近整個美國華人歷史的發展狀況，最終能夠接納其他華人群體進入其領導層之中。The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) is “the supreme organization” of Chinese American society around the United States over one hundred years. In the situation of racial discrimination and segregation, it had protected Chinese from the outside world and administrated Chinese as a government. The leadership of CCBA is usually controlled by Cantonese who is the earliest arrival of all Chinese groups of the United States. The composition of Chinese which changes with the conditions of politic, society, law and so on influences each CCBA with time. Some of them decline and some stop working, but the CCBA of San Francisco and New York City, two most notable of all CCBAs, still keep running and controlled by Cantonese. However, there is a special one called “Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D. C.” which have little attention of scholars. It is not only younger than others, it was established in 1950s, but also have some non-Cantonese Chinese members who join the leadership. From the perspective of Washington’s Chinese history, this study will discuss that why Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D. C have different history. First of all, this study argues that Washington’s special political and social conditions which affect by the Federal Government lets “Tong,” the secret society, modernize so that is able to control the leadership of Washington’s Chinese, and had delayed the established time of CCBA. Second, CCBA retain the Tong’s property, so it is not only have well-educated leaders but able to follow the development of Chinese American history to admit other Chinese group to its leadership.