Folder: S.F. Districts-Chinatown-Telephone Operators.
Newscopy: "Chinese traditions, like the Chinese themselves, readily adapt themselves to changing times. Take the striking building with its triple-pagoda roof at 743 Washington st. For more than 50 years it housed the only Chinese telephone exchange outside of China itself and was manned by Chinese men and women who knew by heart the names, addresses and phone numbers of every one of the 2500 Chinatown subscribers. The operators, whose switchboards were flanked by two golden dragons, were fluent in English besides several Chinese dialects and were even supposed to know their customers' favorite hangouts in case they weren't home when an urgent call came in. Today, the colorful structure houses the Bank of Canton, whose clients enjoy conducting their strictly American financial business in a Chinese environment.".
Newscopy (continued): "But the tradition of the Chinese telephone exchange didn't die altogether with the advent of digit dialing. In more contemporary quarters at 1230 Grant ave. there's now a super Chinese Answering Service that's rapidly gaining in popularity. Mrs. Nora Wong, who owns the service, points out that her operators don't just master English and Chinese but are also fluent in Italian to serve the neighboring North Beach area. Who helped train the girls at the (dragon-less) switchboard? Why, of course, former operators of Pacific Telephone's old Chinatown exchange.".
