14. Hung On Tong

We know little about what Dong Hin did during his first years in San Francisco. He may have had some sort of affiliation with the Sam Yup Company, and perhaps even a family association. However, we do know that he had strong and lasting ties to the Hung On Tong Society (行安善堂; Pinyin "xíng ān shàn táng").

The Hung On Tong Society was founded in 1858 as a district association for people of Shunde (Shun Tuck; 順德) descent. Like other associations, the Society's mission included working for the membership's common welfare, helping the old and infirmed, providing a means for Shun Tuck people to maintain contact with one another, and exhuming and returning the dead to China for permanent burial. On this last point, Yong Chen in Chinese San Francisco 1850-1943 notes that "many immigrants requested that their bodies or ashes be [returned to their homes in China] so that they could be united with their loved ones. That wish... demonstrated the immigrant's 'love for his native land, and the desire that his last resting-place shall be where the ashes of his kindred lie'." Though returning remains to China was expensive and difficult, the demand was so great that numerous specialized charity societies were founded to assist individuals and benevolent associations in this process.
(1a) Hung On Tong Society headquarters at 657 Jackson Street. The building was rebuilt in 1908 after the original building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake; (1b) the Hung On Tong Society logo includes famous Shunde commodities such as silk and fish; (1c) detail of the Hung On Tong doorway. The middle characters 順德 are "Shunde," the bottom characters 行安善堂 roughly translate as Hung On "travel peacefully" "charitable" Tong "hall"; (1d) detail of Hung On Tong letterhead (photos Steve, 2006).

Presumably with the aid of the Hung On Tong Society, the 14-year old Dong Hin began his lifelong involvement in the Shunde-controlled worker's garment business. Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Dong Hin became a member of the Gon Kee Company in 1881 and served with the firm until 1890. The Gon Kee Company was located at 919 Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue) and was a dealer of Chinese clothing. Unfortunately we don't know much about Dong Hin's role in Gon Kee other than that he eventually became a "merchant" with the company.
(2) Detail from a map of "Old Chinatown" from 1885. The approximate location of the Gon Kee Co. at 919 Dupont is shown. The orange colored block describes the lot as "C. [Chinese] clothing store." The pink lot behind the storefront indicates a gambling establishment (adapted from The Chinese in California, 1850-1925, Bancroft Library, U.C. Berekeley).

Prior to the 1960's, the Society was led by four administrators known as Junglei. Each Junglei assumed a six-month term administering the Society's finances. These administrators came from the four worker's garment businesses owned by the Shun-Tucknese, namely: 1) the George Brothers Co.; 2) the H. Williams Co.; 3) the Quong Lee Co.; and 4) the Ching Chong Co. As we'll learn later on Dong Hin played major roles in both the George Brothers and the H. Williams Companies. Not surprisingly, "Deng Yin," an alternative transliteration of "Dong Hin," was noted as one of the Junglei who led the Society during these years.

In 1960, with the closure of these businesses, the Society reorganized and became a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Much of the mission of the Society has focused on preserving and promoting Shunde culture and fostering brotherhood within and without the Society through events such as visits to the Chinese cementary during the Ching Ming, Yue Lan, and Chung Yeung festivals. As of 1985, the Society continued its role to aid new immigrants from Shunde transitioning to their new lives in America, just like it helped Dong Hin in 1881.

In 1873, the Hung On Tong Society purchased a building at 657 Jackson Street to serve as its headquarters. Like almost everything else in Chinatown, the headquarters was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake (more on this later). Regrouping in temporary offices on Oakland's Webster Street, Hung On Tong's leaders organized the reconstruction of a new building at the same address two years later in 1908. For almost 100 years, the building has served as the headquarters of the Society. However, a brand new and much larger headquarters designed by Dick W. Wong and Associates was recently completed down the street at the corner of Jackson and Kearny.
(3a) The old Hung On Tong Society building at 657 Jackson Street; (3b) the recently completed new Hung On Tong Society headquarters at 601 Jackson Street (photos Steve, 2006)

As times have changed, the power and influence of many Chinatown associations has diminished. To the best of our knowledge, our own family's direct involvement with Hung On Tong has lapsed long ago. However, the construction of the new and rather large headquarters at the prominent corner location of Jackson and Kearny is clearly suggestive of the Society's wherewithal and aspirations.

A revealing 1999 article by Julie Soo in AsianWeek sheds some light into the financial world of Chinatown associations and Hung On Tong in particular. Soo writes, "Many associations are over a century old, meaning they have amassed real estaste holdings that help feed growing treasuries... [and] the associations [currently] own 30 percent of the property in Chinatown, and they own several cemeteries in San Mateo County. Conservative estimates on the worth of the associations' property holdings in the two counties run upward of $250 million, mostly paid off years ago and taxed at low Proposition 13 property tax rates. The Hung On Tong Society alone had $1.3 million in savings and cash when it confronted the first in a series of legal battles around 1989, according to tax returns. The association also has upward of $5 million in real estate holdings... [and is one of the] city's most affluent associations."

Nearly 150 years ago, the Hung On Tong society was established to help the immigrants from Shunde while maintaining a connection to the homeland. As the world of the 21st century begins to look eastward for new opportunities, it will be fascinating to see how the role of the Hung On Tong Society as a bridge between cultures evolves in the ever-changing relationship between the Shun-tucknese of China and America.

Links
"Strained Relations" by Julie Soo (AsianWeek, 1999)
"Hung on Tong Society, Reunion Banquet - Special Edition" (1985, provided by Judy)
Chinese San Francisco, 1850-1943 by Yong Chen