How renovation of an iconic Chinese mall represents a shift in L.A.'s Chinese community
A large fountain in front of the Focus Plaza in San Gabriel. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) San Gabriel's Focus Plaza, known affectionately as ...
A large fountain in front of the Focus Plaza in San Gabriel. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) San Gabriel's Focus Plaza, known affectionately as Chinese Disneyland, has always lived up to its nickname. The gargantuan Chinese strip mall, anchored by a Chinese grocery store, offers two levels of restaurants, jewelry stores and ginseng stores, culminating in a multistory glass-fronted department store with a dim sum restaurant on the top floor. Its vast parking lot fits more than a thousand cars, which never seemed to make it any easier to find a spot.