MOCA is mapping the Chinese American

http://www.map.mocanyc.org/

MOCA is mapping the Chinese American experience—one story at a time.

What is your story? Is there an event or object that symbolizes your family's legacy in America? What was the moment when you or your family first felt like America was truly home? Share your experience by adding it to the MOCA StoryMap.

COLORFUL AFFAIR

COLORFUL AFFAIR

Tai Met Young Chang (From "N.Z. Truth's" Te Kuiti Rep.) A swirling mass of brown and yellow humanity recently caused a large crowd to assemble m the main street of Te Kuiti, when two Maoris and a couple of Chinese got to grips. A young Chinese, named Chang, nephew of Joe Hoe, was putting up a blind outside the window of Hoe's shop, when a somewhat portly native named Tai -Ihia came along and, seizing the blind, pitched it into the gutter. The somewhat diminutive Chang looked on m surprise and. not being prepared' to tackle the Maori himself, ran inside for uncle Joe. Tai then walked away, but returned a little later and wanted to fight Hoe's brother Yum, but/ Yum being of the feather class and Tai of the heavy a match was not arranged, although uncle Joe said he was game to tackle the Maori. i Seeing that the honor of the Maori I race was at stake,, another -Maori named AVetere Hetet, is alleged to have pulled the Chinese off, but he was. then set upon by another Chinese known as Long. As a result -of the affray,' the two Maoris appeared before the court a few days ago, charged with disorderly behavior, Tai also being charged with a breech of his prohibition order. Both pleaded not guilty. The magistrate fined Tai a fiver altogether. t The charge against Hetet was dismissed. NZ Truth , Issue 1090, 21 October 1926, Page 5

William Joseph Gee

Chinese Criminal

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Christchurch Rep.) OAVING commenced his criminal career at the age of fifteen, William Joseph Gee, a half-caste Chinese, has compiled a bad record m the past nine years. He has already served terms of reformative detention. Recently he was brought before i the Christchurch Supreme Court for sentence on eight charges of housebreaking and theft and two of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime. He told Mr. Justice Adams that his downfall was due to gambling on racehorses. Gee was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be concurrent. NZ Truth , Issue 1273, 24 April 1930, Page 5

The Haining Street Murder Inquest.

TERRY UNCONCERNED.

Per United Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 27. An inquest on the body cf Joe Kxhn Yung, the victim of Sunday night's tragedy in Training. street, was conducted by the Coroner this- afternoon/ Lionel Terry, tho self-accused murderer, Wa« present in custody, and while ihe jury was absent viewing the body lv? unconcernedly discussed tho woather and. North Island scenery with thz police. Throughout the proceeding 9 ht? waa as imperturbable as ever. When asked, if ho wished to put any questions to the witness examined, his smiling reply "No, thanki you," indicated, that he was the least concerned person present. Or.cc only did lie show any annoyance*, and that was when a Chinese witnorfs zvlated how Ono (evening last week Terry entered n house in Haini'ng street and, saying he was an inspector, took the names ol some persons who were playing cards. Terry objected that the word inspector," had been put into the witness* mouth by counsel for the Cro-.vn. The Coroner There arc all sorts of inspectors in the Country. Terr/ Oh, yes I might have been a sanitary inspector, I dare say, but Seeing that I had made all sorts of inquiries about thoir gambling, the Imputation is that I might have been posing as an isitpoctor of police. The Coroner You will have an opportunity in a higher Court of contradicting the witness' statement. Terry I am not contradicting. The evidence given added "little to what has already been published. Two witnesses of the tragedy told of having seen a tall ftian use a reVolvor and then walk off. This man was wjarin,? an overcoat similar to one producoJ, found at Terry's lodgings. The jury. having retired to consider their finding, returned in a quarter of a hour. s they reappeared Terry remarked Here they come" Tho foreman said the verdict was that Joe Kum Yung's death was caused by a bullet wound inflicted by Lionel Terry. Wilfully 1" nskfiri the Coroner.—" I can't say," rep Hod the foreman. Throughout this final scene Torry remained unruffled, and after the Coroner and jury had left the room no turned with a careless laugh to i.is custodians (Mid said "It wasn't very in'eretting was it Terry will be brought before a Magistrate or a Monday next on if.c faPHal charge. It is reported that Tmrv suys ho picked out Kum Yung as bis victim, because he looked old and increpit, and as if life was a burden to him.Southland Times , Issue 19673, 27 September 1905, Page 2

DOCTOR AND CHINESE

CIVIL LITIGATION CLAIM FOR WAGES. Further evidence was heard yesterday and to-day in the case in which a Chinaman named Loo Shook proceeded against Dr. F. Wallace Mackenzie on a claim for £182 as wages alleged to be due for work on a farm at Kawhia. Mr. V, R, Meredith appeared for the plaintiff while the defendant conducted his own case. In giving evidence, the defendant said that the testimony of the Chinese on Thursday had been quite unexpected by him, and had upsst his plans for defending the case. The stories of the Chinese agreed very nicely, but they were quite at variance with the facts. When Loo Shook had gone to him about four years ago he had said that he had been cheated out of his garden in Napier, was unable to work, and had been drinking. Loo Shook used to work for defendant's father, so he (defendant) thought that he would do him a good turn by sending him to the farm at Kawhia. The arrangement was that Loo Shook was to go to Kawhia, not to do any work, but just to fool about and enjoy himself. Things went well for some time, but eventually defendant's son desired that Loo Shook should be removed from tho property. In answer to Mr. Meredith, Dr. Mackenzie said that the farm was 960 acres in area, and was mostly bush. It belonged to his son. At this stage Mr. Meredith put in documentary evidence purporting to show that the farm was bought by Dr. Mackenzie himself several years ago, to which the defendant rejoined that he had acquired', the property in his own name because his boy was only eighteen years of age at the time. This led connsel to remark that the property was not transferred till June, 1913, after these proceedings had been instituted. The defendant could not understand the delay. The property should have been transferred long before that by his solicitors. Mr. Meredith then remarked that Jhe defendant had been a litigant before. Defendant*. Yes, I was here, charged with cruelty to a dog. You Tememher the case of Mackenzie v. Mackenzie? Yes; you ape going to allege that I took my family down. Do you deny the truth of what his Honour Sir Joshua Williams said a-bout you in his particularly scathing remarks Yes, absolutely. My wife wrote a letter to Sir Joshua Williams afterwards, and got a reply back apologising for what he had said. The case was then adjourned till this morning. TO-DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. When the case was called this morning, Mr. C. H. Treadwell appeared and intimated that he had been instructed today by the defendant to appear on, his behalf. Counsel intimated that he wished to reserve his right to re-examine Dr. Mackenzie until some day next week. Having just been instructed in the case, he desired to get some idea as to how the case had been presented. He therefore wished to obtain a copy of his Worship's notes. His Worship agreed to this application. He added that he would probably go to Nelson next week, and if an adjournment was granted he would return to Wellington in order to complete the case. Mr. Meredith asked leave to call additional evidence if necessary, and after some argument his Worship reserved the point. Dr. Mackenzie then went into the witness box, and under cross-examination by Mr. Meredith stated that when he said yesterday his wife had had a letter from Sir Joshua Williams apologising for his remarks he was labouring under a mis| apprehension. His wife had merely in- I terviewed the learned Judge. It was a I long time ago, and he had forgotten the circumstances. His memory had pla-yed a trick with him. The defendant continuing, said that on all his visits to his property Loo Shook had never asked for money. The Chinaman had once refused to accept 2s 6d for carrying his bag. IN THE NAME OF CHARITY. Mr. Meredith Did not Loo Wai once ask you for £20? Dr. Mackenzie: Yes; he asked it in the name of charity, as he wanted to send £20 to some poor relatives of his. I would probably have t given it to him if I had it, just the same as I would probably give it to you (Mr. Meredith) if you were in need of £20. lam a terrible fellow for giving away money when I have got it. That is why I have got so little money. Mr. Meredith: *You got Loo' (Wai to I sign a receipt? j Dr. Mackenzie Yes I got him to sign a_ stamped receipt for anything I owed him, in full. Mr. Meredith What did you owe him? Dr. Mackenzie: Nothing. I got Loo Wai to sign a receipt so as to beat the Chinese Consul. Was that not a wise thing to do? Mr. Meredith Yesterday you said that you would not beat anyone. Dr. Mackenzie: "You just try me." Defendant added that the Chinese had consulted the Consul in order to "go" for him (Mackenzie), At this stage the case was adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 14, 17 January 1914, Page 6

After the gold rush

North of Balclutha, the heritage township of Lawrence is gearing up for an epic celebration. In mid-March the town will be honouring the 150th anniversary of New Zealand's first major gold rush.

Tasmanian prospector Gabriel Read discovered gold here in 1861. Within three months, 6000 had descended on the gully, yearning to make their fortune. The easy alluvial gold was swiftly snapped up and the site was soon exhausted. However, other goldfields were soon discovered nearby.

Gabriel's Gully is 4km from Lawrence and by 1862 the township's population had swelled to 11,000, making it one of the most populated centres in New Zealand.

You can visit the site of the first major gold rush at Gabriel's Gully which features a 90-minute loop walk around the historic sights, interspersed with user-friendly information boards.

Lawrence is a far more peaceful settlement today, compared to the wide-eyed hustle and bustle of the 1860s gold rush. The town has lovingly preserved a swag of historic buildings.

Grab a walking map from the information centre and take yourself on a self-guided walking tour.

The information centre also houses historic mining equipment and showcases the history of the Chinese mining community.

The 150th celebrations feature a diverse array of events including horse treks, swaggers dances, Chinese cultural performances, gully tours and gold panning contests.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 4:00

CHINESE IN NEW ZEALAND.

CHINESE IN NEW ZEALAND.

FIRST CASE OF ITS KIND

What was said to be the first case of its kind in New Zealand was mentioned before Mr Justice Chapman at the Supreme Court, Wellington, yesterday. The case was by way of appeal from a recent decision by Mr D. G. A. Cooper, S.M.. in fining a Chinese woman named Van Chu Lin for landing in New Zealand without having fulfilled the requirements of Section 42 of the Immigration Restriction Act (providing for the reading test). A similar appeal was made on behalf of a Chinese named Chan Yee Hop, who was fined for assisting the? woman to land. In the original case it was found that a Chinaman named Ah Young got letters of naturalisation in 1894, and left for China some four years ago, leaving his naturalisation papers with one Chan Bang Young. From the latter Chan Yee Hop got the papers, and he went to Sydney, where ho married Van Chit Lin, and returned with her to the Dominion. After hearing legal argument, his Honour reserved his decision.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 3044, 13 September 1916, Page 4

Letters of Naturalisation from Papers Past

Letters of Naturalisation from Papers Past


The New Zealand Gazette listed the names of newly-naturalized persons beginning in 1866.
Available at Archives New Zealand in Wellington:
The Register of Persons Naturalised in New Zealand to 1948
Aliens Naturalised in New Zealand 1843-1916.
Aliens Naturalised in New Zealand 1843-1916 is also available at the Family History Library on microfiche. Published in 1918 as: Names, etc of Alien Friends who have been Naturalized in New Zealand. An alphabetical listing containing full names, occupation, residential Location and Date of Naturalization. Plus Copy of the Acts and Ordinances published in the Statutes of New Zealand,1844-1870, are in chronological order. In some entries husbands and wives are identified and places of birth recorded.

Wellington Independent, 30 July 1872, Page 2
Chinaman named Wong On who keeps a public-house at Tuapeka, has lately taken out letters of naturalisation.

Otago Witness, 17 May 1879, Page 7
Ah Ar, gardener, Reefton
Soon Ting, merchant, Dunedin


Evening Post, 6 January 1888, Page 2
Letters of naturalisation have been issued to Ah Heng, Yen Sue, Ah Quat, and Lon Quan, gardeners, Palmeraton North.

Evening Post, 15 June 1894, Page 2
Letters of naturalisation have been issued to Joe Pang, Joe For, and Joe Kum, gardeners, Palmerston North ; Sing Lee, fruiterer, Kin Ching, and Chow Ping, gardeners, Wellington; Ah Joe, Ah Foo, and Chow Kong, gardeners, Hutt ; Ah Kum, fruiterer, Jee Kee, grocer, and Joe Way, fruiterer, Wellington; and Ah Len, gardener, Manaia, near Masterton.

Hawera & Normanby Star, 11 May 1895, Page 2
Ah Chang, of Hawera.

Timaru Herald, 19 June 1895, Page 2
Letters of naturalisation have been issued to Unh Gin Lum, gardener, Timaru.

Marlborough Express, 7 September 1899, Page 2
BOGUS NATURALISATION PAPERS.
SUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR A witness.
Auckland, September 6. Ah Gin, alias Chun Lum, knows in Timaru as "Charley," a market gardener, arrested on a warrant, is a witness in the case in which a Chinaman from the Island is charged with having; bogus naturalisatioa papers. The case had been adjourned for the production of Ah Gin as a witness, who could not be found. Ah Gin was found In a laundry m Albert Street. The arrest was effected by Const. Crawford, of Timaru. Mr Base, Collector of Customs, and Mr Parker, the Customs, visited the various places till reaching the Chinese laundry A. room was locked, but keys were procured and Ah Gin found therein.

Otago Witness 28 September 1899, Page 17 Auckland
The charge against a Chinaman answering to the name of Unh Gin Lum that he did unlawfully enter the colony without paying £100 poll tax was heard at the Police Court and pleaded guilty. He explained that accused was not Unh Gin Lum at all, his real name being Ngh Mong. Accused had arrived in the colony some years ago, and paid poll tax at that time to the amount of £10. He remained for a number of years at Timaru, and about 18 months ago came to Auckland, where he carried on business, first as a laundryman, and latterly as a fruiterer. Eventually he left for Rarotonga. Under the Chinese Immigration Act of 1881 he ought to have obtained a certificate before leaving the colony, but this he neglected to do. He returned from Rarotonga some few months ago. Unfortunately he had in his possession letters of naturalisation in the name of Unh Gin Lum, and he used these letters to get Into the colony again. He had no right to do that...
The Crown Prosecutor said it was a pity accused did not take the course of pleading guilty before he put the Crown to a good deal of expense in bringing witnesses from Timaru to identify another Chinaman as the person named in the certificate. The collector of customs had made a diligent search all over the colony as to whether this man had previously paid the poll tax, but without result. There was reason to believe that a systematic evasion of the Chinese poll tax was going on. The magistrate said defendant had pleaded guilty, and "there" was no option but to order the payment of the £100 poll tax.

Wanganui Chronicle, 20 September 1899, Page 2
BOGUS CHINESE "CHARLIE."
EVDING THE POLL-TAX. A HEAVY FINE. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, September 19. The Chinaman who impersonated Unh Gin Lum, known in Timaru as "Charlie," and who arrived in Auckland from the Islands on August 1st, using "Charlie's" naturalisation papers, was convicted to-day by Mr Brabant, S.M., and fined £105 and costs £39 19s 6d. Mr Tole, Crown Solicitor, appeared for the Customs, and Mr Theo. Coper for the defence. The Chinaman pleaded guilty when confronted by Anthony Mills, J.P., and with Constable Crawford, of Timaru, both of whom came from South to appear in the case. "Charlie" was charged with being an accessory. Mr Tole, on behalf of the Customs, when Unh Gin Lum pleaded guilty, allowed the charge preferred against "Charlie" to be withdrawn.

VAN - CHU-LIN - WELLINGTON - NZ- 1893 --- 1920

Homemaker, storekeeper
Van Chu-Lin was born, probably in 1893 or 1894, in Zengcheng county in south China, in a small village a short distance north-east of Canton (Guangzhou). The only daughter of an oil vendor, Van Poy Wah, and his wife, Ah Day, Chu-Lin was well known for her beauty. Her parents promised her to Chun Yee Hop, a store proprietor who had returned from New Zealand with the explicit aim of seeking a young secondary wife who could give him an heir. He was many years her senior. Van Chu-Lin was about 21 when she arrived in Wellington on 2 August 1915 on the Ulimaroa; the couple's marriage had been formally registered on 19 July after the ship docked in Sydney. Chu-Lin joined only about 120 women in New Zealand's small and marginalised Chinese community, which had been moulded by the highly restrictive immigration acts introduced since 1881.

Within several months of her arrival Chu-Lin faced a fierce legal battle, which moved from the Magistrate's Court to the Supreme Court, when she was charged with landing in New Zealand without having taken the reading test required by the Immigration Restriction Act 1908. It was said to be the first case of its kind in New Zealand and dragged on into the following year. Van Chu-Lin appears to have been a victim of circumstances: Chun Yee Hop had procured the naturalisation papers of another man and married Chu-Lin under the false name to ensure her entry into New Zealand. Both he and Chu-Lin were charged and convicted. They lost their appeal. In addition to fines and court costs Chu-Lin was required to pay another £100 poll-tax. During these traumatic early years her first-born child died and she also had a miscarriage. -

AH- CHAN -- JOE - AUCKLAND -NZ -- 1925 --- 1959

In 1929, with assistance from Andrew Sinkovich, a wine-maker from Henderson, Ah Chan produced his first batch of 1,000 gallons of wine. He was reputedly the first Chinese wine-maker in the southern hemisphere.

Ah Chan made trial plantings of several grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon for table wines. However, most consumers preferred port and sherry, and the latter, made with the hybrid Albany Surprise grape, became one of his main lines. In another experiment he blended essence extracted from clary, a herb grown by A. M. Isdale, to give his wine a liqueur-like flavour. As Joe was often away, Kue Sum played a leading role in the vineyard, supervising the cultivation, harvesting and packing of the grapes.

In 1928 Ah Chan initiated one of the first passenger road services from Thames to Auckland. He purchased an American Wolverine car and each Thursday carried passengers, and his produce, to Auckland. An innovative and resourceful businessman, Ah Chan was probably the first Chinese in New Zealand to use motorised rotary hoe cultivators and tractor-drawn ploughs. In 1933 he designed and built a large wooden reel to lay specially made six-foot rolls of wire-netting, which were used to protect the grapevines from bird damage. He also designed and installed a large water tank and an automatic pressurised piping system for spraying and irrigation.

In 1950 Ah Chan sold the vineyard to a distant kinsman, Stanley Young Chan, who changed its name to Totara Vineyards SYC. Ah Chan had hoped to return to China with his family, but the communist victory in 1949 forced him to change his plans. The family settled in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland, on a five-acre property with six glasshouses, where Joe grew tomatoes for the Auckland markets.

Joe Ah Chan had been a founding member of the Chinese nationalist party, the Kuomintang, in New Zealand and served as chairman of its Waikato branch. He helped to raise funds for the Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen and was one of three New Zealanders awarded a medal by Sun. Later, he was a strong supporter of Chiang Kai-shek and made large donations to assist China's war effort against Japan. During the 1930s, disturbed by the poverty of the depression, Ah Chan became a member of the New Zealand Labour Party.

A short, stocky man, Joe Ah Chan spent much of his spare time reading Chinese classical works and Chinese newspapers. He also loved to listen to his favourite Cantonese opera records on his old gramophone. He died in Auckland on 14 December 1959, survived by Kue Sum and their three children; he was buried at Waikumete cemetery.

YUE AH HEE - OTAGO - NZ - 1881 -- 1955

Yue Ah Hee, a Chinese merchant, emigrated to Otago, New Zealand, from the village of Lee Yuan, Sunning (Taishan) county, Guangdong province, and in 1877 married a Scottish domestic servant, Mary Ferguson. On 15 July 1881 at Roxburgh the fourth of five children was born, and registered with the personal name of Henry Jackson. He was later known by varying combinations of his family name (Yue) and given names, and was also called Yue En Ho. In the Chinese community he was known as Yue Jack-son, but always referred to himself as Yue Henry Jackson.

In 1885 Yue's father died, and his mother later decided to take the family to her husband's village to live. On 25 September 1890 Yue Henry Jackson, his older brother and three sisters, together with Yue Chee-fan, a friend and clansman, left Roxburgh bound for Port Chalmers and Hong Kong. Tragedy struck only a week out from New Zealand when Yue Chee-fan died. Mary pleaded successfully with the captain not to have him buried at sea but to take him on to the village for burial.

In Hong Kong, Yue and his family were met by two uncles who arranged for them to travel upriver to Lee Yuan. Their arrival caused great commotion, the boys being taunted with the jibe 'fan gwaai!' (foreign devil). Yue's older brother Alex soon taught the Chinese children some respect by beating one of the tormenters. Other clashes followed. When Mary was shown her husband's house where she and her family were to live, she noticed the traditional family altar in the living room. Being a Christian she started to dismantle it, causing consternation. In the interests of family harmony she was persuaded to restore it. Yue's mother died only a year after arriving in China, leaving Alex as head of the family.

The children tried to follow Chinese customs. Yue and his brother received a traditional Chinese education, and his sisters were expected to have their feet bound, although only one actually submitted to the ordeal. Yue actively supported his sisters in going against such traditions, and in their later desire to choose their own husbands. However, his attitude led to a conflict with his older brother and his relatives and signalled his desire to re-enter the European world.

At the age of 16 Yue left the village and moved to Hong Kong. About this time he was converted to Christianity. The dispute between him and his family was resolved and two of his sisters were allowed to move to Hong Kong, where they attended school. His other sister remained in the village and married the man arranged for her. Yue went on to finish his schooling at the Diocesan Boys' School. On reaching matriculation he became an assistant master there, and taught from 1 January 1902 to 3 October 1904.

Later in 1904 Yue returned to New Zealand, where he attended Dunedin Technical School. After working in a fruit shop in Greymouth from the end of 1905 he returned to China in 1906 to visit his sisters, two of whom had moved to Shanghai. He took a position there in an American firm, Davis and Lawrence Company, and in 1907 he married Olive Beatrice Stokes, who was originally from Greymouth. She gave birth to a daughter that same year but died from smallpox shortly afterwards.

In 1910 Yue and his daughter returned to Greymouth. The next year he moved to Wellington to take up a position as secretary and translator in the Chinese consulate. On 29 September 1913 at Teal Valley, Nelson, he married Ada Waterhouse, with whom he had two children. His career at the Chinese consulate continued until his retirement in 1948. During that time he became vice consul (1931) and consul (1941).

Yue was a strong supporter of both the Anglican and Baptist missions to the Chinese in Wellington. An advocate of numerous Chinese causes, he frequently acted as interpreter for Chinese clients in court and was said to be 'one of the finest friends the Chinese in this country ever had'. He was active in both the New Zealand Chinese Association and the New Zealand branch of the Kuomintang. Yue Henry Jackson died at his home at Paekakariki on 30 October 1955, survived by his wife and three children. Where did we get the idea that only white skin people were good to colonize NZ.

VAN - CHU-LIN - WELLINGTON - NZ- 1920--- 1946

Chu-Lin's life in Wellington centred around her home and her husband's Chinese supplies store; the Sing On Kee was a well-known shop, located first in Lambton Quay and then in Willis Street. Most of Chu-Lin's time and energy were taken up with having babies and rearing them. Household duties were so onerous that she had to make very heavy demands on her elder daughters. She seldom expressed her feelings, and communication was often in the form of basic commands. None of her children knew of the court case, nor the fact that their parents were married in Sydney. Few knew of her Chinese name, Chu-Lin (jade-lotus): she had adopted the name Mary Chun in New Zealand.

Chu-Lin had few friends and seldom attended social events. Her photographs show her at the few formal functions that she did attend, impeccably dressed in western-style suits, complete with hat and gloves and heeled shoes, defying anyone to see behind the facade of Chinese gentility. Chun Yee Hop, by contrast, was extremely active within the Chinese community. He was much revered as the long-time Wellington president of the Chee Kung Tong (Chinese Masonic Society), the overseas branch of the powerful Triad Society in China. This social and political organisation transcended the smaller clan associations. However, women were barred from most of the activities of this secret-sworn brotherhood.

In 1929 Chu-Lin, her husband and their 10 children sailed for China, where Chun Yee Hop's principal wife lived; perhaps they hoped that she would agree to look after the children and see to their education. The couple and their sons returned to New Zealand within a year. Two of the daughters returned in the early 1930s, the others only when they were forced from China by the Japanese invasion. Chu-Lin was to bear eight more children. Doctors eventually insisted that she deliver in hospital rather than at home, where she would be back at work hours after giving birth. She came to enjoy her hospital stays, the only break from work she ever had.

Chu-Lin gradually took over many heavy jobs for the family business as her husband aged. Even with the help of her children, she was weighed down by the sheer load of drudgery. Her ambition of saving £100 for her parents to buy an adopted heir to take her place never materialised. She died at Wellington on 12 November 1946, survived by 11 daughters, 7 sons and her husband.

Chu-Lin's life encapsulates the plight of the immigrant Chinese woman. She endured not only the eternal bondage to childbearing and family chores, but also the institutionalised prejudice which stigmatised her as an undesirable alien. I think sometimes we forget how hard some of our new found " kiwi's " worked and the harrassment they with stood . No wonder as a nation we so very adaptable

Chan Hock Joe

Chan Hock Joe was born, according to family information, in 1882, at Ha Kei, Tsengshing (Zengcheng) county, in China's Guangdong province. He was the son of Chan Yook Ngan, the principal of the local school, and his wife, Ng Chu Hwa. By the time he emigrated to New Zealand around 1905 he had married Yip Kue Sum; she remained in China.

Known in New Zealand as Joe Ah Chan, he worked in Wellington as a fruit and vegetable hawker and later may have had a greengrocer's shop in Hawera. About 1916 he sold the business and returned to China to help his wife learn English so that she could join him in New Zealand. At the time Chinese immigrants had to pay £100 poll tax and pass an English test of 100 words. In 1917 Ah Chan returned to New Zealand and opened a general store in Matamata. He was joined by Kue Sum three years later; because their marriage was not recognised by New Zealand authorities, they were married again in Auckland on 28 July 1920.

In 1923 Joe Ah Chan, his wife and their two children, George and Daisy, moved to Thames, where their third child, Anne, was born. There, Joe established a market garden, grew glasshouse tomatoes, and later began growing tomatoes outdoors. At the time most outdoor tomatoes were imported from the Pacific islands, and Ah Chan was one of the first to grow them commercially in New Zealand. He dispatched produce to many North Island fruiterers and soon opened a fruit and vegetable shop in Pollen Street, Thames.

In 1925 Joe Ah Chan began growing grapes at Totara and established Gold Leaf Vineyards. To finance this venture he continued to grow and sell tomatoes and vegetables, and purchased a further 22 acres in the Kauaeranga Valley to expand his market gardens.

LO- KEONG - MATILDA - DUNEDIN - NZ - 1854 ---- 1915

Storekeeper, homemaker, community worker -Matilda Kum, also named Cum Hong, was the first identified Chinese female immigrant to New Zealand, where she raised the first known family of pure Chinese descent. Much of her background is uncertain. It is thought that she was born in Baoan county near Hong Kong, sometime between 1854 and 1856. Her father was a basket-maker. She became a nursemaid, evidently to a Christian Chinese family who took her to Melbourne, Australia, where she learnt to speak and possibly write English. On 15 November 1873 at Emerald Hill, Victoria, she married Joseph Lo Keong, a fancy-goods storekeeper. The couple left afterwards for Dunedin, New Zealand, where they were to have six children.

In 1865 Joseph Lo Keong, a Taishan Cantonese, had been the second known Chinese arrival in Dunedin. How he met Matilda is unknown but both were Christians. Matilda Lo Keong was described as 'pure gold', a veritable 'Mother in Israel'. Joseph, baptised in 1871 in St Paul's Church, Dunedin, was also respected. He was one of six Dunedin Chinese delegated in 1874 to greet Governor James Fergusson, and in 1898 a European suggested that he be appointed a special magistrate to counter anti-Chinese larrikinism.

While working in their George Street store and bringing up the family, Matilda Lo Keong had few other Chinese wives for company: only 11 were in New Zealand by 1896. Whereas nearly all the Chinese in New Zealand were male sojourners, the Lo Keongs were settlers: Joseph was naturalised on 11 September 1882. The eldest son, William, went on to practise dentistry in Dunedin; Norman, who in 1909 was the first Chinese in New Zealand to graduate from university, was an engineer, as was Victor, and both joined the army in the First World War; Matilda (Tilly) was a music teacher; Estelle was one of the first six women office workers hired by the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand; and Olive, whose occupation is unknown, died of tuberculosis on 20 July 1915. Undoubtedly, Matilda Lo Keong gave her children an advantage in assimilating European perspectives because she spoke English. Even so, her children's high level of achievement was probably unmatched by any other completely Chinese family in New Zealand for about 40 years. In 1896 William Downie Stewart stated in Parliament that the Lo Keongs were a credit to the general community.

When the Reverend Alexander Don built the Presbyterian Chinese Mission Church in Dunedin in 1897, Matilda Lo Keong offered to help and Joseph became an elder of the church. Freed from domestic tasks by her Chinese maid, Matilda for years walked to an Anglican and two Chinese services on Sunday, undertook pastoral work, taught Sunday school, catered for the Chinese church's socials, and taught English in the Methodist Chinese class. She was known for her kind deeds. For example, whenever the Chinese inmates of the old men's home attended afternoon service, she would 'quietly slip' the preacher 6d. for each of them. A loyal friend to Don, she must have helped him to understand the Chinese better. When Don left in 1913 Matilda Lo Keong became an interpreter for the struggling mission church.

Unlike Matilda Lo Keong, her children had little to do with the Chinese community. Although Norman and Victor worked in Shanghai and Hong Kong in the post-war period, Matilda failed to influence her offspring to mix with and help other Chinese in New Zealand.

Joseph Lo Keong died on 12 August 1905 and Matilda followed on 18 December 1915; both died in Dunedin. Sadly, all six Lo Keong (or Low as they came to be known) children died without issue. Norman, badly gassed in the war and probably unmarried, died in 1921. William and Victor, both of whom were married, died childless. None of the girls married, and Estelle, the last of Matilda's children, died on 23 June 1967.

Aliens Naturalised in Wellington to 1899

Surname Forename Age orDate of Birth Nationality Occupation Date of
Naturalisation

Ah Doo 30 China Miner 3. 9. 1886
Ah Fong 30 China Grocer 21. 8. 1893
Ah Lee 33 China Storekeeper 4. 9. 1883
Chee Wong 24. 5. 1836 China General Dealer 21. 6. 1876
Cheock Wong Hong 42 China Grocer 7. 5. 1894
Ching Kin 25 China Gardener 5. 6. 1894
Chong Chow 30 China Gardener 1. 10. 1894
Chong Hee 36 China Marine Stores Dealer 9. 8. 1895
Chow Joe 35 China Fruiterer 21. 8. 1893
Chow Yin 28 China Gardener 30. 6. 1894
Choy King 21 China Shopman 11. 8. 1894
Chun Law 36 China Storekeeper 30. 7. 1894
Chung See 33 China Marker Gardener 25. 2. 1884
Chung Wong 22 China Storekeeper 11. 8. 1894
Doo Ah 30 Chna Miner 3. 9. 1886
Fee Hing 26 China Shopman 11. 8. 1894
Fong Ah 30 China Grocer 21. 8. 1893
Garo Low 31 China Gardener 26. 5. 1894
Gee Ah 26 China Carver & Gilder 19. 7. 1870
Gee Joseph 36 China Cook 30. 6. 1894
Gee Sue 30 China Grocer 9. 8. 1893
Hee Yung Cing 22 China Storekeeper 1. 10. 1894
Heong Wong 30 China Grocer 1. 10. 1894
Hon Ah 20 China Fruiterer 30. 6. 1894
Hoy Mon 28 China Gardener 30. 6. 1894
Hum Wong 21 China Storekeeper 11. 8. 1894
Hung Ah 38 China Gardener 11. 8. 1894
Hung Tom 32 China Restaurant 20. 4. 1893
Hung Wong 30 China Grocer 1. 10. 1894

Kee, Joe - China - Grocer - 1894
Kee, Sing - China - Merchant - 1896
Kee, Wing - China - Storeman - 1894
Kee, Yung - China - Fruiterer - 1893 Kew, Wong Hong - China - Grocer - 1894
Key, Joe - China - Gardener - 1894
Key, Loong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Kon, Chan - China - Gardener - 1894
Kong, Wong Pong - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Kum, Ah - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Kum, Fong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Kung, Sing - China - Gardener - 1894
Lang, Wong Hing - China - Grocer - 1894
Lee, Ah - China - Storekeeper - 1883
Lee, James Wong - Japan - Greengrocer - 1884
Lee, Jim - China - Laundryman - 1893
Lee, Qui - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Lee, Sing - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Lee, Sung Kwong - China - General Storekeeper - 1890
Lee, Young - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Lee, Yung - China - Grocer - 1894
Lim, Chow - China - Grocer & Fruiterer - 1893
Ling, Ying - China - Grocer & Fruiterer - 1893
Low, Sing - China - General Storekeeper - 1890
Men, Ah - China - Gardener - 1893
Ming, Quang - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Moy, Yet - China - Gardener - 1894
Ning, Lan - China - Gardener - 1894
On, Fool - China - Storekeeper - 1894
One, Guie - China - Miner - 1894
Ping, Chow - China - Gardener - 1894
Poy, Young - China - Grocer - 1893
Poyd, Joseph - China - Cook - 1894
Quing, Wong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Sam, Wong - China Grocer - 1894
See, Ah - China - Storekeeper - 1894
She, Wong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Show, Low Yong - China - Merchant - 1894
Shu, Ah - China - Gardener - 1894
Sing, Ley Kum - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Some?, Fong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Ting, Chow - China - Gardener - 1894
Tong, John A. - China - Cabinet Maker - 1866
Tong, Kum - China - Cook - 1894
Too, George Kum - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Wah, Ching - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Wah, Joe - China - Gardener - 1894
Wah, Yee - China - Fruiterer & Grocer - 1894
Wah, Yong - China - Fruiterer & Grocer - 1894
Way, Joe - China - Fruiterer - 1894
Yee, Wong - China - Shopman - 1894
Yin, Chow - China - Gardener - 1894
Yond, Chong - China - Storekeeper - 1894
Young, Ah - China - Grocer - 1894
Yung, Quang - China - Fruiterer - 1894

DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL AT CANTON.— Once a year these boats, each cut out of a single tree trunk, are floated in the most exciting and wildest of water festivals in South .China. A crowd of rowers enables the boats to travel at a high speed to the roar of drums and music. On one of the big junks is the dragon, and around it the people dance and make merry. This festival is a regular Chinese holiday, held each year on May 5.
Evening Post , Issue 101, 30 April 1936, Page 17

Wong Sui Lui

Interment ID: 16695 Last: Wong First: Sui Middle Names: Lui
Cemetery: Mangatainoka Pahiatua Last Address: 17 Sneldon St, Pahiatua
Section: Main Age: 84 DOB:
Block: 4 Person Classification: Adult
Section/Plot Number: 15 Occupation: Retired Greengrocer
Grave: 11 Marital Status: Unknown
Row Alpha: Religion: Unknown

Date of Death: 2/04/1979 Number of Burials: 1
Date of Funeral/Burial: 7/04/1979 Time of Funeral/Burial:
Burial Warrant Number: BC5: 0601 Funeral Director: C H Burt
Interment Type: Burial Funeral Officiator:

And photo


http://www.tararuadc.govt.nz/asp/cemetery_details.asp?ID=34&PlotID=16695