Eng family archives
In 1972 the Oakland Consolidated Chinese Association established the Chinese Youth Drum Corps as a creative outlet for the youths in the Oakland Chinatown community. They began weekend practices and classes at the Lincoln Elementary School grounds in the beginning of 1973. Eventually the corps was renamed to the Oakland Imperials.
After gaining experience participating in local parades including the A's World Series victory parade, the Oakland Chinese New Year Parade, and numerous July 4th parades, the corps entered local drum and drill competition sanctioned by the California Drum and Drill Association, hosting and sponsoring drum corps competition held at Laney College from 1975-1978. The last public performance for the Imperials was the 1979 Oakland Chinese New Year parade.
