Ching Chow / Lum Shee

From Shanghai to Hawaii with "Golden Lotus" Feet 1887-1968 Ching Lum Shee, Ching Chow's wife, was born in Namlong Village, Dai Chay Hamlet in Kwangtung Province, China. Her father had a steel factory in Shanghai and was a prosperous ship merchant. The family lived in Shanghai but her mother commuted to the village in Namlong whenever she gave birth so that she would have adequate help. Additionally, new mothers were placed on a strict diet of chicken soup cooked with wood fungus, ginger root, and rice wine and sweet-sour pigs' feet with sweet black vinegar and plenty of ginger root chunks. With this she had rice but absolutely no vegetables for one month. Ching Lum Shee's mother was the second wife of her father. Ching Lum Shee was conceived in Shanghai as were her siblings. She was born in Dai Chay Hamlet and later mother and baby returned to Shanghai to rejoin the rest of the family who had many servants and cooks to care for them. She g...

Ching Chow Ching Joong Wah ( formal name) 1877-1953 Recollections of Daughter Bernice and others Ching Chow was born on May 3, 1877 in Hung Mee Hamlet, Nam Long Village, Chung Shan District, Kwangtung Province, China. His grandfather, Ching Chaap Mun, was very wealthy with lichee farms and merchandise stores. He was conferred the title rank of “Assistant Official” to rule in the civil service system. He was blessed with nine children—eight sons and one daughter. Ching Lui Jeong, Ching Chow’s father, was his fourth son. This fourth son had four sons and a daughter. Son No. 1 — Ching Hoy (Ching Gaam Wah) was adopted over to his father’s second brother, Ching Wung Jeong. Ching Hoy arrived in Honolulu around 1880. He was the first Chinese plumber here. He returned to China for a few years then came back to Hawaii in 1901. His son, Ah Hin, came in 1918 and worked for Ching Chow until Wing Hong Yuen final...

Ching Lum Shee From Shanghai to Hawaii with "Golden Lotus" Feet 1887-1968 Ching Lum Shee, Ching Chow's wife, whose maiden name was Lum Yuk Ip, was born in Namlong Village, Dai Chay Hamlet in Kwangtung Province, China. Her father, Lum Tai Gung, had a steel factory in Shanghai and was a prosperous ship merchant. He had three wives. The first wife had no children and died young. The second wife had two sons and four daughters, the fourth being Lum Yuk Ip (Ching Lum Shee). He married a third wife to take care of his mother when his father died. She had two boys. The family lived in Shanghai but her mother commuted to the village in Namlong whenever she gave birth so that she would have adequate help. Additionally, new mothers were placed on a strict diet of chicken soup cooked with wood fungus, ginger root, and rice wine and sweet-sour pigs' feet wi...