English version articles
Santa Cruz, a small city near the Pacific Ocean and south of San Jose, belongs to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a beach city full of joy, tourist attractions, and charming scenery.
Historical Record of Chinese Americans | Hungry Ghosts in Wright’s Tunnel Read More »
The Mississippi Delta, for a long time, has been a multiracial land where both black and white people lived. However, this is not to say that different races have never inhabited this area. They have, and one group, the Delta Chinese, made quite an impression. For one, they challenged the long-standing social order when they arrived. Secondly, they originally came to pick cotton, but made a drastic change to opening stores when working in the fields did not prove lucrative.
When opening the University of Minnesota scholarship website[1], you will find the Wen Ping Pan Scholarship. It’s a scholarship specifically for students of Chinese descent or non-immigrant Chinese students, with a preference for students who have attended Tsing Hua University in Beijing, China. Uncovering the story from a century ago, Wen Ping Pan, a brilliant young gentleman who came to the USA in 1914, chased his dream and devoted his whole life to this country.
Reverend Huie Kin, founder of the First Chinese Presbyterian Church in New York City’s Chinatown, was born in 1854 (the fourth under Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty) in Yongning Village, Taishan – the famous hometown of overseas Chinese in Guangdong, China. His ancestors worked in the agricultural field. As a child, he went to private school, and had the ambition to travel across the ocean to see the new world.
Historical Record of Chinese Americans | Chinese American Figure: Pastor Hu Read More »
Tung Gay Yee was born in Taishan, Guangdong, China. In 1951 he and his brother Tung Park Yee, who was one year junior, came to the United States from Hong Kong to join their U.S. citizen father.
One hundred and twenty years ago, who founded the first organization to fight for the protection of rights of Chinese Americans? Who traveled across the country giving speeches to advocate for the Chinese to have equal rights in America? Who wrote countless media articles exposing those who slandered the Chinese, and testified in front of Congress in opposition of the Chinese Exclusion Act? And who engaged in open debate against anti-Chinese politicians, and was even willing to duel to the death?
His name was Wong Chin Foo (Wang Qingfu), and he has been referred to as the Martin Luther King Jr. for Chinese Americans. This pioneer advocate for the protection of rights of Chinese Americans fought his entire life for Chinese Americans to be treated equally. He did not undertake this effort alone. In 1892, he founded and went on to lead the Chinese Equal Rights League. He fought unwaveringly against the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Few people knew that the Chinese had served in the American Civil War. We would like to honor the Chinese people who fought for freedom for their host, in this new country, the United States of America. Dr. Thomas P. Lowry did research on Chinese fighting the Civil War in the Army, and met Edward S. Milligan doing research on Chinese fighting the Civil War in the Navy, in the National Archives. They joined forces, and in April 1999, printed their joined written article in North and South Magazine. In the present article “Chinese Servicemen in the American Civil War” by William Tang, the author narrates the achievements of Lowry and Milligan’s research and gives brief accounts of 37 Chinese servicemen’s lives.
2018, as a result of Congress passing and the President signing Public Law 115-337, the Congressional Gold Medal, our nation’s highest honor, will be presented to these individuals of Chinese ancestry who served honorably at any time during the period December 7, 1941, and ending December 31, 1946. The Chinese American WW II Veterans Recognition Project seeks to recognize, honor, and celebrate these largely forgotten men and women who served our country with great dignity and pride. Please ask the veterans or their descendants to register at www.caww2.org so they may be considered for the high honor.
We believe that racist actions of any kind are unacceptable in America. We refuse to be victimized bec
Anti-Asian Racism: A Historical Legacy Read More »
Polly Bemis, also known as Lalu Nathoy, was reputed to be the most famous Chinese woman in the Pacific Northwest. Born to a poor farming family of Northern China, she was smuggled into the US in 1872 and sold to a Chinese saloon owner in a mining camp, now Warren, Idaho. She was illiterate and, due to her different dialect, could not even communicate with other Chinese miners. Polly met Charlie Bemis who later became her life-long companion. By 1880, she had obtained her freedom and was running a boarding house. Polly and Charlie married in 1894 and moved to a place 17 miles north in the Salmon River wilderness. Together, Charlie and Polly Bemis filed a mining claim, built a house, cultivated a garden and an orchard, and hosted visitors from the town and river travelers at their ranch. In 1911 a stream flowing through the place was named Polly Creek. After their home burned down in 1922 and Charlie’s death two months later, Polly took the initiative to have her house rebuilt. She continuously lived by the river until three months before her passing away in November 1933. With her pioneer spirits of courage, perseverance, and diligence, Polly Bemis overcame the extreme hardship throughout her life. She was a true trail blazer not only for settlers in the rugged Salmon River, but also for many Chinese American women. To recognize her unique and significant contribution, Polly Bemis was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 1996.