By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Above the ground floors of many old buildings are the balconies marking the presence of a dozen or so remaining Chinese family associations, which once played an important role in the community.

While some are still active, many are but shells of the past.

"In 10 years, they'll all be gone," grocer Jimmy Mar predicts.

In the early days of immigration, when Chinese men came to Seattle alone, the associations offered them "a home away from home," says restaurateur Wei Eng. "You have to remember that the men, when they came, had no education, no money."

The associations helped immigrants adjust to a new city and way of life. If they needed a job or a place to live, they turned to the associations. If they needed a doctor or dentist but had no money, the associations referred them to someone who would not demand to be paid right away.

The associations were based around Chinese surnames. A person named Wong or Lee would join the Wong family association or Lee family association once they got to Seattle.

Few third- and fourth-generation children are interested in joining the associations. Many grew up, graduated from college and moved to Bellevue, Redmond or Federal Way, assimilating into a largely white culture.

Mar says his own kids have not shown much interest in the family association, which is located across the street from the family's market.

Next to it is the headquarters of the Bing Kung, one of the four Chinese "tongs" in Seattle. The fraternal organizations were once powerful associations, with ties to businesses and gambling.

The Bing Kung once had a dominant role in Seattle's Chinatown while the Hop Sing tong ruled in Tacoma. The other two tongs are the Hip Sing and the smaller Suey Sing.

Over the years, the tongs -- like the family associations -- have become less relevant, though the Bing Kung appears to be attracting younger members.

"Now all the tongs are worn out," says Eng. "They have less and less activities and less power."

The family associations continue as social organizations. The Eng Family Association holds summer picnics and annual banquets, some around Chinese holidays, Eng says. Scholarships are awarded to children as a way to keep them involved with the association, he adds.

The Eng association also has national and international meetings every four years. The next international gathering will in Seattle in 1999, with family members from Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Canada.