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THE DAY OF THE GOLDEN SPIKE – May 10, 1869
Sunday, May 10, 2020, marks the 151st anniversary of “The Day of the Golden Spike” of the Transcontinental Railroad.
On this monumental day in 1869, for the Transcontinental Railroad, the Central Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad rail lines joined together, after nearly seven years of construction, uniting the nation and laying the foundation for its growth, economic progress and improved way of life. The ceremony brought together the Central Pacific’s Jupiter and Union Pacific’s No. 119 engines at Promontory Summit, Utah.
Bein Yiu Chung, my great great grandfather was one worker of the Canton (Guangdong) Army. From Hoyping (Kaiping) of Canton, between 1865 and 1869, he and his 12,000 colleagues toiled to build The Iron Road from California thru Nevada to Utah at America, for Central Pacific.
From AsAm News, his and his descendants’ stories on Gold Mountain (Gum Saan): APA Heritage Month: Story of my Ancestors Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad;
https://asamnews.com/2018/05/03/apa-heritage-month-story-of-my-ancestors-who-built-the-transcontinental-railroad/
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The Collected Works of Dr. Raymond Douglas Chong.
http://www.chineselovepoetry.com
Raymond Douglas Chong’s works speak the language of love, igniting passion in the souls of his readers and listeners. Exploring his poetry, his stories and his music is to tenderly touch the essence of love, and the angst of loves lost.
Mobile: 1.510.915.9810
Email:
[email protected]
WeChat ID: raymonddouglaschong
The Zhang Clan Odyssey website:
https://orq.mychinaroots.com/services/family-websites/zhang-odyssey/#0
CHINESE NEW YEAR (YEAR OF THE RAT) CELEBRATION AT CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA – “MY ODYSSEY – Between Two Worlds” Documentary Film
On Saturday, February 8, 2020, the Chinese Historical Society of America welcomed the Year of the Rat at San Francisco Chinatown.
Dr. Raymond Douglas Chong, presented his documentary film, “MY ODYSSEY – Between Two Worlds.” It chronicles Dr. Chong’s journey to discover his Zhang ancestral roots from Kaiping, Guangdong China to Gold Mountain, America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIWS1F-Dhx0
Raymond Douglas Chong’s journey in search of his family roots in Kaiping, Guangdong, China leads to his ancestral village where he uncovers its peasant history, since 1506. With remarkable footprints, Chong traces his family’s five generation migrations to America from Kaiping.
Following great-great-great and great-great grandfathers who worked as laborers in gold fields during the California Gold Rush (1849) and the Far West’s Transcontinental Railroad (1865-1869). Then during the restrictive 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act which banned migrating workers and women. His great grandfather owned an opium den and gambling hall (1892-1926) at Boston Chinatown. Chong’s grandfather joined a credit partnership, opening a foodway of Chop Suey (Cantonese cuisine) house (1923-1936) at Cambridge’s Central Square. And his father served with the United States Navy during World War II (1943-1945). And later, partly owned a Chinese nightclub (1946-1950) at Gateway of San Francisco Chinatown.
At end of the prelude, his final remarks:
“This is MY ODYSSEY – Between Two Worlds.” It is your journey. In a way, it is in by blood, in my bones, and in my thoughts. I have come full circle, being American, becoming Chinese.”
The documentary film is a production of Generations, Sugar Land, Texas, and Alvin Wright Communications, Houston, Texas.
GIM SUEY CHONG - Congressional Gold Medal Veteran
The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) has spearheaded the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project is to recognize, honor and celebrate the military service of Chinese Americans who fought in World War II. Their work ensures that the achievements and contributions of the ‘greatest generation’ will never be forgotten.
The Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project will hold the national Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony in Washington, DC on Wednesday, April 29, 2020.
For your muse, the below Congressional Gold Medal Veteran profile of Gim Suey Chong, my late father. A victim of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. The great grandson of Chinese railroad worker on the Transcontinental Railroad (1865-1869).
https://www.caww2.org/profile10
“Gim Suey Chong – Navy
Gim Suey Chong was a 5th generation sojourner to Gold Mountain, America. He and his forefathers were from Yung Lew Gong village, in the heart of Hoyping near the magnificent Tam Kiang river of Kwangtung province of Cathay. Gim was born in the 9th gray brick house on the 6th narrow alley on December 26, 1922. In 1932, Gim embarked on his intrepid immigration to Gold Mountain, America. Because of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, a cruel racist federal law, Gim assumed the persona as a paper son, of his uncle Hung Quock Chong. On April 20, 1932, he arrived at the seaport of Boston.
At the Central Square of Cambridge, between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Gim began his life in America. At the Imperial Restaurant on 2 Central Square, Moi Chung, his father, was partner and manager of this first-class Chop Suey house for American and Chinese customers. During the height of the Great Depression, Gim and Moi Chung left Boston from South Station.
In 1936, they arrived at busy Union Station in Los Angeles to settle at Little Tokyo, the heart of the vibrant Nikkei community of the Southland near City Hall in Downtown. It was a bustling neighborhood of restaurants, stores, and markets during the heyday of Little Tokyo. Moi Chung worked at the Nikko Low Chinese Restaurant on 339 ½ East First Street, owned by a cousin from Hoyping. After graduating from Belmont High School, Gim was certified as a qualified aircraft mechanic at Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute in Glendale. Pan American Airways System hired him as a mechanic’s helper.
He enlisted with United States Naval Reserve on May 18, 1943 as seaman, first class, During World War II, his all-Chinese crew diligently maintained the China Clipper, the world-famous flying boat and other seaplanes, to and from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They performed crucial maintenance at Treasure Island Station on the San Francisco Bay, east of San Francisco. He was discharged on December 7, 1945.
In 1946, Gim invested his savings as a junior partner of the Kubla Khan Theater Restaurant on 414 Grant Avenue in San Francisco Chinatown, with Eddie Pond, who came from Hong Kong. The time was the zenith of The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs. After the sad demise of the Kubla Khan, in 1950, Gim returned to Los Angeles. He and Moi Chung resided in Chinatown at College Hotel on Broadway, during the heyday of Chinatown. Amidst an exotic cluster of Cantonese restaurants, shops, and markets, West Gate, Central Plaza, and East Gate dominated the panorama.
From 1950 to 1978, Gim worked for Lockheed-California Company, as a quality assurance inspector of military aircrafts in Burbank. During the Cold War period, it was known as the Golden Age of Aviation in the San Fernando Valley. From 1950 to 1974, he also worked as a waiter during weekends at the Far East Café on 347 East First Street in Little Tokyo, with its iconic Chop Suey neon sign. This premier bistro was known for its delicate and bright China-Meshi dishes, a Japanese version of Chop Suey.
On January 14, 1955, Gim happily married Miss Seen Hoy Tong in Los Angeles. In 1956, Gim was proud father of two sons, Raymond Douglas Chong, and Michael George Chong. On December 2, 1979, Gim Suey Chong died in Los Angeles, the City of Angels.”
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The Collected Works of Dr. Raymond Douglas Chong.
http://www.chineselovepoetry.com
Raymond Douglas Chong’s works speak the language of love, igniting passion in the souls of his readers and listeners. Exploring his poetry, his stories and his music is to tenderly touch the essence of love, and the angst of loves lost.
Mobile: 1.510.915.9810
Email:
[email protected]
WeChat ID: raymonddouglaschong
The Zhang Clan Odyssey website:
https://orq.mychinaroots.com/…/family-web…/zhang-odyssey/#0
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ASAMNEWS – Far East Deep South – A Poignant Story of Chinese Families during Segregation Era of the Deep South
For AsAmNews, I wrote a story about a new documentary by Baldwin Chiu and Larissa Lam, “Far East Deep South.”
““Far East Deep South,” a new 76-minute documentary that follows the Chiu Family on a surprising journey through Mississippi in search of their lost family history. Along the way, they meet a diverse group of local residents and historians, who shed light on the racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South. Their emotional journey also leads them to discover how exclusionary immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 impacted their family and how deep their roots run in America.”
https://asamnews.com/2020/03/05/film-traces-chinese-american-familys-history-in-the-deep-south/
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The Collected Works of Dr. Raymond Douglas Chong.
http://www.chineselovepoetry.com
Raymond Douglas Chong’s works speak the language of love, igniting passion in the souls of his readers and listeners. Exploring his poetry, his stories and his music is to tenderly touch the essence of love, and the angst of loves lost.
Mobile: 1.510.915.9810
Email:
[email protected]
WeChat ID: raymonddouglaschong
The Zhang Clan Odyssey website:
https://orq.mychinaroots.com/services/family-websites/zhang-odyssey/#0
The Chinese American Museum of Chicago - Raymond B. & Jean T. Lee Center (CAMOC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation located in Chicago, Illinois.
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