JOIN US IN A CELEBRATION OF HISTORY & CULTURE
Experience the richness of our transpacific North American heritage.
JOIN US IN A CELEBRATION OF HISTORY & CULTURE
Experience the richness of our transpacific North American heritage.
OUR HISTORY
The People of the Tang
During the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), people from Henan and Fujian provinces migrated south to the Lingnan region (岭南) of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Vietnam. They first migrated during the expansion of the Tang Dynasty, later as refugees during it's decline beginning with the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763), and then Wong Chow / Huang Chao Rebellion (874–884), and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. In 907, General Choo Won (Zhu Wen / Jyu Wān 朱溫) staged a coup, ending the Tang, and founding the Later Liang Dynasty; and initiating the war and chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 to 979 CE). These southern migrants mixed with local Bai Yue peoples and became the Yue Chinese (also known as Han-Yue people). Their descendants referred to themselves as “Tong Yen” (唐人) — “People of the Tang.” The places they settled became known as “Tong Yen Gai” (唐人街) — “Street of the Tang People.”
The term Cantonese broadly refers to the Han-Yue Chinese people and others from the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, including Taishanese, Xinhuinese, Hainanese, Tankas, Hakkas*, and Chaoshanese (Teochews)*, as well as the Hoa people in Vietnam [1]. Cantonese is one of more than fifty Han-Yue dialects. Linguistically, Cantonese specifically refers to the standard dialect common to Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou (Canton), and the adjacent “Three Counties” (Sam Yup 三邑) of Nanhai, Panyu, and Shunde-Foshan. In the “Four Counties” (See Yup 四邑) districts of Taishan, Kaiping, and Enping, people spoke a separate dialect known as Pearl River Delta Cantonese [2]. In Xinhui, people spoke a Xinhuinese dialect more similar to the standard Cantonese of Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong. This gave Xinhuinese speakers an advantage in bridging the language gap between different communities [4]. However, even within the Cantonese spectrum, dialect differences were stark.
Wong Wah Lung, a merchant from Xinhui, spoke a dialect so distinct that his own grandchildren — who grew up speaking standard Cantonese — could not understand him: “Gong-gong (Grandfather Wong Wah Lung) had his round watch on a chain in his pocket, unlike all the other watches I knew, which were worn on the wrist. When he spoke, I never knew what he was saying in his See Yup dialect, because I only knew Cantonese. But this was oblivious to him. He talked at me and my brothers as if we did know what he was saying, expecting us to be obedient.”
— Hayne Wai (2006). Three Voices: A Wong Family Album [5]
The trans-Pacific migration of the Tong Yen (Cantonese) people was a complex and multi-faceted process driven by the effects of the First Anglo-Chinese (Opium) War (1839–1842) [6], which precipitated a series of deadly conflicts and systemic collapses in which tens of millions perished — first in the Taiping Civil War (1850–1864), and later in the Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856), Hakka-Punti Clan Wars (1855–1868), Second Anglo-Chinese (Opium) War (1856–1860), Panthay Rebellion (1856–1873), French-Vietnamese War (1858–1907), Sino-French War (1884–1885), Boxer Rebellion (1899–1900), and the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). In 1898, a series of uprisings initiated by Kang Youwei and carried on by Sun Yat-sen eventually resulted in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which, on February 12, 1912, forced the abdication of Puyi, the Qing Dynasty’s last emperor, and established Sun Yat-sen as the first President of the Republic of China (ROC) and leader of the Kuomintang (KMT).
*Hakka and Teochew/Chaosan people have a distinct identity from Cantonese people; but as 60% of the Hakkas in China reside in Guangdong province, and 95% of overseas Hakkas ancestral homes are in Guangdong they are often broadly grouped as Cantonese; and Hakkas from Chaoshan, Guangzhou, and Fujian may self-identify as Chaoshanese, Cantonese and Hokkien. Similarly, Tanka people may also generally self-identify as Cantonese.
[1] Norris, Scott, 2020. How Many Dialects Are There in Chinese? The Ultimate Breakdown yoyochinese.com
[2] Canton & Baiyue - Barbarian Tribe to Most Important Province in China's History. Soppy Frog Productions Youtube.
[3] Snow, Donald B. (2004). Cantonese as Written Language: The Growth of a Written Chinese Vernacular. Hong Kong University Press. p. 48.
[4] Newman, J. and Raman, A. V. (1999), Chinese Historical Phonology: Compendium of Beijing & Cantonese Pronunciations of Characters and Their Derivations from Middle Chinese, LINCOM studies in Asian linguistics, 27, Munich: LINCOM Europa, ISBN 3-89586-543-5.
[5] Wai, H. (2006). “Three Voices: A Wong Family Album” in Finding Memories Tracing Routes - Chinese Canadian Family Stories.
B.L. Worral ed. Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.
[6] How The British Used Opium To Cripple An Ancient Superpower | Empires Of Silver (Full Series)
IMAGE (above top): Wong Wah Lung (3rd from left) & Lee Mong Kow (4th from left) and the graduating class of the Chinese Public School aka. Lequn Yishu (Sociability Free School) c.1918. The school was located on the third floor of the first building of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) at 554-560 Fisgard Street. It is not clear what role Wong Wah Lung had; however, Lee Mong Kow had by this time retired at as the school's Principal. Courtesy of the Wong Wah Family Archives.
IMAGE (above): The Guangzhou Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (1894) home of the Guangdong Folk Art Museum which exemplifies Lingnan architecture.
from Chen Clan Ancestral Hall https://gzshopper.com/2767-chen-clan-ancestral-hall.html
Wong clan of SUNFLOWER COUNTRY
- Sunflower Country -
The county of Sanhui (Xinhui, 新會) aka. Sunwui is located on the Tian Jiang River in modern day Jiangmen, Guangdong. Sanhui was known as Kuixianga; which in Mandarin “Kuixiang” (pronounced kwei-syang) resembles “Kui” (葵), which can mean “sunflower” when written as 向日葵 (heung³ jat⁶ kwai⁴). The poetic nature of “Kuixiang” (會香) led to some writers in the 19th century romanticize it as “Sunflower Country”. During the Ming dynasty Sunflowers had been imported and grown for their oil; however, the most famous and valuable product was Sanhui dajupi (新會大紅柑), a large, fragrant mandarin orange. Its sun-dried aged peel (陳 皮) became prized in traditional Chinese medicine and cuisine and remains the area's leading export product. Sanhui also produces sugarcane (蔗), lychee (荔枝), longan (龍眼), silk mulberry (桑樹), betel nut palm (檳榔) and tobacco (煙草). Historically, the county prospered through its riverine connection to the South China Sea. Its fortified ancestral architecture and clan halls reflect both material prosperity and transnational global maritime trade.
Based on orthodox Chinese traditional clan genealogies (jook po / zupu / 族譜); and estimated 90% of Wong lineages from Sanhui are direct decendants of Wong Ciu Saan (Huang Qiaoshan 黃峭山), a 10th century confucian scholar of the Tang Dynasty.
IMAGE: Pearl River and its tributaries in the Lingnan region including Guang Xi, Guandong and Vietnam. This area represents the territory of the ancient Kingdom of Nanyue (204-111BCE) aka. the Triệu dynasty in Vietnam; founded at the collapse of the Qin Empire (221-206 BCE) and later annexed by the Han Dynasty (202BCE-220CE).
Wong Ciu Saan 黃峭山 (871–953 CE)
Wong Ciu Saan (Huang Qiaoshan 黃峭山) (871–953 CE)— “Wong of the Steep Mountain” — is regarded as the progenitor of the Southern Wong lineages of Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong (especially Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, and Xinhui). He was a Confucian scholar and loyalist of the late Tang Dynasty; and was the founder of the Heping Academy (和平書院) in Shaowu, Fujian, After the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907 CE. To ensure clan survival during war and chaos of the Five Dynasties Period (907–951); he ordered the dispersal of his family south and southwest. To help maintain families virtue and integrity; he composed the “Ren Zu Shi” (認祖詩), or “Ancestor-Recognition Poem,” so that his descendants would:
識本崇德
“know their roots, and honor virtue.”
Over the next millennium, the Southern Wong clans flourished. Today Wong Cui's living descendants' number an estimated 11–20M people; and represent 30–50 percent of the global Wong (Huang 黃) population, estimated at 40 million (i.e. roughly the population of Canada or Poland). Wong Cui's own lineage reaches back another ten generations to the 7th century First Ancestor of all Wongs (i.e. the first to use Wong as a surname): Wong Wan Gung (Huang Yun Gong 黃雲公, c. 7th century BCE) —
References
- Huang Shi Da, Zong Pu (The Great Genealogy of the Huang Clan), vol. 1.
- Xinhui Huang, Shi Zu Pu (Xinhui Huang Genealogy), Daoguang & Tongzhi Revised editions, Guangdong.
- Fujian Gazetteer (Fujian Tongzhi), vol. 32, “Biographies.”Huang
- Chuanjing. Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Surname Origins: Huang Volume, Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 2008.
- Chen, Chun-sheng, “Lineage and Local Society: Genealogies and Identity in Ming–Qing Guangdong,” Chinese Social History Review, vol. 5 (2005).
- Huang, Eric. Ng Poh Sing. Biography of Huang Qiaoshan AD871-953.
- The Pirate Queen of Sunflower Country -
Shek Yang (鄭氏), more popularly known as the legendary Pirate Queen Cheng Yi Sao (鄭一嫂) (b. 1775 – d. 1844), was born in Xinhui (aka. Sunflower Country) to a poor Tanka family. At a young age, she was kidnapped and sold into prostitution on the “Flower Boats.” And, in 1801, Shek married Cheng Yut (Zheng Yi, 鄭一) a veteran privateer and naval commander and who was reputed (unverified) to be a great-great-grandson of the celebrated Ming loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功). Cheng had fought in Vietnam against the French during the Tây Sơn Rebellion (1771–1802), and later supported Nguyễn Ánh (Gia Long), the first emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty. [1]
Shek quickly earned Cheng’s trust and played a critical role in consolidating the Red Flag Fleet, which by 1805 included over 200 war junks and 20,000 men. Following Cheng’s death in 1807, Shek and her stepson Cheung Po Tsai (張保仔) commanded a Guangdong Pirate Confederation of 400–600 vessels and 40,000–60,000 pirates. [2] They ruled a quasi-administrative maritime state that successfully defended its territory repeatedly against the Qing, Portuguese, and British navies. [3]
In 1810, at the age of 35, Shek Yang negotiated a settlement for her retirement. in exchange for full amnesty. The terms allowed Cheung Po Tsai received a captain’s commission and their followers to be recruited into the Qing navy, Shek retired to Macau, where she invested her accumulated wealth into gambling houses and brothels, living prosperously until her death at the distinguished age of 69, in 1844. [4]
[1] Feign, Larry. 2021. The Flower Boat Girl: Based on a True Story. Top Floor Books [2] Antony, Robert J. Like Froth Floating on the Sea: The World of Pirates.
[3] Murray, Dian H. Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810. Stanford 1987.
[4] Montgomery, L. 2024. The Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao, L. Feign.
China History Podcast.
IMAGE: Adapted from cover image of "Flower Boat Girl" (Feign, 2021).
- The Hakka -
The Hakka (客家) or "guest family" people are a southern Han Chinese subgroup who are dispersed across the provinces of southern China; who speak a specific dialect originating from Jiangxi province and who are referred to as the Jews of Asia. [1]
The Hakka like other southern Han Chinese sub-groups are refugees of the Central Plains that fled the social unrest and chaos of the northern invasions. However, the Hakka were the late arrivals; arriving in Southern China after the earlier groups had claimed the best lands and developed distinctive local identities. The Hakka occupied the marginal lands, remote hilly areas, especially in the Taishan area of Guangdong. [2]
The word Hak 客 (guest) was first used in during the Song dynasty in reference to “newcomer households”, displaced by the Yuan (Mongol) invasions. The compound term Hakka 客家 meaning "guest families" appeared in Ming records. The term became a widely used during the mid-19th century following the end of the Great Coastal Clearances, when Punti locals began hardening the derogatory label.
Hakka architecture is unique and includes walled villages of buildings called tulou. Tulou are hybrid fortresses and are either round or square. They have one entrance and no windows at ground level. Apartment homes ring the buildings' upper floors, and a community shrine is placed in the center of the ground floor. Fujianese (Min-speaking people) first built Tuoluo in southern Fujian during the 12th and 13th century of the Song–Yuan period, and it was adopted by the Hakka and the style became synonymous with the Hakka people. Today the tulou in southwestern Fujian and southern Jiangxi provinces are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The social marginalization of the Hakka people fostered a keen sense of solidarity, independence and militancy, making them open independence and revolutionary movements. The Hakka would play a disproportionately large role in anti-Qing conflicts in which multiple tens of millions perished, and whole regions of southern China became depopulated in the Taiping Civil War, Red Turban Rebellion and Hakka-Punti Clan Wars and the In Guangdong, the Pearl River Delta and eastern hills saw half of all villages abandoned and in Guangxi, entire stretches of countryside remained depopulated for decades. Survivors — including Hakka, Taishanese, and Xinhui people — fled, initiating the “Cantonese Diaspora” – a global migration of Cantonese-speaking communities from Guangdong. These migrants established networks characterized by resilience, independence, and mutual support, leaving a lasting cultural and social legacy in communities across Southeast Asia and Oceania; and to Gum San 金山 Gold Mountain, in North America and Australia,
[1] The Hakka: The Jews of Asia. Edu.ocac.gov.tw. Archived. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
[2] Montgomery, Lazlo. (2022) The Hakka People | Ep. 150 | The China History Podcast.
IMAGE: Hakka tulou cluster village, Fujian.
- The Taiping Civil War (1850–1866) -
The Taiping Civil War (1850–1864) was a devastating fourteen-year conflict in China, fought between the ruling Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The Taiping movement was led by Hong Xiuquan, an ethnic Hakka who, inspired by a blend of Christian millenarianism and Chinese traditions claimed to be the brother of Jesus Christ. Hong sought to overthrow the Great Qing, whom the Han Chinese regarded as foreign occupiers. The Qing ultimately defeated the Taipings with the aid of regional militias and the foreign trained Ever Victorious Army. The cost in human life was obscene: 20 to 30 million deaths—one of the deadliest conflicts in human history [1].
A few surviving Taiping generals continued a war of resistance between 1864 and 1871; then retreated south to strongholds in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. The Black Flag Army led by Liu Yongfu (1837–1917) fought against the French in Vietnam during the French-Sino War (August 1884 – April 1885); concurrently with the and French-Viet War (1858 – 1907). Liu would later lead Taiwan resistance against the Japanese; and in 1895, became the second President of the short-lived Republic of Formosa. [2]
[1] Platt, S.R. (2012). Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
[2] The Taiping Mystery. 5. Why the Taiping Matter
IMAGE: Soldiers of the Lui Yong fulack Flag Armyc. 1864.
- The Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856) -
The Red Turban Rebelion (1854–1856) was initiated by the Tiandihui (天地會), or Heaven and Earth Society, an anti-Qing secret society. The prominent leaders of the rebellion Chen Kai (陳開) and Li Wenmao (李文茂), were Hakka; and had strong support from the Wong clan. Red Turban forces advanced down the West River (Xijiang) toward the Pearl River Delta, capturing Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Foshan, and Zhongshan, but failed to hold Guangzhou. Qing troops and local gentry-led militias (tuánlián 團練) retook these areas the following year; and Red Turban forces withdrew to Guangxi. Others marched north into Hunan and joined Taiping forces led by the popular general Shi Dakai (石達開).
The Wong clan, and all known supporters of the Heaven and Earth Society, became targets of brutal Qing reprisals, during which more than one million people were executed. The devastation triggered a massive migration. To escape the chaos, millions of people migrated across Southeast Asia; and overseas to “Gum San” (金山, Gold Mountain). A legendary Red Turban commander, Low Yet (Liu Yi 劉逸), is said to have fled to San Francisco. In 1876, Low Yet united the Hongmen (洪門) whose organization dated back to the fall of the Ming Dynasty in the latter 17th century; merged with the Chee Kong Tong (致公堂) and became a united global movement dedicated to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.
[1] Hsu, Madeline Y. (2000). Dreaming of Gold, Dreaming of Home: Transnationalism and Migration Between the United States and South China, 1882–1943. Stanford University Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780804746878.
IMAGE: The Wong clan Hanzi (Chinese character).
- The Hakka-Punti Clan Wars (1855-1867) -
Following the collapse of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), Zheng Chenggong (鄭成功) — also known as Koxinga, a Ming general and Prince of Yanping — continued a war of resistance against the Qing. He fled the mainland and expelled the Dutch from Taiwan in 1661 and establishing the Kingdom of Tungning. From there Koxinga led a naval campaigns against the Qing and nearly captured Nanjing. In response, the Kangxi Emperor ordered the Great Coastal Clearance (遷界令), forcibly evacuating coastal populations to prevent them from aiding Ming loyalists. In 1683, Koxinga’s forces were defeated, and the Qing invited the Hakka (客家) or “guest families” from other regions to resettle these areas.
The Hakka, long marginalized as migrants, often faced hostility from their Punti (本地), or “native” neighbors. In 1855, toward the end of the Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856), simmering tensions erupted into the Hakka–Punti Clan Wars (1855–1867). Fighting was particularly fierce in Taishan and across the Pearl River Delta.
Between 1855 and 1856, Qing-aligned militiascarried out collective reprisals: entire settlements were burned and their inhabitants massacred. [1] Foreign observers reported as many as 2,000 to 3,000 executions in a single day. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people perished. In Huizhou and Bao’an, the population fell by 30–50%, and organized life across much of the region collapsed.
Many Hakka, Taishanese, and Xinhuinese refugees fled to Hong Kong, where the British could offer protection from Qing persecution, having established extraterritorial sovereignty under the Treaty of Nanjing (1842). Hong Kong experienced a massive population and construction boom as a result.
An estimated 2.5–3 million people emigrated from Guangdong during the Cantonese Diaspora, spreading across Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Australia. About 400,000 made their way to Gum San (金山, “Gold Mountain”) in North America. [2]
[1] Jon Y 2021. The Devastating Legacy of the Hakka-Punti Clan Wars
The Asianometry NewsletterFeb 14, 2021
[2] Lambert M. Surhone, Mariam T. Tennoe, Susan F. (2011). Punti-Hakka Clan Wars. Henssonow: 9786134878760
IMAGE: The walled city of Zhaoqing (肇庆) fell to the Heaven and Earth Society (Tiandihui, 天地會) during the Red Turban Rebellion and Hakka-Punti Clan Wars; but was recaptured by Qing and Punti gentry led militia forces.
- A MERCHANT OF SUNFLOWER COUNTRY -
Wong Wah Lung (黃華龍)
(b. September 29, 1868 – d. February 18, 1964)
Aka: Jack Kow, Yue Ling, Wong Seong, Wong Wa, Wong Wah, Wong Lung & Wah Lung
Wong Wah Lung (Huáng Huá Lóng 黄华龙) was a Xinhuinese Cantonese merchant, born on September 29, 1868, to Wong Duck Suey (Huáng Dé Shuǐ 黃德水) and Chan Shee in the village of Wong Chung, Xinhui (Sunwui), Guangdong. Wong arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1884 in as a teenager with his uncle. [1][2][3]
The Wong clan were general merchants who controlled gambling houses and "other houses”; including two of the largest opium factories: Hip Lung & Co. in Victoria and Hip Tuck Lung & Co. in Vancouver:
“Ask your great-great-grandfather about the really, really olden days in Chinatown, and chances are he'll bring up the notorious Hip Tuck Lung opium den.” [5]
In 1888, Wong rented a warehouse, incorporated the Wong Lung Company, and began providing supply and distribution services for the family business and others. [6] During the late 1800s, the opium industry was British Columbia’s third-largest licensed export after coal and furs. [7] Wong Wah Lung would later be identified as:
“One of the big managing directors, if not the editor-in-chief of the Vancouver opium smuggling ring.” and “One of the most important distributors on Vancouver Island.” [8,9)
[1] DIC Registration for Wong Wa, June 25, 1924. Courtesy of C. Clements,
The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
[2] Wai, Hayne (2006). “Three Voices: A Wong Family Album,” in Finding Memories, Tracing Roots, B.L. Worrall (ed.). Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.
[3] Wong, M. (2025). The Honorable Merchants: The Secret History of Wong Wah & Vancouver's Opium Kings (1884–1934). Wong Wah Society: Tatalrose, BC.
[4] “Vancouver Weekend: Chinatown Festival.” The Georgia Straight, Aug.16, 2016.
[5] “Chinaman Sues Chinaman.” The Province, March 18, 1904, p. 5.
[6] “Opium in Victoria.” University of Victoria.
[7] “History of Drug Policy in Canada.” Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.
[8] “Charge That All Affidavits Were Forced.” Vancouver Daily World, Jan. 9, 1911, p. 1.
[9] RCMP Commissioner’s Report on Wong Wah, September 30, 1928, pp. 22–33.
GOLD MOUNTAIN
GUM SAN (金山) GOLD MOUNTAIN
During the mid-19th century, the Tong Yen (People of the Tang) would endure a second great migration; this time across the Pacific to Gold Mountain (GUM SAN, 金山) in California (1848); Southern Australia (1851) and Western Canada (1858). The dire situation in China would lead many people from Guangdong to enter indentured service contracts, often under harsh conditions. [2] Others used the "credit-ticket" system, in which their travel expenses were paid upfront, but they had to repay these debts after arriving at their destination. [3] These 'sojourners of circumstance' intended to work for a set period, earn money, and at the end return home to their families with enough capital to buy land, marry and raise children; however, some would settle [4]. During the 1850s and early 1860s inexpensive reliable Cantonese labor was welcomed by the west:
“It was Chinese labor which contributed to the miracle of the trans-continental railroad, completed in 1869.”
“Before the railway, before British Columbia joined Confederation, many Chinese were already here. They were farming, mining and logging.
They arrived by the hundreds starting in 1858 at the start of the goldrush. “
Prof. Henry Yu, University of British Columbia. [5]
[1] Platt, S.R. (2012). Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
[2] White, James (1859). A Coolie's Indentures: The Case of Wong Ahong. From the Mobile Mercury, January, 21, 1859, Cahaba Gazette, Alabama,
[3] Skeldon, Ronald (1996). Migration from China. Journal of International Affairs. Winter 96, Vol 49 Issue 2, p434, 22p.
[4] Szeto, Winston (2022). Ah Bau & Chew Nam Sing - Early Chinese Canadian gold miners in B.C.'s Cariboo communities | CBC News.
[5] Hunter, Justine (2015) A Forgotten History: Tracing the Ties Between B.C.'s First Nations and Chinese workers - The Globe and Mail.
IMAGE: Depiction of mule train at Jackass Mtn, Fraser Canyon, BC, c. 1859, BC Royal Museum Archives.
The California Gold Rush
On January 24, 1848, Members of the Miwok, Maidu, and Nissenan tribes assisting James W. Marshall made a gold discovery at Sutter’s Mill, Coloma, California. Resulting in the migration of some 300,000 people to the California Gold Rush; and would bring disease and widespread acts of violence throughout California and Oregon, which killed an estimated 70% of the Native American population. In 1849, San Francisco had approximately 1,000 inhabitants; and by 1858 the population had soared to over 50,000. Nearly 10,000 Cantonese made up about 20% of the city's population.
Wong Ah Louis (黃安), born 1840 in Taishan County, arrived in California sometime between 1854-1861; and is noted for being a Chinese miner and labourer; before becoming the pivotal labor contractor/merchant in San Luis Obispo. Mark Lai’s foundational survey of Chinese mining sites notes store/claim signage such as “Wong & Co.” among Chinese outfits in Sierra camps—evidence of Wong-affiliated companies operating in Gold Country, even if individual partners aren’t yet identifiable.[1] Wong Fee Lee (黃飛利) aka. Wing Tsue”arrived in Deadwood Gulch in December 1876 and became a successful merchant and community leader.
Successive gold rushes north into Canada (1858-1859) and across North America to the Black Hills (1876-1879) would attract thousands of sojourners. [2] [3] Chinatowns across North America grew from a few wooden shacks to several blocks of brick buildings; housing, feeding and employing several thousands of people; with stores and services of every kind including theatres; which would import travelling troupes from Guangdong, at significant cost. Chinatown was a growing thriving trading hub with establish global networks and with strong social-economic cohesion. The community began to set down deep roots and cultivated high ambitions.[4]
[1] 01-H.M.-Lai_Chinese-in-the-Mining-Districts_07.31.68_PDF.pdf
[2] Lim Lip Hong, featured in “Gold Mountain” exhibit
[3] Wong Yow of Deadwood, King of San Francisco Gamblers.
March 31, 1904. SFChron.p5_
[4] A Promise of Gold Gold Mountain - Chinese in the Old West Ep1.
IMAGE: Woo Hop's Store at Sutter's Mill, California's oldest store.
The Canyon & Cariboo Gold Rushes
In 1857, gold discoveries in present day mainland British Columbia by the Secwepemc and Nlakaʼpamux people would spark the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. During the summer of 1858, an estimated 30,000 American miners had arrived in the Hope and Yale area and came into conflict with the Nlakaʼpamux people. [1]
August 20th - "The Bostons [Americans] and Indians have been fighting for the last ten days and there has been a great many killed on both sides. The Indians have stopped the miners from going up through the Canyon."
August 21st - "Down at Union Bar, they got five men out of the River that was shot by the Indians. They had their heads cut off.
All well in camp."
George Wesley Beam, 1858 [2]
The Nlakaʼpamux, called their Stʼatʼimc, Secwépemc, Okanagan and Yakima allies and formed a coalition to defend the Canyon [3]. Over the summer the coalition killed an estimated 3,000 miners and stopped the miners. As August arrived, so soon would the salmon and with without a harvest the First Nations communities would face starvation in winter. Chief David Cexpe’nthlEm (SPLINT-UM) and a militia Captain Henry Snyder negotiated a Treaty which stopped the fighting and allowed the army of miners to move "peacefully" up the Fraser River. Another discovery on the Horsefly River would begin the Cariboo Gold Rush of 1859.
Chinese, Hawaiians and other "non-whites" would work the claims abandoned by the Americans; and some would settle among First Nations; while others like Au Bau; Chew Nam Sing, Kong Shing & Sing Kee would establish their own homesteads. [4]
[1] Gold Mountain: The True Story of the BC Gold Rush.
[2] 1858: How a Violent Year created a Province, The Globe & Mail.
[3] Conflicts of the 1858 Canyon War | Gold Rush Stories.
[4] Hunter, Justine (2015). A Forgotten History: Tracing the Ties Between B.C.'s First Nations and Chinese workers - The Globe and Mail.
IMAGE: Him Sing, son of Nam Sing working on the family ranch, Quesnel, B.C. c.1900.
THE HONGS, TONGS & WONGS
The Hongs 1644 - 1876
The Ming (明) vs. The Qīng Dynasty (清) Wars (1618-1683) resulted in an estimated about 25 million deaths, nearly 16% of the population. Following the Ming defeat, Ming loyalists united into bands of "sworn-brotherhoods" and began a war of resistance that would last more than three centuries. The Hung Mun (洪門) - the Vast Family, or Hongmen developed into a true secret society or huidang (会党) with complex ceremonies, traditions, sworn oaths, secret greeting rituals and codewords. Hongmen who were captured by the Qing would be cruelly tortured and executed. Qing records, missionary accounts, and later historians) describe prisoners subjected to mutilation, flaying, dismemberment, burning, forced starvation and lingchi (凌迟) - death by a thousand cuts. Following the Red Turban Rebellion and the Haka-Punti Clan Wars; Hóngmén of the Tiandihui Heaven and Earth Society (天地會) spread into North America [1]. In North America the Hòngs would organize themselves into huìguǎn (会馆) guildhalls; and tongs (堂) - gathering halls/houses. Hong Shun Tong was a common name for Hong societies; and the first in North America was founded in 1849 in San Francisco. In 1859, Hongmen from San Francisco established a Hong Shun Tong in Quesnel Forks, BC. In 1863, the legendary figure of Wong Shun Goy (Huang Shen-gui) established a branch in Barkerville [1] In 1876, Low Yet unites the Hongmen of the Hung Shun Tong and Chee Kong Tong. [2] and became a united global movement dedicated to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.
Chee Kong Tong (致公堂, Zhìgōngtáng) helped Hong Yau Wai Kang You Wei 康有為) to found the Chinese Empire Reform Association (Bǎohuánghuì - 保皇會), in the late 1890s–early 1900s; and later the United League or Chinese Revolutionary Alliance (Tóng Méng Huì / 同盟會)
[1] Murray, Diane and Qin Baoq. (1994). The Origin of the Tiandihui: The Chinese Triads in Legend and History. Standford University Press.
[1] University of Zurich archives - https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/aoi/dam/jcr:32d166c5-5305-4920-973b-8100ffcaa4ff/History%20China%20Canada.pdf
[2] History - Gold Rush Trail - British Columbia Shaped by Nature https://goldrushtrail.ca/history/
IMAGE: Chee Kong Tong Houses in Quesnel Forks (left) and Barkerville (right).
The Tongs
Tong (堂) refers to a gathering hall and/or house set up to provide support for members based on district, clan and occupation. The first tongs in North America were founded in San Francisco and included the Hong Shun Tong (1849), Kwong Duck Tong (1852) and in 1854, the Hip Yee Tong and Chee Kong Tong. Tongs would be established in Chinese communities across North America. They functioned as benevolent societies, providing mutual aid, employment, health care and burial funds. The tongs also provided protection for Chinese immigrants who faced increasing hostility and racial exclusion.
In 1876, Low Yet a Red Turban commander unites the Hong Shun Tong and Chee Kong Tong and consolidates networks across California; and by 1880, surpassed the authority of the Six Companies becoming Chinatown's undisputed ruling party. The Chee Kong Tong expands internationally and begins plotting the overthrow of the Qing. Lodges are established across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In British Columbia, branches were established in Quesnelle Forks (1859); Barkerville (1863), Victoria (1885); Vancouver (1892); Rossland (1894) and Cumberland (1898). In 1882, the Chee Kong Tong House in Barkerville had over a hundred members; and during the 1890's the membership at Quesnelle Forks was about one hundred and fifty men. [6] Many tong buildings still stand today. [7]
[1] Chinese Freemasons. Grand Lodge of BC and the Yukon.
[2] Original meeting Hall of the Chinese Freemasons (Chee Kong Tong).
[3] Boyd, G.M. (2012). The Gold Mountain Theatre Riots 1870&1880s.
[4] Yesterday’s Crimes: The Chinatown Boss in Chainmail | sfweekly.co
[5] Bronson, B. & H. Chuimei. (2018). The Chee Kung Tong: Tucson.
[6] Regina Hong Men - Chinese Freemasons of Regina.
[7} Vancouver Chinese Clan and Society Buildings_web_final.pdf.
The Wongs
The Wong / Huang (黃) lineage predates the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) by well over a millennium; and dates back over 2,700 years, originating from the State of Huang (黃國) in the Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1046–771 BCE). After the fall of Huang State (~648 BCE), descendants migrated southward through Jiangxi and Fujian, reaching Guangdong by the Tang–Song era (9th–11th century CE). In the mid-19th Century Wong clan members would first arrive in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of 1849. The clan would grow to form one of the largest and most powerful families in North America rising to over 10,000 members in California, during the 1890s.
"The Wongs form the most powerful clan in China and is far and away the biggest family in California. " [1]
In British Columbia, one of the first known Wongs was Dr. Wong Chung. He migrated to Victoria in 1853 and lived in Victoria for thirty-years, passing in 1884 [2]. At the time skilled Chinese doctors were sought out by many, including European and First Nations communities.
After 1897, at the height of the San Francisco Tong Wars many more Wongs moved north into Canada and east across North America; includingChicago, New York, Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. [3] Wong Ah Ling (aka. Tom Lee) first arrived in New York in 1873 and by 1878 was known as the unofficial mayor of Chinatown. [4] Wong Sai Yow (aka. the Gold Tooth Fellow), based in Vancouver was reported to be the leader of the Wong clan across the Pacific Northwest during the turn of the century. [4] Three notable Wongs, Wong Chin Foo, Wong Aloy and Wong Kim Ark would lead the fight for civil and human rights in the US.
[1] 1895-08-08 Burning of the Devil - Wong Family Withdraws from the See Yup Company. San Francisco Call, p14.
[2] 1884-10-08. Chinese Funeral. Victoria Daily Times, p3.
[3] Dillon, Richard (1962). The Hatchet Men: The Story of the Tong Wars. New York: Coward-McCann. p. 138. OCLC 1232902.
[4] Mongomery, L. The Tong Wars of New York's Chinatown (Part 1) | The China History Podcast Ep. 171.
[5] Vancouver Men Now Concerned with Murder in Victoria. 1904, The Province, Feb 3, 1904, page 1.
Wongs of the Early US Civil Rights Movement
WONG CHIN FOO
WONG CHIN FOO
WONG CHIN FOO
Wong Chin Foo (1847-1898) was a Chinese American activist, journalist, lecturer and one of the most prolific Chinese writers in the San Francisco press of the 19th century. Wong was born in Jimo, Shandong, China to a wealthy merchant family. He first travelled to the USA in 1867 and studied at Columbian College (D.C.) and University at L
Wong Chin Foo (1847-1898) was a Chinese American activist, journalist, lecturer and one of the most prolific Chinese writers in the San Francisco press of the 19th century. Wong was born in Jimo, Shandong, China to a wealthy merchant family. He first travelled to the USA in 1867 and studied at Columbian College (D.C.) and University at Lewisburg (Pennsylvania). Wong returned to China; but would return under dubious circumstances; and would become one of America's first civil rights activists, one hundred years before Martin Luther King.
In 1870, Wong married Liu Yu San and found work with the Imperial Maritime Customs Service in Shanghai and Zhenjiang where he was involved in anti-Qing revolutionary activities included the Zhenjiang Incident for which he organized the import of foreigners and weapons. When the Qing discovered the plot, he fled to the U.S. and was granted US citizenship in 1874. Wong established the Chinese Equal Rights League to fight against the Chinese Exclusion Act and Geary Act. He established a Chinese-language newspaper, the Chinese American; bought a Chinese theater in New York, established a language school, opened a Confucian temple and appeared on the cover of Harper's magazine. in 1887 Wong Chin Foo published, "Why Am I a Heathen?" explaining his rejection of Christianity in favor of his Taoist and Confucian beliefs.
Wong repeatedly stood up against the anti-Chinese rhetoric of the time; publicly heckling Denis Kearny him and challenging him to a duel, giving Kearney his choice of weapon: chopsticks, Irish potatoes, or Krupp guns.
In 1898, he left the US for a family reunion when he died of heart failure in Weihai. China.
IMAGE: Wong Chin Foo, Pioneer of American Civil Rights – 美华史记. https://usdandelion.com/archives/6310
WONG ALOY
WONG CHIN FOO
WONG CHIN FOO
Wong Aloy (1868-1922) was born in a remote town near the Xijiang River in Guangdong Province to parents, Wong Quai Jun and Jue Shue. On May 1, 1882, Wong sailed on the British steamer Anjer Head, arriving in San Francisco on June 13, 1882; and would be one of the last Chinese immigrants to enter the U.S. before the Chinese Exclusion Ac
Wong Aloy (1868-1922) was born in a remote town near the Xijiang River in Guangdong Province to parents, Wong Quai Jun and Jue Shue. On May 1, 1882, Wong sailed on the British steamer Anjer Head, arriving in San Francisco on June 13, 1882; and would be one of the last Chinese immigrants to enter the U.S. before the Chinese Exclusion Act took effect. Wong was employed as a cook and domestic servant in Missoula. Wong converted to Christianity and travelled to Evanston, now a suburb of Chicago. Wong Aloy’s career would mirror that of Wong Chin Foo, as a writer, lecturer, and advocate for civil rights.
"On March 29, 1893, Wong traveled from Evanston to downtown Chicago. He was serving as an interpreter in a trial of a man named Jung Jack Lin. Wong reportedly succeeded in obtaining his release. That night, Wong was walking alone on the street when he was brutally assaulted in an alley". "He survived, although he was badly injured. His two attackers, both immigrants from China, were apprehended. Later accounts would reveal that the attack on Wong Aloy was the result of a variety of disputes between the Moy and Wong families". [1]
Wong Aloy was caught in a dispute between the Wong and Moy families. The head of the Moy Clan was Sam Moy, [2] The clans had been competing for the Chinese display contracts at the upcoming 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The Wongs had won the contract; and his assailants were from the Moy clan. During the proceedings it was found that the Judge Kern was: “Prejudiced in favor of the Moys and will not accord justice to the Wongs.” and that he stated:
“Those men are my friends, and in no case will I prosecute them.”
[2] Flashback: Sam Moy, the first mayor of Chicago’s Chinatown – Chicago Tribune
IMAGE: adapted from Wong Aloy: A Chinese immigrant's American journey - Evanston RoundTable.
WONG KIM ARK
WONG CHIN FOO
WONG KIM ARK
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco in 1873. Following a trip to China he was denied re-entry to the US under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Wong Kim challenged the government's refusal to recognize his citizenship, and with representation from Wong Aloy and the Chinese Equal Rights League he won his case for birthright citizens
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco in 1873. Following a trip to China he was denied re-entry to the US under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Wong Kim challenged the government's refusal to recognize his citizenship, and with representation from Wong Aloy and the Chinese Equal Rights League he won his case for birthright citizenship in Supreme Court. [1]
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." [2]
[1] Wong Kim Ark: Birthright Citizenship | TikTok
[2] United States v. Wong Kim Ark | 169 U.S. 649 (1898) | U.S. Supreme Court Center.
[3] Wong Kim Ark won a landmark birthright citizenship case, then almost got deported in El Paso.
Since January 20th, 2025, Trump’s order to limit birthright citizenship has faced multiple lawsuits. Two major cases were filed by January 22, and since then, several federal judges have blocked the order, and class-action suits now keep nationwide protections in place despite a Supreme Court ruling limiting nationwide injunctions.
IMAGE: Wong Kim Ark in 1904. Photo: National Archives/Interim Archives via Getty Images
THE FAR SIDE OF THE POND - Tong Yen in Northwest America
- The North West America (1788) -
The first record of the Tong Yen (Cantonese) people in North America is in 1788 when a group of some 30 men including seven carpenters, five blacksmiths, five masons, four tailors, four shoemakers, three sailors and one cook were contracted by the fur trader John Meares. On January 22, 1788, they sailed on Feliz Aventureira from Guangdong, arriving at Nootka Sound in May, where the Cantonese contractors constructed two buildings, and a schooner that was christened the North West America.
"The Chinese were, on this occasion, shipped as an experiment: they have generally been esteemed an hardy, and industrious, as well as ingenious race of people; they live on fish and rice, and, requiring but low wages, it was a matter also of economical consideration to employ them; and during the whole of the voyage there was every reason to be satisfied with their services. If hereafter trading posts should be established on the American coast, a colony of these men would be a very valuable acquisition." [1]
John Meares, Feliz Aventureira c. 1789
Meares's ship the Feliz Aventureira was registered in Macau and flew a Portugese flag. In doing so Meares could claim his vessel was “Portuguese” and thus avoid those British licensing obligations. Eventually, Meares’s operations drew scrutiny (and his claims remain controversial) especially during the crisis at Nootka Sound between Spain and Britain.
[1] Meares (1790). Voyages Made in the Years 1788 and 1789, from China to the North West Coast of America [4]: 2
[2] McDowell, Jim (1998). José Narváez: The Forgotten Explorer. Spokane, Washington: The Arthur H. Clark Company. pp. 50–60. ISBN 0-87062-265-X.
IMAGE: The Launch of the North West America. John Webber (c.1789).
- THE NOOTKA CRISIS: Santa Gertrudis (1789) & Santa Saturina (1790) -
Spain had claimed the entire Pacific Coast of North America (up to Alaska) since the voyages of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (1542) and Sebastián Vizcaíno (1602) under the Doctrine of Discovery. To reinforce their claims, Spain sent exploratory and scientific expeditions northward: Juan Pérez (1774) reached Haida Gwaii.
Bruno de Heceta (1775) sighted the mouth of the Columbia River. Francisco de Eliza (1791) and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra (1775–1793) established temporary bases, notably at Nootka Sound (Vancouver Island). On June 8, 1789, after spending the winter in Hawaii, the fur trading schooner North West America returned to Nootka Sound, where it was seized by the Spanish. The following month on July 2, the British fur trading ship Argonaut arrived at Nootka Sound, carrying additional Cantonese contractors and supplies, and intending to establish a British settlement. The Spanish arrested Captain Colnett and seized the Argonaut for violating Spanish sovereignty. Although two American vessels, the Columbia Rediviva and Lady Washington, were left unmolested. The Spanish conducted a formal land-claiming ceremony in the presence of Americans, British, and the Nuu-chah-nulth, and used the the Cantonese contractors to construct Fort San Miguel. During the event, Chief Callicum, brother of Grand Chief Maquinna, became enraged at the Spanish; in a subsequent altercation, he was killed by Spanish forces. The Spanish renamed the North West America Santa Gertrudis la Magna and used the schooner to explore the Strait of Juan de Fuca before sailing it to San Blas for the winter. The following year, the schooner was disassembled, returned to Nootka Sound, rebuilt as the Santa Saturnina, and used to explore the Inside Passage north to Texada Island. After the 1795 Third Nootka Convention, Spain ceased to maintain any permanent presence north of California. The British (and later the Americans) took over exploration and settlement of the coast. In 1846 at the onset of the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), the Americans would seize San Francisco.
[1] Moziño, José Mariano; Iris Wilson Engstrand (1991). Noticias de Nutka: An Account of Nootka Sound in 1792. University of Washington Press. pp. xxxii. ISBN 978-0-295-97103-2.
IMAGE : The Santa Saturina in Guemes Channel off Anacortez by Gordon Miller; from Mackie, J (2025) Sailing into the past: Gordon Miller. Vancouver Sun.
- San Francisco (1849) -
Before 1846, San Francisco had been a small Mexican settlement called Yerba Buena, part of Alta California, under the governorship of Pío Pico. The population was fewer than 1,000 people, mostly Mexican, Californio, and mixed Chinese or Native workers, and minority of a few Americans and Europeans. At the onset of the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), the Americans would seize San Francisco. And on January 24, 1848, members of the Miwok, Maidu, and Nissenan Nations who worked for J.W. Marshall made a gold discovery at Sutter’s Mill, Coloma, California.
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) then transformed San Francisco from a sleepy port into a booming city of tens of thousands. In 1849, San Francisco's population was approximately 1,000 people and by 1858 the population had soared to over 50,000. Nearly 10,000 Cantonese made up about 20% of the city's population. There were less than 300 women in the Chinese community, and the majority were engaged in prostitution under the "Mui Sai" (indentured sister) system. A small minority were the wives of the established Chinese merchants; these women were rare and highly protected. The young community faced a foreign and hostile environment and in order to provide social services and protect the community; the leading merchants organized themselves into secret societies, guildhalls (huìguǎn / 会馆) and gathering halls/house (Tongs / 堂). The first Tong was the Hong Shun Tong (HST) founded in 1949; followed by the Kwong Duck Tong (KDT) in 1852; and in 1854 the Chee Kong Tong (CKT) and the Hip Yee Tong (HYT).
In 1851, the Kong Chow Co. was one of the earliest Chinese merchant district associations in San Francisco. By the 1860s, more associations were established including the Sam Yup Co.; See Yup Co.; Ning Yuen Co.; Yeung Wo Co.; Hop Wo Co. and Hip Kat Co. these associations became the Six Companies (六合公司) a collective body that acted as the de facto government of Chinese immigrants in California—settling disputes, defending against anti-Chinese discrimination, and negotiating with U.S. authorities. During the San Francisco Theatre Riots (1870-1880), increasing numbers of tongs organizations began to arise. In 1876, A legendary Red Turban commander, Low Yet (Liu Yi 劉逸) escaped to San Francisco and united the Hongshun Tong with the Chee Kong Tong, creating a powerful anti-Qing organization which would supercede the authority of the Six Companies, and would become the defacto government of Chinatown; until the 1890s and the rise of Fung Jing Toy (馮正初) aka."Little Pete".
[1] Boyd, M.G. (2012). "The Gold Mountain Theater Riots 1870s and 1880s. Master's Thesis, San Jose State University.
IMAGE: San Francisco Harbour c.1849. Bancroft Library, Berkeley, CA.
- Portland (1851) -
In 1851, In Oregon City (Portland) the Tong Sung House was first established; and was one of the earliest Chinese businesses recorded. It was a boarding house and restaurant. By the 1870s, there were over 2,400 Cantonese miners in Oregon, who made up about 10% of the population. [1]
[1] Chinese Americans in Oregon. City of Portland (OR) Archives, A2004-002.7850.
IMAGE: Oregon City on the Willamette River, John Mix Stanley, c.1851.
- The Hamilton (1853) -
Two early Wongs in San Francisco were Wong Fong and Wong Kee who deboarded the Chinese owned ship the “Hamilton" in 1853.
"The first Chinese person identified as being directly engaged in the California passenger trade was none other than Tam Achoy, when he acted as agent twice for the Anne Welsh in Hong Kong in 1852. – He was in addition, inward agent of the Hamilton on both occasions that it sailed to Hong Kong in 1853 and became its owner." [1]
[1] Pacific Crossing: California Gold, Chinese Migration and the Making of Hong Kong, Elizabeth Sinn (2012).
- Seattle (1853) -
The town of Seattle was incorporated in 1853, and on January 26, 1856, the town of some 300 people was attacked by a coalition of Coast Salish tribes including Klickitat, Spokane, Palouse, Walla-Walla, Yakama, Kamialk, Nisqually, Puyallup, Lake Duwamish, and others estimated at six thousand warriors, marshaled by Chiefs Coquilton, Owhi, and Lushi, in the Battle of Seattle. The attack was repulsed by the naval guns of the USS Decatur. [1,2].
By 1870, Seattle's population had grown to 1,107 people; and in 1880 it was about 3,500 people; with about 350 Cantonese. by 1885 Chinatown had grown to 950 people in a town of some 10,000. Initially they were welcomed, as good workers that were needed; however, anti-Asian sentiments would grow in 1869 following completion of the railway in the US [3].
[1] Phelps T.S. (1908). Reminiscences of Seattle: Wash. Territory & the U. S. Sloop-of-War Decatur During the Indian War of 1855-56. Alice Harriman Co. Seattle, 1908.
[2] Crowley, W. & D. Wilma (2003) Native Americans attack Seattle on Jan 26, 1856.
[3] Rotondi. J. P. (2024). When West Coast Cities Tried to Drive Out Their Chinatowns.
IMAGE: Settlers seeking shelter in Seattle blockhouse, with the USS Decatur in the background. 1856 Painting by Emily Inez Denny, MOHAI (MP1955.921b).
- Victoria (1858) -
In the summer of 1858, an estimated 30,000 miners arrived in the Fraser Canyon, most had come from San Francisco, via Victoria. On June 18, 1858, the first group of 300 American Cantonese arrived in Victoria, from San Francisco on board the SS Caribbean. The Six Companies of San Francisco established three companies in Victoria, the Kwong Lee Co., Tai Soong Co. and Yang Wo Sang Co.; and would recruit and equip the thousands of workers from Taishan, Xinhui and Guangzhou to work the goldfields of the Fraser Canyon. In 1866, the Kwong Lee & Co. established branches in numerous gold mining towns including Quesnelle Forks and Barkerville. In addition to supplying labour, mining supplies and opium; Kwong Lee Co. also managed gambling houses and brothels.
IMAGE: Victoria Harbour, BC, c.1858/1859. #PDP01898 Royal BC Museum.
- Quesnelle Forks (1859) & Barkerville (1863) -
In 1859, the Hongmen of San Francisco established a mining settlement at Quesnelle Forks, BC. The town included 20 residences; 15 stores; a boarding house, saloons, shops, numerous tents and a Tong House. In 1863, Wong Shun Goy (Huang Shen-gui) established the Hong Shun Tong in Barkerville. [1]
In 1868 a fire destroyed the town, with the exception of the HBC store
and a few houses in Chinatown: "I regret to have to report that about 2:30 today a fire broke out in Barkerville and by 5:00 nine tenths of the Town were destroyed. Scotts Saloon was saved in the march of the fire, but it is stripped to a shell. Both Banks are burned nothing saved. HBC store everything lost, a few houses in Chinatown and at the other end of Barkerville were saved. "
Charles Brew Richfield, 15 September 1868 6:30 p.m, Barkerville.[1]
[1] The Cariboo Gold Rush Barkerville Section.
IMAGE: Barkerville before the fire of 1868 (BC Archives, Frederick Dally).
- Granville/Vancouver (1884) -
In 1884, the settlement of Granville (located at present day Vancouver Gastown) had a population of about one thousand; that included one hundred and eighteen Cantonese people (110 men, 3 women, 5 children). Sixty men worked as sawmill hands and thirty as cooks and washers; fifteen were store clerks or merchants. [1] By 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was completed and in 1886 Vancouver was incorporated. By 1888, Chinatown itself had topped over one thousand residents; and in 1908 was up to about five thousand; with over total of ten thousand across BC. The Cantonese were the largest ethnic minority and made up about 10% of the population at this time. Today in metro Vancouver, the visible minority population has reached 54.5%, with the largest groups being Chinese, South Asian, and Filipino.
[1] Yee, P. Saltwater City. Douglas & McIntyre.
IMAGE: Granville (Gastown) 1884 (BC Archives, Frederick Dally).
https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/history/vancouver-was-awesome-granville-ca-1884-1926132
- BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA - The Gold Mountain Theatre Riots of San Francisco (1870-1880)
In 1858. the population in San Francisco had soared to over 50,000; with 10,000 Cantonese making up 20% of the city's population. As Chinatown life grew more competitive, the Gold Mountain Theatre Riots (1870–1880) would erupt. [1] [2]
Tongs increasingly turned to criminal enterprises to fund their operations. These activities included fan-tan gambling halls, lotteries, opium dens, and prostitution. In 1875, the infamous Golden Peach Tong War erupted between the Sing Suey Tong and the Kwong Duck Tong over a celebrated mui tsai prostitute named Kum How, also known as “Golden Peach.” [3] This conflict marks the beginning of the so-called "Tong Wars," which were characterized by escalating violence and the rapid proliferation of tong organizations. Among the most prominent were the Suey Sings (1881), Hop Sings (1881), Hip Sings (1884), Bing Kongs (1889), and Bow Leongs (1896) [4]. Over the next half-century, tong violence would spread across North America, leaving a lasting mark on Chinese immigrant communities.
[1] Boyd, G.M. (2012). The Gold Mountain Theater Riots: A Social History of Chinese
Theater Riots in San Francisco during the 1870s and 1880s. Masters Thesis, SJU.
[2] Chu, Peter & Lois M. Foster (1936). Chinese Theatres in America. Federal Theatre Project, Bureau of Research. Unpublished Print.
[3] Yesterday’s Crimes: The Chinatown Boss in Chainmail | Archives | sfweekly.com
[4] Chinatown Tong Wars | San Francisco News | sfexaminer.com
IMAGE: A dragon parade in Chinatown on Washington Street, the See Yup Grand Theatre is the third building from the right, with the two light hanging shades. c.1892.
- The See Yup Grand Theatre -
Chinese theatres were the heart of the community and offered one of the few legitimate forms of entertainment available. Travelling troupes would perform several times a week; including classical Cantonese opera, with roots dating back centuries and were a means of teaching history and cultural values. [1]
The principal shareholder who owned the costumes, controlled the theatres and wielded significant influence.
“The real boss of the troupe is the property man, the one that owns or manages the costumes. He hires the agents and sub-managers and is responsible to the stock company in all his transactions.” [2].
In 1868, The (Old) Royal Theater aka the "Sam Yup Theatre" had been established at 626 Jackson St. In 1874, the Sam Yup Co. opened a new theatre across the street at 623 Jackson St. called the Po Hing Theatre, and the 'Old Royal' became the See Yup Theatre. In 1877, the Sam Yup Co. opened the (new) Royal Chinese Theatre at 836 Washington St. [3]
Things would change in 1880, when under the leadership of Low Yet, a former Red Turban Rebellion Commander; the Chee Kong Tong rose to power in San Francisco and supplanted the Six Companies as the defacto government of Chinatown. During this time the See Yups opened the Grand Chinese Theatre at 814 Washington. [4]
[1] Boyd, M.G (2012). The Gold Mountain Theater Riots: 1870s and 1880s.
M.A. Thesis, SJU.
[2] Wong Chin Foo (1889). Swintien Loh Theatre. 1889-11-08 Victoria Daily, page 2[1].
[3] Chu, Peter and Lois M. Foster (1936). Chinese Theatres in America. Federal Theatre Project. Bureau of Research. Unpublished Print.
[4] San Francisco Theatres Blogspot. accessed 2025-03-14.
IMAGE: San Francisco Theatres: Grand Chinese Theatre.
THE JACKSON STREET THEATER SHOOTING, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
On December 14th, 1889; Wong Ah Tie the ticket clerk at the Old Royal' See Yup Theatre at 636 Jackson Street, escapes an attempted assassination attempt by Woo Yook and Tarm Yum, members of the See Yup and Sam Yup Societies. They fired ten shots; and all miss and Wong escaped unscathed. The hapless hatchetmen are later identified and arrested. They had mistaken Wong Ah Tie for Sam Yuen the theater manager, to whom they owed a large sum of money. This put the Wong Clan on alert, and they publicly extended their protection to Sam Yuen.
In 1890, the 24-year-old hatchet man Fung Jin Toy, better known as “Little Pete,” rose from notorious chief enforcer of the Sam Yap Co. to being its leader. Over his reign, he was credited with the killing of more than fifty men and even forced the closure of the See Yup Grand Theatre, cementing his reputation as the feared “King of Chinatown.”
IMAGE: 636 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA c.1890.
MARCH 8, 1895
the six company police cross the wong line
"A fight has been made on the Six Company Police, by the Wong Clan after one of their members was severely beaten, just for being a Wong. The Six Company Police have eight officers and are controlled by the Sam Yup Tong. The Wong Clan numbers 10,000 members across California."
The San Francisco Chronicler, March 1895.
July 3, 1896 - The Wong's Force End to Boycott
The Wong's End the Boycott
In July 1896, the Wong Clan who have members in both rival Tongs calls an end to boycott and a fragile peace is established.
THE KING OF CHINATOWN Fung Jin Toy aka. "Little Pete"
THE KING OF CHINATOWN Fung Jin Toy aka. "Little Pete"
Fung Jing Toy (馮正初), better known as Little Pete (c. 1864 – January 23, 1897), was a prominent leader of the Sam Yup Tong during the height of San Francisco’s Tong Wars in the 1890s. Little Pete was deeply involved in prostitution, gambling, and the opium trade, and by 1890—at the age of just twenty-five—he had risen to lead the Sam Yup T
Fung Jing Toy (馮正初), better known as Little Pete (c. 1864 – January 23, 1897), was a prominent leader of the Sam Yup Tong during the height of San Francisco’s Tong Wars in the 1890s. Little Pete was deeply involved in prostitution, gambling, and the opium trade, and by 1890—at the age of just twenty-five—he had risen to lead the Sam Yup Tong. Reputed for his fearlessness, he was said to wear a steel-reinforced hat and chain mail under his suit, had killed more than fifty men, and was considered virtually invincible. These exploits earned him the title “The King of San Francisco Chinatown.”
Little Pete played a central role in the Chinese theatre rivalries of the 1890s; and orchestrated the closure of the See Yup Grand Theatre. In 1892, the Six Company Police of Chinatown was established, and Little Pete quickly leveraged it as a tool to further oppress the community.
By 1895, mounting tensions exploded into a trade boycott that lasted more than a year and was marked by violence, murder, and the destruction of the See Yup headquarters. The conflict shook the Chinese community so severely that the Wong Clan was eventually compelled to intervene and call for an end to the boycott.
SCENE OF THE CRIME - 817 Washington Steet
The Wong Barbershop, 817 Washington Street, San Francisco, California
Fung Jing Toy (aka. Little Pete) was murdered when he walked into the Wong barber shop, located at 817 Washington Street. It is now home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The shoe store F.C. Peters Co. owned by Little Pete, was located next door to the right (in photo above) at 819 Washington. Fung's family lived in an upstairs apartment.
IMAGE: 817 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA. Google Earth accessed 2025.
THE AFTERMATH OF THE MURDER
WONG & CHIN DECOYS? Following "Approved Methods" for Chinese Murder
Suspicious circumstances and confusion about the role of Wong Lung, the only witness, all pointed to a well-planned assassination.
"The fact that ten men crossed the street with the assassin and shielded him with their bodies from the gaze of witnesses" - "Chin Poy and Wong Sing - in all probability played a part in assisting the actual
Suspicious circumstances and confusion about the role of Wong Lung, the only witness, all pointed to a well-planned assassination.
"The fact that ten men crossed the street with the assassin and shielded him with their bodies from the gaze of witnesses" - "Chin Poy and Wong Sing - in all probability played a part in assisting the actual murderer escape - in line with the approved method of carrying out Chinese murders."
1897-01-25. Terror in Chinatown San Francisco Call, p5.pdf
SAM YUP CONSPIRACY "TO MAKE THE SEE YUPS AN EXTINCT PEOPLE" UNCOVERED
In the aftermath of Little Pete's murder, it was learned that the Chinese Imperial Vice-Counsel (King Owang) had conspired with Little Pete; offering him $40K ($1.5M in 2025) to arrange the destruction of the See Yup headquarters and to make the See Yups an "extinct people".
In response the See Yups post a bounty of $2,000 for the assassination of the Imperial Vice Counsel.
REOPENING OF THE SEE YUP GRAND THEATRE
Within two days of the murder of Fung Jing Toy (Little Pete); the See Yups reopened their Grand Theater located at 814 Washington Street.
The See Yup Grand Theatre had remained closed for seven years under the orders of Little Pete, a move intended to suppress See Yup community influence. The theatres were more than places of entertainm
Within two days of the murder of Fung Jing Toy (Little Pete); the See Yups reopened their Grand Theater located at 814 Washington Street.
The See Yup Grand Theatre had remained closed for seven years under the orders of Little Pete, a move intended to suppress See Yup community influence. The theatres were more than places of entertainment; they were central institutions of social and political life. For decades, the See Yup and Sam Yup factions fought bitterly for control of the theatres, the performing troupes, and the coveted immigration interpreter positions. These interpreter posts were essential to merchants navigating the labyrinth of exclusion-era regulations. Control of the theatres, therefore, meant more than cultural prestige—it provided the power to facilitate the movement of people and goods across cities and even across borders, at a time when Chinese immigration faced increasing restriction.
- THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF LITTLE PETE -
In 1930, the book Tong War! identifies Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop as the assassins of Little Pete [1]. However, Dillon (1962) states that:
"Eddie Gong writing thirty-five years after the assassination, stated that the two murderers were two Suey Sings named Lem Jung and Chew Tin Gop. They were in San Francisco on a stopover while on Route to China and were chosen for the task because they were unknown to Pete and his bodyguard and the police. However, Gong is so often wrong in describing details of the Little Pete case that his convenient solution of the perfect Chinatown crime must be viewed suspiciously and that the case must be considered unsolved."
[1] Gong, E.Y. (1930). Tong War! Nicolas Brown, New York.
[2] Dillion, R. (1962). The Hatchetmen, San Francisco's Brotherhood of Blood.
WONGS v. SING SUEY TONG
Following the assassination of Little Pete in 1897, members of the Wong clan entered a protracted and deadly struggle with the Suey Sing Tong and became targets for both the See and Sam Yup hatchetmen.
"Merchants bearing the name Wong became favoured targets for Suey Sing gunmen."
“There was not a Wong in the whole city who would
Following the assassination of Little Pete in 1897, members of the Wong clan entered a protracted and deadly struggle with the Suey Sing Tong and became targets for both the See and Sam Yup hatchetmen.
"Merchants bearing the name Wong became favoured targets for Suey Sing gunmen."
“There was not a Wong in the whole city who would dare stand behind his counter, night or day; they either left town or remained in hiding”. Tong gunmen unchivalrously took as legitimate targets any women or child associated with the opposing clan or tong.” [1]
[1] 1978. Unemployment and Crime: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Crime in San Francisco Chinatown.
Suey Sing Tong Contracted by Chins to take out the Wongs
"The Wong and Chin families comprise about 8,000 members in Chinatown, and they are in a position to resent any intervention by the Six Companies. Once the shooting starts in real earnest, there'll be a killing all winter." [1]
All prominent Wongs are either in hiding or have left the city, but the hatchet men hired by the Chins are only
"The Wong and Chin families comprise about 8,000 members in Chinatown, and they are in a position to resent any intervention by the Six Companies. Once the shooting starts in real earnest, there'll be a killing all winter." [1]
All prominent Wongs are either in hiding or have left the city, but the hatchet men hired by the Chins are only watching for an opportunity to strike the first blow:"[1]
[1] Six Companies Fail to Pacify Chins and Wongs. 1901-11-11, SF Examiner, p11.
WONG CLAN UNDER PRESSURE
WONG DUCK'S LUCK
"Policeman Rapelji who was a block away ran to an alley - where he saw two Chinese, pumping lead into the body of a third Chinaman who lay at their feet. Further up the alley were at least a dozen Chinamen, running about and blazing away at each other"
"As Rapelji ran up the alley, the Chinaman ran past him, pursued by the
WONG DUCK'S LUCK
"Policeman Rapelji who was a block away ran to an alley - where he saw two Chinese, pumping lead into the body of a third Chinaman who lay at their feet. Further up the alley were at least a dozen Chinamen, running about and blazing away at each other"
"As Rapelji ran up the alley, the Chinaman ran past him, pursued by the Highbinder. The fugitive made for the doorway; but dropped on the steps by a bullet from the Highbinder's gun, which struck him in the head killing him instantly. Rapelji arrests the shooter, who is identified as Wong Duck."
Under pressure from all sides, the Wong Clan begin to move their operations out of San Francisco; north to Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver; and east to Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, New York and Boston. The move would prove fortuitous for the clan as the Wongs are largely dispersed during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The deadliest earthquake in US history kills 3,000 people; destroys 80% of the city and leaves 225,000 people homeless.
[1] Six Companies Fail to Pacify Chins and Wongs. 1901-11-11, SF Examiner, p11.
HIP TUCK LUNG CO. & WONG LUNG CO.
HIP TUCK LUNG CO.
In 1884, the Hip Tuck Lung Co. was incorporated in Vancouver by the Wong family. A city directory from 1889 shows Hip Tuck Lung as 'importers of opium' located at 4 Dupont (now 4 East Pender St.), next to the saloon on the corner of Carrall Street. Hip Tuck Lung operated from this location for more than 20 years. The parent company of
In 1884, the Hip Tuck Lung Co. was incorporated in Vancouver by the Wong family. A city directory from 1889 shows Hip Tuck Lung as 'importers of opium' located at 4 Dupont (now 4 East Pender St.), next to the saloon on the corner of Carrall Street. Hip Tuck Lung operated from this location for more than 20 years. The parent company of Hip Tuck Lung was the Hip Lung Co. based in Victoria [1].
In 1906, the loss of San Francisco’s opium factories in earthquake provided opportunities for the BC opium producers to increase exports, not only to the US, but also to China. Hip Tuck Lung prospered and in 1908 moved their operations across the street to a new building built by Wong Soon King at 23 East Pender (today known as the Ming Wo building).[2] [3]
[1] Bold Free Traders Hip Tuck Lung & Wing Sang
Opium Trade. May 31, 1893. Vancouver Daily World. P3.
[2] Lai, David Chuenyan (1999). "Chinese Opium Trade and Manufacture in British Columbia, 1858-1908." Journal of the West, 1999, vol. 38, No. 3, pp 23-26.
[3] Wong Soon King | Changing Vancouver.
WONG LUNG & CO.
In 1889, Wong Lung & Co. was incorporated and rented a warehouse next to Hip Tuck Lung and began providing supply and distribution services. [1] In 1911, Wong Wah Lung was publicly identified as the "Editor-in-Chief" of the Vancouver opium ring by his former legal advisor David Lew. [2]
[1] 1889. Shipping Intelligence. Weekly News Ad
In 1889, Wong Lung & Co. was incorporated and rented a warehouse next to Hip Tuck Lung and began providing supply and distribution services. [1] In 1911, Wong Wah Lung was publicly identified as the "Editor-in-Chief" of the Vancouver opium ring by his former legal advisor David Lew. [2]
[1] 1889. Shipping Intelligence. Weekly News Advertiser, July 24, 1889. Vancouver.
[2] Charge That All Affidavits Were Forced - Taylor declares that David Lew was responsible’. Vancouver Daily World, January, 9, 1911, page 1.
iMAGE: Hip Tuck Lung opium can with label. Photo by CINARC courtesy Quesnel & District Museum Archives. http://www.cinarc.org/opium.html#anchor_32.
WONG SHIM RESIGNS FROM HTL
In 1896, Wong Shim the manager of Hip Tuck Lung Co. resigned and left the country. Lim Yam becomes manager; and is later succeeded by Wong Soon King. Around this time Wong Wah Lung, now 29 years old, also left Vancouver.
Some family members believe that Wong Wah Lung may have visited San Francisco to assist the Wong Clan following the
In 1896, Wong Shim the manager of Hip Tuck Lung Co. resigned and left the country. Lim Yam becomes manager; and is later succeeded by Wong Soon King. Around this time Wong Wah Lung, now 29 years old, also left Vancouver.
Some family members believe that Wong Wah Lung may have visited San Francisco to assist the Wong Clan following the end of the boycott on the Sam Yups. The use of an out-of-town hit-squad; would be in-line with the "approved method of carrying out Chinese murders."[1]
Afterwards Wong Wah Lung would have returned home to Xinhui, to visit family; before returning to Vancouver, on the RMS Empress of India, September 20th, 1898.[2]
[1] 1897-01-25. Terror in Chinatown. San Francisco Call, p5.pdf
[2] Department of Immigration and Colonization (DIC). Chinese Immigration Service Registration for Wong Wa, June 25, 1924. Courtesy of Catherine Clements curator of The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
WONG SAI YOW & The Wong Clan in the Pacific Northwest
In Vancouver, Wong Sai Yow, was popularly known as The Gold Tooth Fellow:
"He bears the reputation of being the leader of the Wong family, which is a very bad lot..."
and "...is said to be an ex-convict from the State of Oregon, and since his return to Canada is said to have been high in the councils of Highbinders.
THE MURDER OF MAH QUAN
Reports from Victoria indicate a carefully planned murder by a gang of 9-10 men:
"They seized the unfortunate Mah Quan by the throat." "Then Quan was thrown over the balcony on to the floor below and his back was broken."
AN HONORABLE MERCHANT
Six days after identifying Wong Sai Yow, as the popularly known "The Gold Tooth Fellow";
"the "leader of the Wong family, which is a very bad lot." and "the same family which was concerned in the recent murder of a countryman in Ashcroft."
The Province, runs a retraction on the front page.
"The Province was mis-informed as to Wong Sai Yow
Six days after identifying Wong Sai Yow, as the popularly known "The Gold Tooth Fellow";
"the "leader of the Wong family, which is a very bad lot." and "the same family which was concerned in the recent murder of a countryman in Ashcroft."
The Province, runs a retraction on the front page.
"The Province was mis-informed as to Wong Sai Yow having been a convict and regrets the publication."
"he is and always has been a progressive businessman of good standing and repute - there was a confusion of names in classifying him as other than an honorable merchant.
- POSTING OF REWARD BLOCKED BY THE WONGS -
The Chinese Empire Reform Association (CERA) attempted to post a $1,000 reward for the arrest of the alleged murders of Man Quon; however, the Wong clan was present in large numbers in the meeting; and had prominent members within the CERA leadership; whereby Wong Soon King served as secretary and later treasurer; and Wong Wah Lung served as one of three Vancouver representatives; Yip On a close ally of the Wong's served as Vice-President.
The posting of the bond was blocked, and a second meeting had to be called.
1906-02-05 Reward offered: Notice is Posted in Chinatown Regarding Murder the Province. P1.
WONG MEN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING
Haw Fat Chung took the chicken oath and testified that he knew the Wong men; and Man Quong; and that there had been a fight between Man Quong and Wong Yuen the night before. Wong On and Wong Gow had had beaten Quong with iron bars, before throwing him off the balcony.
Dr. Davie testified for the defence; that there were no marks on the
Haw Fat Chung took the chicken oath and testified that he knew the Wong men; and Man Quong; and that there had been a fight between Man Quong and Wong Yuen the night before. Wong On and Wong Gow had had beaten Quong with iron bars, before throwing him off the balcony.
Dr. Davie testified for the defence; that there were no marks on the deceased that indicated a beating, as described by Haw Fat Chung. Two witnesses confirmed Wong On’s alibi, that he was elsewhere on the night of the murder. However, eight witnesses called by the prosecution all swore Wong On and Wong Gow were among the killers.
On May 9th, the jury found the two men guilty of murder; and Judge Irving sentenced them to death by hanging.
WONG MEN FRAMED BY THEATRE RIVALS
Detective George Perdue was becoming very suspicious that nothing added up; in spite of the numerous eyewitnesses; the deceased showed no signs of being beaten with iron bars. Rumors that the Wongs had been setup began to circulate. He discovered that Mah Quong had got caught in the crossfire between the old See Yup v. Sam Yup tong rival
Detective George Perdue was becoming very suspicious that nothing added up; in spite of the numerous eyewitnesses; the deceased showed no signs of being beaten with iron bars. Rumors that the Wongs had been setup began to circulate. He discovered that Mah Quong had got caught in the crossfire between the old See Yup v. Sam Yup tong rivalries; and that Quong’s killers had been the “guests” of Quong's, that had accused the Wongs of his murder. And that
Loo Gee Wing, one of the wealthiest Sam Yup merchants had bribed Haw Fat Chung and seven other witnesses to identify the Wong men. [1]
The Wong men were members of the rival See Yup Canton Alley Syndicate. In the meantime, the Court of Appeals granted the accused Wongs a new trial, the Sam Yup conspiracy against the Wong men was beginning to unravel.
[1] McNicolls (2015) Deadman Centre Stage in BC Murders: Notorious Cases and Unsolved Mysteries. Heritage-house-publishing.
WONG MEN AQUITTED
WONG MEN AQUITTED
The re-trial of the Wongs lasted 14 days; and was a record for the time. Wong On and Wong Gow were acquitted; and their accusers charged with conspiracy.
In 1924, the Times Colonist ran a "This day in history" article remembering the convictions of the two Wongs; however, the details of the Wong's re-trial and acquittal were omitted. Nin
The re-trial of the Wongs lasted 14 days; and was a record for the time. Wong On and Wong Gow were acquitted; and their accusers charged with conspiracy.
In 1924, the Times Colonist ran a "This day in history" article remembering the convictions of the two Wongs; however, the details of the Wong's re-trial and acquittal were omitted. Ninety-two years later, in 2016 The Times Colonist ran an excerpt of McNicolls (2015) Deadman Center Stage - BC Murders entitled; "A Mysterious Murder in Chinatown; unfortunately, the Times article again omits the Sam Yup conspiracy and the subsequent acquittal of the Wong men.
2016. A Mysterious Murder in Chinatown. Victoria Times Colonist Staff, Aug 13, 2016 9:56 PM.
Steveston Chinatown
Steveston Chinatown
During the 1890s many Cantonese men are hired in large numbers to work in the numerous fish canneries in Steveston, Richmond. The Steveston “Chinatown” was located along the water in Steveston, between Pacific Coast Cannery and the Hong Wo General Store. in 1907 and 1908 a fire destroyed the majority of housing for the workers; the bunkhouses shown in the image above were re-built in 1915.
"By the 1890s, Chinese made up the majority of cannery workers. Working in butchering crews, the men were responsible for cleaning and slicing the salmon, while the First Nations and Japanese would fill in the cans. The Chinese were employed under the Chinese contract system. Acting as a mediator between the Chinese workers and cannery companies, a Chinese Interpreter/legal broker would provide a contract including wages, room and board to their employees." [1]
In 1907, Wong Wah Lung hired Chinese ‘legal broker’ David Lew (aka. Lew Chung Quai) to assist in the negotiations for police protection in Steveston:
“Landlord Wong Wah (Lung) came to Lew asking for advice about renting out cabins to Chinese prostitutes in Steveston, a practice made difficult by the Steveston city council’s recent zeal for law enforcement. “Within six days Lew and his partner Russell negotiated an agreement with the Steveston police that they would only arrest Chinese prostitutes once per fish-canning season. [2]
Dr. Lisa Rose Mar in her 2010 book Brokering Belonging: Chinese in Canada’s Exclusion Era reports that Wong preferred to conduct his business matters in English; and had hired Lew as a mediator, not as an interpreter. Chinese law graduates such as Lew, were permitted to article; but were prohibited from becoming members of the bar; and the term Interpreter obscures their crucial role. [2] Wong and Lew would continue to have dealings with each other; however, the encounters would become increasingly less cordial and would cumulate in public allegations of treason and murder threats against Lew. [3]
[1] Chan, Claudia (2011). A Thematic Guide to the Early Records of Chinese Canadians in Richmond. August 2011, City of Richmond Archives.
[2] Lisa Rose Mar (2010). Brokering belonging: Chinese in Canada’s Exclusion Era. Oxford University Press, Page 21.
[3] Wong M. (2025) The Honorable Merchants: The Secret History of Wong Wah & Vancouver's Opium Kings (1884-1934). Wong Wah Society. Tatalrose, BC.
IMAGE: The Chinese Bunkhouses, Steveston, B.C.
CHINATOWN, VANCOUVER, BC
- GROWTH & PROSPERITY, VANCOUVER CHINATOWN -
In 1884 the settlement of Granville (present-day Vancouver Gastown) had a Chinatown with about ninety-nine residents. During the late 19th century, opium was British Columbia’s third-largest licensed export, after coal and lumber. Cantonese merchants from Hip Lung Co., an opium manufacturer based in Victoria; founded Hip Tuck Lung Co. in Granville at 4 Dupont. In 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was completed and in 1886, Vancouver was incorporated. Vancouver's Coal Harbour had a deeper harbour than Victoria and superceded Victoria as Canada's main Pacific port. By 1888, Vancouver Chinatown had grown to over 1,000 residents. In 1888, Yip Sang a former Canadian Pacific Rail paymaster, incorporated the Wing Sang Co. and in 1889 constructed the Wing Sang Building at 51 Dupont St. (now East Pender St.). Wong Wah Lung's Wah Tin Loch Theater was located in the rear of the Wing Sang Building. Today the Wing Sang Building is now Chinatown's oldest building and is now home to the Chinese Canadian Museum 華裔博物館.
In Vancouver and Victoria, the See v. Sam rivalry continued in byzantine fashion. The two factions would work together to protect their community, while clandestinely seeking opportunities and advantages against each other. The two factions were able to cooperate effectively on mutual goals, community protection, and Chinese nation-building. In 1895, ninety-five merchants in Vancouver Chinatown founded the Chinese Board of Trade (CBT). In 1898, the merchants would help Kang Youwei to found the Chinese Empire Reform Association (CERA), which plotted an armed uprising in China. In 1905, Wong Wah Lung served as the See Yup Vancouver representative of CERA; with Law A. Yam, President; Yip On, Vice President; Lee Kwong, Secretary; W.A. Cumyow, Foreign Secretary and Wong Soon King, Treasurer. The merchants would later shift their support from Kang Youwei to Sun Yat-sen, and help to finance revolutionary events of 1911 which would lead to the Xinhai Revolution (October 10, 1911 – February 12, 1912); which forced the abdication of Puyi, the Qing Dynasty’s last emperor; and founded the Republic of China (ROC), with Sun Yat-sen as the first provisional president.
In 1906, the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) was incorporated to unify the community, settle disputes, support the sick and poor, and defend against external threats. Founding directors included Yip Sang, Shum Moon, Wong Soon King, Lee Kee, Chong Tong, and Leong Suey [1].
In 1907, Wong Soon King built a new building for Hip Tuck Lung Co. at 23 Dupont St. (now 23 E. Pender Street). In 1908, Chinatown had grown to around 4,000–5,000 residents with 10,000–13,000 across British Columbia. The primary licensed opium producers of the time included Hip Tuck Lung Co. Lee Yuen Co., Sam Kee Co., Kwong Lee & Co. and Wing Sang Co. [2,3]. The merchants had prospered and held property assets worth $3.0M ($100M in 2025). However, the tide was now turning against the merchants and Chinatown; and would erupt in the Anti-Asian riot of 1907, the 1908 Opium Act and increasingly harsh restrictions and punishments, which would cumulate in the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
[1] The Chinese Benevolent Association is Incorporated. December 2, 1906 - Vancouver Sun.
[2] Chinatown's Unofficial Mayor - British Columbia - An Untold History.
[3] 1906. Opium & Rice Factories. The Province, p1.
- CANTON & SHANGHAI ALLEYS -
"When the Great Northern Railway set up shop on Columbia and Dupont (now East Pender Street) in 1905, many people (mainly Chinese men and prostitutes) were displaced, and moved to a “New Chinatown” developed just west of Carrall Street, consisting of two small lanes called Canton Alley and Shanghai Alley. Shanghai Alley is behind Carrall Street to the west. It was home to an opium factory (before drug laws were introduced in 1908), the Sing Kew Theatre, and the rear of the Chinese Empire Reform Association, but both alleys were mostly filled with tenements to house Chinese workers, with shops at street level. Prostitutes began moving in after being chased off Dupont Street by police so that passengers disembarking at the new railway station would be spared encounters with 'painted ladies'. The increased demand for space in Shanghai and Canton alleys by the sex trade boosted the value of those properties. Existing leaseholders took advantage of the situation by subletting their spaces for higher rents, to the chagrin of the landowners." [1]
NOTE: King (1907) indicates that Wong Wah's theatre company Wah Tin Loch Co. was located in Shanghai Alley; and preceded the Sing Ping Theatre. Wong Wah would later open the Kwok Tai Ping Theatre. These theatre companies may have shared the same venues at times; despite the ongoing See v. Sam rivalries.
[1] Historic Vancouver Alleys | Trounce, Blood, Shanghai, and Canton.
[2] King, W,L, Mackenzie. (1908). Report on Losses Sustained by the Chinese Population of Vancouver, B,C. S.E. Dawson, Ottawa.
IMAGE: Canton & Shanghai allies, Goad’s fire insurance map, 1913. City of Vancouver Archives #1972-582.08 (cropped).
- 23 E. PENDER, HIP TUCK LUNG 2.0 (1907) -
In 1906, the loss of San Francisco’s opium factories in earthquake provided opportunities for the BC opium producers to increase exports, not only to the US, but also to China. In 1907, Wong Soon King built a new building for Hip Tuck Lung Co. 2.0 at 23 Dupont (now 23 E. Pender Street) for Hip Tuck Lung's opium operations. Hip Tuck Lung Co. 1.0 had operated for over 20 years from 4 East Dupont, across the street, next to the saloon since 1884. [1]
Hip Tuck Lung prospered and in 1908 moved their operations across the street to a new building built by Wong Soon King at 23 East Pender. However, the prosperity was short-lived with the enactment of the 1908 Opium Act. The merchants would adapt and diversify their businesses to other purposes. In 1913, a permit was issued for $3,000 in alterations, with Wong Soon King listed as owner, architect, and builder; to convert the structure for other commercial uses. In 1917, a cookware retailer Ming Wo moved into the space and for the following century, Ming Wo became a Chinatown institution, supplying generations of households and restaurants until 2020.
In 2024, the building was listed for sale @ $3.8M by
{1] Wong Soon King | Changing Vancouver https://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/tag/wong-soon-king/
- CANTON ALLEY SYNDICATE (1903) -
In 1903 the Canton Alley Syndicate complex located on Dupont Street (modern day Pender St.) was developed by Yip Sang of the Wing Sang Co. for a cost of $10,000. Yip Sang and his Wing Sang Co. controlled over half of the complex. Canton Alley had a characteristic archway with an enclosed courtyard formed by two parallel rows of buildings running south from Pender Street. The building was damaged during the 1907 anti-Asian riots; and 1911 by a fire. The entire block was redeveloped as a six-story rooming house. In 1923, when the Chinese Immigration Act; or more accurately, the Chinese Exclusion Act, forbade any Chinese immigration to Canada the population of Chinatown declined.
In 1949, the buildings were demolished, and the site remained vacant until 1998, when the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) manor was built. The building designed by Joe Wai (a grandson of Wong Wah Lung and Chin Sze) and Davidson Yuen Simpson incorporated a heritage design that captured the likeness of the original entrance to Canton Alley, as it appeared after the 1907 riots. Today the CBA manor is home to S.U.C.C.E.S.S a social services center in keeping with the CBA's mandate.
[1] Canton Alley | Changing Vancouver.
[2] “Instructive Information on Commercial Life in Chinatown.” May 28, 1908 - Daily New Advertiser, page 3.
[3] Yee. P. 1988 - Saltwater City Saltwater City: An Illustrated History of the Chinese in Vancouver, Douglas and McIntyre, 978-0-88894-616-4.
- 51 East Pender, WING SANG BUILDING (1889) -
The Wing Sang building dates to 1889, when Vancouver was only three years old. It was built for Yip Sang, who was once regarded as the unofficial mayor of Chinatown. Yip Sang arrived in Canada in 1881 (from San Francisco, where he’d been working since 1865). He spent some time in the Cariboo gold fields; before becoming a supervisor, then paymaster for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
In 1888, he established the Wing Sang Co. and built a warehouse and store with living accommodation on 51 East Pender Street, between Carrall and Columbia. A year later Yip added a third floor and built eastwards as his business expanded. The Wah Tin Loch Theatre managed by Wong Wah Lung and Wong On, was located at the rear of the building, marker "Theatre"; as shown in the 1889 Vancouver Chinatown map above.
IMAGE (above): Yip Sang and family in front of the Wing Sang building in 1902. Photo City of Vancouver Archives, AM1108-S4-: CVA 689-54.
- CHINESE CANADIAN MUSEUM (2023) -
The Wing Sang building is Chinatown's oldest building and dates to 1889, when Vancouver was only three years old. It was built by Yip Sang, who was regarded as the unofficial mayor of Chinatown. Bob Rennie spent $22M restoring the building to house his real estate office company and private art gallery; and now it is a museum celebrating Chinese Canadians in B.C. [1]
[1] Mackie, J. Chinatown's Oldest Building, Vancouver Sun Feb 11, 2022.
[2] Grandson of Yip Sang Shares Tales. Vancouver Sun, May 23, 2023.
IMAGE: The Wing Sang building is now the: Chinese Canadian Museum.
- SHANGHAI ALLEY & THE SAM KEE BUILDING (c.1913) -
In 1901, a city road widening project expropriated property from Chang Toy the owner of the Sam Kee Co. leaving a narrow six-foot strip; for what would become the world’s shallowest building, according to the Guinness Book of Records.
“The Sam Kee Building constructed in 1913, has heritage value for its architectural design and is touted by the Guinness Book of Records as the 'shallowest commercial building' in the world; and has a depth from front to back of only 6 feet (180 cm); and is augmented on the second floor by projecting bay windows; and by a basement that extends as far again beneath the sidewalk. The unusual proportions arose from a dispute whereby the city had expropriated most of the lot for street-widening without compensating the owner, the Sam Kee Company, for the residue, believed to be unusable; and demonstrates the level of disrespect shown by the civic authorities. Chang Toy's response in building a valuable asset on the much-reduced site is an indicator of the Chinese community's defiance to this discrimination.” [1]
- 124 Pender St. SING KEW THEATRE (c.1909) -
In 1909, Loo Gee Wing built the Sing Kew Theatre (Ko Sing Opera House) at 124 Pender St. The other Sam Yup theatre was the Sing Ping Theatre, owned by Chang Toy. Loo was a Sam Yup merchant who acquired the Kwong Lee Company in 1886 [1]. There are recent published sources repeat the statement that “Loo had made his fortune in the Cariboo Gold Rush”, although there is little evidence of this. He had interests in Barkerville in mining, but up to the early 1900s most references to his business dealings relate to property, court cases (some involving gambling), or trading. [2]
- CHINESE THEATRE WARS -
The animosity and violence of the See v. Sam theatre wars of San Franciso (1880-1897), continued in Vancouver and Victoria. In Vancouver, Wong Wah Lung and Wong On, operated the Wah Tin Loch and later Kwok Tai Ping theatres and were leading members of the Canton Alley Syndicate. Chang Toy and Loo Gee Wing ran the Sing Ping and the later Sing Kew theatres, respectively. Chang and Loo were the leading members of the rival Shanghai Alley Syndicate.
In 1904, things would come to a head when Wong On and Wong Gow were framed by Loo Gee Wing for the murder of a theatre owner in Victoria. [3]
[1] Loo Gee Wing | buildingvancouver
[2] Remembering Loo Gee Wing (1861-1923).
[3] McNicolls (2015) Deadman Centre Stage. in BC Murders: Notorious Cases and Unsolved Mysteries. Heritage-house-publishing.
- CHINESE BOARD OF TRADE, BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION (CBA) & EMPIRE REFORM -
In 1898, members of the Chinese Board of Trade (CBT) and Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) help found the Chinese Empire Reform Association (CERA) to support Kang Youwei's armed uprising in China. In 1905, Wong Wah Lung would serve as a Vancouver representative of CERA; with Law A. Yam, President; Yip On, Vice President; Lee Kwong, Secretary, W.A. Cumyow, Foreign Secretary; and Wong Soon King, Treasurer. In 1911, this powerful merchant group would shift its support to Sun Yet Sen and help to fund the Yellow Flower Mound Uprising of April 27th, 1911; the Wuchang Uprising (Oct 10, 1911 – Dec 1, 1911) and the successful the Xinhai Revolution (Oct 10, 1911 – Feb 12, 1912); which finally forced the abdication of Puyi the Qing Dynasty's "Last Emperor"; and the founding of the Republic of China (ROC) with Sun Yet Sen as its first provisional President.
In 1998, the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) built a manor on the site of Canton Alley. The building is home to commercial and residential properties; and a social services center run by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. The design of the manor and the adjacent Millennium Gate were created by celebrated local architect Joe Wai with Davidson Yuen Simpson; and preserved the essence of the original Canton Alley entrance, as a heritage feature. [1]
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[1] Joe Wai - JYW Architecture Inc.
IMAGE: CBA Manor and Millennium Gate, Google Earth 2025.
THE BOARD OF TRADE & BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION vs. MACKENZIE KING & ASIATIC EXCLUSION LEAGUE
- THE HONORABLE MERCHANTS -
In 1895, members of the two rival merchant factions of Vancouver Chinatown (Canton Alley and Shanghai Alley Syndicates) came together and founded the Chinese Board of Trade (CTB). The board promoted trade, settled internal disputes and protected the community from external threats. The membership included ninety-five merchants with Shum Moon as president, Yip Sang as Vice President and Chang Toy as Secretary [1]. In 1904, Wong Sai Yow (aka. The Gold Tooth Fellow), was known to be the leader of the Wong clan. [2] In 1906, Yip Sang, Wong Soon King, Lee Kee, Shum Moon, Chong Tong and Leong Suey founded the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) to promote the community's social, cultural and economic interests, including building schools and hospitals [3]. Wong Wah Lung served as as the principal of the Kwok Tai Ping Co. including the Chinese Theatre and Quong Foo Restuarant. Other significant Vancouver merchants included Chu Lai (Wing Chong Co.); Lee Chong (Kwong Lee Company); Lee Kee (Lee Yuen Co.); Sam Yuen (Qing Fong Co.); Jung Yung (Kue Lee Co.) and Mah Get Gin (Wing Get Chung Co.). A comprehensive list of merchants and businesses for old Vancouver Chinatown is provided by King (1907). [4]
- THE ANTI-ASIAN RIOT -
On September 7th, 1907, an angry crowd estimated at the time to be about 5,000-9,000 people joined members of the Asiatic Exclusion League and marched to Chinatown and Japantown where they beat up dozens of people, wrecked stores and smashed windows. The Chinese worker camps outside of town were raided and destroyed. The Vancouver Police Force (which numbered less than eight constables) was overwhelmed, and order was not restored for days. The Chinese Board of Trade (CTB) sent cablegrams to London and Peking asking for assistance. Shum Moon, the president of the Chinese Board of Trade (CBT), along with Chang Toy and others went to McLennan and McFeely and bought the store's entire stock of handguns, along with numerous assorted rifles and shotguns. The board of trade initiated armed patrols; and hired cars to move women and children to safety. Chinatown was organized and now well-armed. Despite the failure of the police; and significant property damage; no deaths occurred, and an un-easy peace was restored.
During the 1908 Royal Commission investigating the Vancouver Race Riots then Deputy Labour Minister Mackenzie King questioned the
Chinese merchants regarding their claims for property damage and financial losses. When Wong Wah Lung was sworn in, King asked him “Do you understand the Christian oath?” Wong replied, “Just a few of them”, to the amusement of the court room. [5]
Wong Wah Lung told King: "My annual profit from his restaurant and theatre was about $20,000" (~$720,000 in 2025); and "the Chinese Theatre had annual revenues of up to $190,000". (~$7,000,000 in 2025). [6] Wong brought up the expense of the firearms and ammunition and King said: “You can hardly expect the government to pay for that - you should get the police to protect you”; to which Wong replied: “It was the fault of the police that I had to buy them. The police should have kept the mob away. I pay taxes for that”.
Lim Gim had been producing opium in Vancouver for over ten years. Lim said: “Some years we have made $20,000 in profit.” King: “Clear Profit?” · Lim: “Yep clear-all profit.” King asked: “What would be your total business?" Lim said: "about $180,000 to $190,000 per year". During the hearing Wong Soon King, Lim Gim (aka Lee Gim), Yip Sang, Leong Suey, Lum Duck Shew, and Chang Toy (Sam Kee) all report similar corporate revenues in the range of $150,000 to $180,000 annually. Following the investigation King would say:
“I do not wonder that they sell so many drugs in Chinatown.” [7]
- LEGISLATIVE RACISM -
Mackenzie King was shocked by the extraordinary profits of Cantonese merchants and concerned about their influence with government officials. He seized upon the moment to merge moral reform rhetoric with rising anti-Asian sentiment. By framing prohibition as a moral crusade to “protect” white women and girls, King ignored the voices of the temperance movement and the far greater social damage caused by alcohol.
“That Canada should desire to restrict immigration and remain a white man's country is regarded as not only natural, but necessary for economic, political and social reasons.” —Mackenzie King, Dissertation on Oriental Immigration to Canada, 1908.
“It should be made impossible to manufacture this drug in any part of the Dominion… we will get some good out of this riot yet.”
—Mackenzie King, to the media, June 1908. [7]
Canada’s first drug laws were not public health measures but instruments of racial and economic exclusion. They protected white-dominated industries (such as liquor), while criminalizing the licensed activities of the Chinese merchants. [8]
The Opium Act 1908, and the Chinese Exclusion Act 1923 were acts of “race-based legislation,” explicitly designed to criminalize and marginalize Chinese communities. [9] This policy set a precedent for the systemic discrimination that targeted non-white residents including Sikhs, Hindus, Filipinos, Japanese, Hawaiians, Black Americans and others. Although South Asias from Punjab, British India and Cantonese from Hong Kong were recognized as British subjects under Imperial law; and had the right to travel and settle freely within the Empire; in actual practice barriers were put in place on a colonial level to restrict this. In Canada, Chinese immigrants faced escalating head taxes (1885: $50 → 1900: $100 → 1903: $500) and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, which effectively stopped all immigration until after WWII.· South Asians were targeted by the Continuous Journey Regulation of 1908, which on paper applied to all immigrants but was designed specifically to block Indians, because at that time, no ship could make a non-stop voyage from Calcutta to Victoria. This set the stage for the 1914 Komagata Maru Tragedy. [10]
Canada's legacy of legislative racism continues today, affecting approximately 1.7 million Indigenous Canadians who continue to live under many restrictions of the 150-year-old Indian Act of 1876. [11]
[1] 1908. Instructive Information on Commercial Life in Chinatown, Claims Probed by King. Daily New Advertiser, May 28, 1908, p3.
[2] 1904-02-03. Vancouver Men Now Concerned. The Province, p1.
[3] 1906. The Chinese Benevolent Association is Incorporated. December 2, 1906 - Vancouver Sun, p13.
[4] King, W,L, Mackenzie. (1908). Report on Losses Sustained by the Chinese Population of Vancouver, B,C. S.E. Dawson, Ottawa.
[5] 1908. Says Twenty Thousand His Yearly Profit. May 28, 1908 - The Province, p15.
[6] 1908. Big Profits in Chinatown. May 28, 1908, The Province, p15.
[7] Willmore, Chris. (2021) This Lucrative Trade - UVic online academic community, Victoria . BC
[8]
[9} Erickson, Patricia G. “Recent Trends in Canadian Drug Policy.” Journal of Drug Issues 20, no. 3 (1990): 419–431.
[10] Canadian Sikh Heritage | Komagata Maru
[11] Lupick T., (2018). Susan Boyd's “Busted’ recounts Canada's history with prohibition at a time it's needed most | Georgia Straight, January 23rd, 2018.
IMAGE: The merchants of Vancouver's Chinatown Canton & Shanghai Alley Syndicates,
adapted from Wong M. (2025). The Honorable Merchants: The Secret History of Wong Wah & Vancouver's Opium Kings (1884-1934).
Wong Wah Society. Tatalrose, BC.
- OPIUM & RICE MILL FACTORIES -
During the early 1900s licensed opium producers in Vancouver included the Hip Tuck Lung Co., Lee Yuen Co., Wing Sang Co., Sam Kee Co. and Kwong Lee Co. [1]
[1] 1906. Opium & Rice Factories. The Province, p1.
- CHINESE PUBLIC SCHOOL - The Lequn Yishu (Sociability Free School)
"Once Chinese students were free to attend public schools, the Chinese Public School became an institution that has offered education in Chinese language and culture in addition to public schooling. Students currently take classes here in the late afternoons and on weekends. Most students come from Chinese Canadian families, and a few students have just one parent of Chinese ancestry or belong to another ethnic group. While the emphasis is on learning Cantonese, the language of most of the earlier Chinese immigrants to Victoria, the school also teaches cultural traditions such as calligraphy, Chinese brush painting and dance."
[1] Clayton, J. Chinese Public School - A Cultural Centre in Chinatown in Victoria Chinatown a Gateway to the Past and Present.
IMAGE: Butterfly Dancer Group of the Chinese Public School. Victoria Chinese Public School Archives, photograph courtesy of Robert Amos)
- CHINESE PUBLIC SCHOOL -
During the late 19th century, children of Cantonese merchants in Victoria were segregated and not permitted to attend regular public school. In 1874, the Victoria Methodist Church opened a Sunday School and in 1885 a Mission School. By 1890, there were about 100 school aged children in Chinatown. in response to the racial and cultural segregation imposed by the school board and government; the community built its' own schools. In 1899, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) opened a free school, called the Lequn Yishu (乐群义塾) (Sociability Free School) at 554-560 Fisgard Street. Lee Mong Kow one of the local merchants who helped raise the funds for the school and served as the school's first Principal. By 1909, the CCBA had raised $7,000 and bought a lot at 636 Fisgard St. where they constructed a new building. The school was re-located and installed on the third floor and officially opened on August 7, 1909. Ho Yow the Chinese consul-general of San Francisco attended the opening ceremony of the new school which was named the Daqing Qiaomin Gongli Xuetang (Great Qing Overseas Chinese Public School); two years later the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, would bring the Great Qing Dynasty to an end and the school was renamed the Hauqiao Gongli Xuexiao (Chinese Public School).
As the population grew the Chinese Freemasons and the Chinese Empire Reform Association also opened their own schools. Lee Mong Kow would retire in 1910 and Wong Wah Lung would step in to assist with the administration of the school.
IMAGE: Wong Mun Koon (黃滿官) a great grandson of Wong Wah Lung (黃華龍),
at the Chinese Public School Lequn Yishu, Victoria c.2023.
- RMS EMPRESS OF INDIA & THE CPR STEAMERS -
In 1896, Wong Wah Lung, in his late twenties travelled overseas and returned on September 20th, 1897, via the Royal Mail Steamer RMS Empress of India. [1] The RMS twin screw steamers were the supersonic Concords of their day making an average speed of 16 knots; and crossing the Pacific from Yokohama to Vancouver in a record-setting passage of about 10 days.
Yip Sang and the Wing Sang Co. controlled transpacific Chinese Immigration via the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Chinese Immigration officers. These were Yip Sang's sons Charlie Yip Yen, Yip Quong and Yip On; and they also controlled the Cantonese stewards and crew. To the Cantonese, the "CPR" was the "Chinese Peoples Railway . They had built the railway and Yip Sang had been their Chief. As for the external parties; the merchants would pay for the close cooperation of the police, mayor; customs officials; a federal Cabinet Minister William Templeton and Robert Kelly, the leader of the Liberal Party in the west. This allowed the Canton Alley Syndicate to move products and people with little scrutiny.
[1] Department of Immigration and Colonization Canada (1924). Chinese Immigration Registration for Wong Wa_557 Cormorant St. Victoria, BC. June 25th, 1924.
IMAGE: R.M.S. Empress of India, c. 1910.
- CUSTOMS & IMMIGRATION FRAUD -
David Lew (aka. Lew Chung Quai) in a letter to Ottawa said that despite the prohibition of opium since 1908; there remained 23 places in Vancouver where opium was sold; and nine in Victoria. Lew said he had known Wong Wah Lung for many years, had been his solicitor and knew his line of work and that: “Wong (Wah) Lung was the managing director of gambling and “other” houses; and that he was one of the big managing directors, if not the editor-in-chief of Vancouver’s opium smuggling ring.”
Lew also named Yip On, his brother Yip Quong and Wong Wah as key players in the Immigration fraud and opium smuggling; and said that they were bribing the police; customs officials; the mayor; the leader of the Liberal party and a federal Cabinet Minister, William Templeton.
Lew's allegations against a federal minister forced Laurier's hand and Mackenzie King was sent west to convene a Royal Commission to investigate the matter.
IMAGE: 1910 - Sir Wilfred Laurier and Mackenzie King on Parliament Hill, possibly discussing how to curb the influence of the Chinese merchants in the west.
- WONG WAH LUNG THREATENS DAVID LEW'S LIFE -
In 1910, in the months leading up to the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration Fraud, David Lew was offered several anonymous bribes to withdraw his allegations against Yip On and Wong Wah Lung; when he refused, he was threatened with death. "The two Vancouver Chinese newspapers owned by the Yips printed editorials de¬nouncing Lew as a ‘traitor to the Chinese.’ The Chinese newspapers also reported that the merchant Wong (Wah) Lung, one of Lew’s former legal clients, had offered $3,000 for the murder of Lew’' [1]
Colonel Percival Sherwood, Chief of Canada’s Secret Service, received intelligence reports indicating that Lew would be killed before Christmas. In November, Lew’s own houseboy tried to blind him by putting acid in his eye wash. When the inquiry convened in January 1911, Lew implicated Cabinet Minister William Templeton and CPR officials; however, he “Forgets all names” of Chinese informants and is unable to provide any evidence against those he named in his letters to Ottawa. Lew stated that had nothing on the Yips or Wongs “except what everybody seemed to know”. And when asked directly “You can’t say that the smuggling of Chinese – is any fault of Yip On”.
Lew responded, “I can’t say”. [2]
The Methodist Reverend Tom Chue Thom explained that: “David Lew may not be a moral man. But he did good services to your government which no other Chinaman dare to do -- (but) your new interpreter got to obey -
the Chinese Board of Trade’s orders.” [3]
Rev. Tom Chue Thom, Nanaimo
Wong Wah Lung was a close ally of the Yips, and he had rallied the Chinese Board of Trade to support Yip On and secure prominent defense counsel W.K. Taylor, K.C.
When asked if he was not in fact a great friend of Yip On's: "
"Wong replied, 'Not quite' and adopted the 'I don't know'
line of answer to almost everything else." [4]
[1] Lisa Rose Mar (2010).’ Brokering belonging: Chinese in Canada’s Exclusion Era’, Oxford University Press, Page 53-54.
[2] Charge That All Affidavits Were Forged. January, 9, 1911, Van Daily World, page 2.
[3] Commission will Conduct Lengthy Enquiry. January 12, 1911, Daily Province.
[4] Who Paid Counsel Fees: Chinese Witnesses Head on Doing of their Board of Trade & Counsel. February 11, 1911 - Victoria Daily Times, page 8.
- The Arrest of Wong Wah, Wong Seong & Yue Ling -
On January 3, 1928, undercover Detective Corporal John Black of the RCMP, went to Wong Wah Lung's warehouse at 534 Cormorant (now 534 Pandora) to buy two tins of opium. He had paid $170 (equivalent to about $3,000 in 2025) and had received the opium in a round-about-manner; making the arrangement with Wong Wah Lung; but then was sent away returning later and paying the money to Wong Seong; and then being passed on to Yue Ling, who made the delivery in Theatre Alley.
"Wah Lung handed him on to Wong Seong; and Wong Seong to one Yue Ling. Yue Ling made four steps up Theatre Alley and produced two tins of opium from his hip pocket, then took to his heels, the corporal gave chase and overhauled him."
"While taking Yue Ling under arrest up the street, the prisoner was spoken to by Wah Lung, and then Wah Lung took to his heels - but he was overhauled by
Corporal Cameron (in Fan Tan Alley)."
Wong Seong was later arrested at 557 Cormorant when he returned to the store.
The police had seized the premises and were waiting for him. [1]
Wong Wah Lung was known to use the names Wong Seong and Yue Ling as aliases. Information from Wong's cousin Chan Horne indicates that Wong Seong is one of Wong Wah's sons. This would be from and earlier marriage, prior to Sing Sze and Chin Sze. Wong's relationship with Yue Ling may be similar but is not confirmed.
[1] 1928-02-29. Police Tell of Raid in Chinatown. Times Colonist, p1&3.
[2] 1928-03-03. Relations of Much Married Wah Lung. The Province, p. 1.
- BONDING, APPEAL & ESCAPE -
Wong Wah Lung's $10,000 bail was quickly posted by his friend and business partner Lang Juck, and two family members Wong Kong & Wong Jan Way. Wong used the available time to plan his business affairs and submit his appeal. In June 1928, when he learned his appeal had been denied, Wong fled the jurisdiction. When Wong did not show up to remand himself, Lang Juck and the two other Wongs were called in for questioning. Tim Lang (son of Lang Juck) recalled the exact day:
"I was walking home from school and heard my dad call me, Tim!
I turned to see him in the window of the police station waving at me and he said:
“Tell mom I won’t be home for dinner tonight!” [1]
Authorities believed Wong Wah had boarded a Blue Funnel liner bound for Yokohama. The RCMP made a request to the Yokohama Police to detain Wong on his arrival; however, Yokohama authorities declined; or were otherwise unable to assist.
Following Wongs' escape, a 1928 RCMP report described Wong as “the most important distributor on Vancouver Island”. Wong's arrest and conviction was made despite the fact that he did not touch the money, or the opium; and was not present at either event. Wong's alibi of going for a drive in the countryside was challenged by the police, who said that the statement by Wong regarding the amount of snow on the ground was proved to be false by their officers; but is unclear how this was determined. [2]
[1] Pers. comm. From Tim Lang to Rupert Wong and Marke Wong at
Osler Street, West Vancouver, BC. c.1989.
[2] RCMP Commissioner’s Report, September 30, 1928, pp 22-33.
- 534 CORMORANT STREET, Victoria, BC -
Wong Wah Lung's warehouse where undercover Detective Corporal John Black went to buy opium on a fateful Tuesday evening, January 3rd, 1928, is located at 534 Cormorant St. (now Pandora), immediately, east of the Hip Lung Co. and Kwong On Tai Co. building. The building was constructed in 1884 and was remodeled in 2017. [1] Wong's store where Wong Seong was arrested was located at 557 Cormorant St. The location is now occupied by the 599 and 529 Pandora apartments constructed in 2017.
Hip Lung Co. was the parent company of Hip Tuck Lung Co. After the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1886; Vancouver replaced Victoria as Canadas' primary seaport and Hip Tuck Lung outgrew Hip Lung Co. [2]
[1] 203 534 Pandora Ave in Victoria: Downtown Condo for sale: MLS®# 926344
[2] Bold Free Traders Hip Tuck Lung & Wing Sang Opium Trade. May 31, 1893.
Vancouver Daily World. p3.
WONG WAH LUNG, GENERAL MERCHANT
(b, September 29, 1868; d. February 18, 1964)
aka. Jack Kow, Yue Ling, Wong Seong, Wong Wa, Wong Wah, Wong Lung and Wah Lung.
Wong Wah Lung was a Cantonese merchant born to Wong Duck Suey and Chin Shee; in the village of Wong Chung, Xinhui (SUN WOY), Guangdong in 1868. He first arrived in Victoria around 1884-1886 as a teenager and worked in the family business Hip Lung Co. in Victoria and Hip Tuck Lung Co. in Vancouver. In 1888, Wong Wah Lung, at the age of 20-years-old, leased a warehouse in Vancouver and incorporated the Wong Lung Co. to provide supply and distribution services for the family operations and other merchants. During the early 1900s, Wong was a member of the Canton Alley Syndicate and owned the Quong Fong Lee restaurant; two gambling houses and rental properties in the cannery district of Steveston; and was the principal shareholder and co-manager of the Wah Tin Loch Theatre and the later Kwok Tai Ping Theater. Wong would become a leading member of the Chinese Board of Trade, See Yup Society and Chinese Empire Reform Association (CERA). In Victoria, Wong owned a store and warehouse at 557 and 534 Cormorant Street; and a summer house on Cook Street. Wong Wah's charitable activities included the Wong Wah Chinese Society and in 1921 he served as president of the Christ Church United Society which was instrumental in unifying the Chinese Methodist, Presbyterian and two other Churches creating the Chinese United Church.
In 1928, Wong Wah Lung would be arrested and convicted for selling two cans of opium to an undercover detective. When Wong's appeal was denied; he fled the jurisdiction leading Canadian authorities on a 17-month long man hunt that stretched across the Pacific to Yokohama; and across the continental divide to Chicago. While Wong was in Chicago the On Leong v. Hip Sing Tong Wars would re-erupt and sweep across the Chinatowns of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. In the chaos, Wong would be detained under one of his aliases; and later identified and extradited to Canada.
While incarcerated, his family with Chin Sze would suffer its greatest tragedy when his 15-year-old son Tim accidentally drowns False Creek, while playing with a school friend.
On his release in 1937, Wong in retirement would live a quiet austere life with Chin Sze and their surviving children. In 1945, following the allied victory in World War II, Wong and Chin Sze would witness; the safe return of their son James Wong, who served as a commando with Churchill's secret army: Force 136: British Special Operations Executive (SOE). The family would also welcome the return of their eldest daughter Lillian and her young family when she returned from Macau. Their daughter Rose married a wealthy financier in Hawaii; and Gilbert earned an engineering degree from UBC. William (Bill) an avid sportsman would build a ski cabin on Grouse Mt. and a house in Vancouver's East end at 2220 East 4th Avenue, where Wong Wah Lung would spend his final years, kept entertained by his grandchildren, well into his nineties.
Wong Wah Lung General Merchant 1868-1964
The Secret History of Wong Wah Lung & the Opium Kings
- FAMILY TRAGEDY STRIKES -
In 1931, things go from bad to worse for Chin Sze and Wong Wah Lung, when entering his second year of a seven-year sentence, their son Tim accidentally drowns when playing with a friend on the log booms in False Creek. The family deprived of their eldest son; as well as the head of the family now enters its darkest most difficult years, as it struggles through the hardship of The Great Depression (1929-1939).
- HIGH SCHOOL BOY DROWNS IN CREEK -
Tim Wong (b. late Sept. 1916 - d. November 11, 1931
"Tim Wong, 15, Chinese student of King Edward High School, was drowned in False Creek near the foot of Oak Street on Monday afternoon. Alex Ward, 16 of 855 East 11th, a companion from the same school, tried in vain to save him. The two boys were playing on a log-boom near the False Creek Lumber Co. premises. Tim missed his footing and fell into fifteen feet of water. Ward ran over the slippery logs to his rescue and was in danger of drowning himself as he attempted to aid the Chinese. He called for aid, and D.A. Geddes of 1303 West Sixty-seventh, located the boy's body with a pike pole. Detectives H.H. Duggan and C.W. Spence, who were called and administered first aid without success."
[1] 1931-11-03 Highschool Boy Drowns in Creek - Tim Wong of King Edward Slipped from Boom of Logs. The Province, p20.
- Family Life, Vancouver & Victoria -
Common among wealthy Cantonese merchants of his era, Wong Wah Lung took multiple wives. Wong Sing Sze and Wong Chin Sze were his fifth and sixth wives, respectively, and together they bore him numerous children in Canada. A 1928 report in the Victoria Daily Times quoted Wong’s cousin Chan Horne who remarked that:
“Wong had so many children that he could not name them all.” [1]
To this day Wong Wah Lung’s family and personal history remain a point of intrigue for his many descendants.
[1] 1928-03-03. Relations of Much Married Wah Lung. The Province, p. 1.
IMAGE: Wong Wah Lung with Chin Sze (Wife No. Six) and children in a formal family portrait just prior the family trip to Hong Kong, March 19, 1927. From left to right, front row: Rose and Lillian; back row: James, Gilbert (with Chin Sze), William 'Bill' (with Wong Wah Lung) and Tim. Wong Wah Family Archives.
- The Children of Sing Sze & Chin Sze -
Canadian immigration records indicate Wong Wah Lung may have had a total of eight children with Chin Sze (Wife #5); and shows and six children Sing Sze (Wife #6), It's noted that Wong Wah Lung's 1924 Chinese Exclusion Act registration shows only six children with Chin Sze; five sons and one daughter; however, there appears to be up to eight children associated with them; including Uncle Wong Fook You (b. 1911), who was the only one born in China and who remained there. There is Uncle Wong Cuong (b. 1917) who is a complete mystery. Rose Wong Fook Ho's registration lists Wong Wah and Chan Sze as her parents; but she is not listed as one of their children on their registration. Rose appears on Chan Shee’s registration as her daughter, with Wong Lai Ting as father. Wong Wah's Registration shows Uncle Wong Fook Him, which might be Uncle Tim. However, Uncle Tim is shown as Wong Fook Soo. Aunty Lillian Wong Fook Lan's registration lists Wong Lai Ting and Chin Shee as her parents; but she is listed on Chin Sze and Wong Wah's as their daughter.
Some of the inconsistencies may be explained by adoptions within the family or among friends. Paper sons and daughters were the non-biological children who may have been informally adopted.
"Uncle James had a funny story about Wong Fook You:
When they were young and didn't speak much English, the first day in school the teacher asked him for his name, he answered 'Fook You'. The surprised teacher asked again and got the same reply 'Fook You'. He told the Wong boys (Wong Fook You and Wong Fook Ming) to go home immediately. The next day at school the teacher once again asked their names; but this time Wong Fook You said, 'His name is James and I'm Jimmy'.
And again, they were sent home. This is the only reference I've heard about Wong Fook You, other than that, I know nothing. "
Wayne Wai, August 22, 2025. Hornby Island, BC.
[1] 1928-02-29. Police Tell of Raid in Chinatown. Times Colonist, p1&3.
[2] 1928-03-03. Relations of Much Married Wah Lung. The Province, p. 1.
- Author/Curator's Note -
The Wong Wah Society has compiled the information on this site from government documents, digital newspaper archives, academic journals, family files and photos; and publicly available information on the internet. This site is intended to serve as a record of the family's transpacific history and to serve as an aid for the 'dis-oriented' descendants of Wong Wah Lung, the Wong clan and the broader Cantonese community. This page remains a work-in-progress, and the society apologizes in advance for any potential errors, mischaracterizations, misrepresentation of individuals or organizations or/and their activities.
- DOH JEH (多謝) THANK YOU! -
The Wong Wah Society is grateful to cousins Wayne Wai and Hayne Wai. Wayne provided a copy of the 1935 article ‘Narcotics’ published in BC Digest by James A. Fripps (RCMP Superintendent ret.); which named Grandfather as one of the "more important ones"; in reference to the opium traders of the time. A reprint of the article is attached as a PDF below. This article provided the family with the first documented evidence of Grandfather's role and his level of involvement in the activities of old Chinatown. Cousin Hayne shared his 2006 story: Three Voices: A Wong Family Album in Finding Memories Tracing Routes which documents the 1884 arrival of Wong Wah with his uncle.
Hayne also shared a summary of his research showing documentation dated December13th 1916; detailed the arrival of 20-year-old Chin Sze with 2-year-old Tim Wong Fook Hong; and 14-year-old Chew Kew (who is reported to be Wong Wah's daughter, from a different mother). Thank you to Naomi Louie of the Chinese Canadian Museum, for finding two-year-old William Wong Fook Hong's 1927 CI9 Certificate; and to Catherine Clement the curator of The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. Ms. Clement provided the 1924 Exclusion Act registration CI44 certificates for Wong Wahs' family and others residing at 557 Cormorant, Street, Victoria. The family is also grateful t to Jennifer McLean Richardson, genealogist - for her assistance in obtaining the death registration of Wong Wa and others; this invaluable document provided the names of Wong Wah's parents Wong Duck Suey and Chin Shee; extending the families' understanding by another generation. And which has left the family with more questions than answers.
IMAGE: Winston Wai and wife Phyllis; with Uncles James Wong, Bill Wong and Gilbert Wong; and Aunty Rose Lau (nee Wong). c. 2005.