Ep. 171 | The Tong Wars of New York Chinatown (Part 1)
In this long-awaited and oft-requested episode, Laszlo looks at the Tong Wars of New York’s Chinatown. With the help of Scott Seligman’s latest book, Tong Wars, The Untold Story of Vice, Money and Murder in New York’s Chinatown, we go back to late 19th – early 20th century America and focus on New York’s Chinatown.
These were terribly unpleasant days for most citizens of Chinese ancestry and especially for those immigrants who either had not begun the process or lived in the shadows illegally. The Chinese Exclusion Laws tarred these citizens like no other immigrant group in US history. The Tong Wars didn’t happen because of these laws but they were certainly part of the story.
With everything Chinese-Americans have done to make America great over the past century it’s interesting to look back at another time when the ordinary law-abiding Chinese and the bloodiest Tong soldier were equally reviled in society that was loath to accept them.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| An Liang Tang | 安良堂 | Mandarin pronunciation of the On Leong Tong |
| fan tan | 番摊 | The game of games for Chinatown gamblers…a game of skill and guessing. Also called Chinese Roulette |
| Hip Sing Tong | 协勝堂 | The rival of the On Leongs, led by (but not established by) Mock Duck |
| Hoiping | 开平 | Another city in the Pearl River Delta where many early Chinese immigrants came from |
| Hongmen | 洪门 | A secret society formed in China during the Qing who pined to restore the good old days under the Chinese Ming dynasty (as opposed to despised Manchu Qing). It later inspired other similar secret societies and fraternal organizations |
| Lee Quon Jung | 李观长 | a.k.a. Charlie Boston One of the top guys in the On Leongs |
| Lee Sing | 利胜 | Chinatown merchant on Pell who publicly assaulted Tom Lee and got away with it |
| Lee Toy | 李彩 | Tom Lee’s nephew and chief tough guy in the On Leongs |
| Lianyi Tang | 联谊堂 | Mandarin pronunciation of the Loon Yee Tong |
| Loon Yee Tong | 联谊堂 | Cantonese for the Lianyi Tang a.k.a. Chee Kung Tong (致公堂) Society that went back to the Qing dynasty, also known as The Chinese Masons and The Hongmen |
| Lung Kin | - | A Hip Sing member who was the first to get shot in the First Tong War |
| Mai De a.k.a. Mock Duck | 麦德 | Top guy (but not the founder) of the Hip Sing Tong. A slippery as an eel and hard to pin down by the authorities…directed and took part in a lot of Chinatown violence |
| Mao Zedong | 毛泽东 | Chairman Mao |
| On Leong Tong | 安良堂 | The Tong led by Tom Lee |
| pi-gow | 牌九 | A Chinese domino-based game of chance |
| Qing Chao monian | 清朝末年 | The last years of the Qing Dynasty |
| Shaoshan | 韶山 | Birthplace of Chairman Mao, in Hunan |
| Sun-wui | 新会 | Another city in the Pearl River Delta where many early Chinese immigrants came from |
| Toisan | 台山 | City in the Pearl River Delta where many early Chinese immigrants came from |
| Wo Kee | - | Early Chinatown Merchant also known as Wong Ah Chung |
| Wong Ah Chung | - | Real name (maybe) of the “pre-Tom Lee” Chinatown personality known as Wo Kee |
| Wong Chin Foo | 王清福 | First to use the term Chinese American. His life was featured in CHP episode 136 |
| Wong Get | 黄傑 | A Hip Sing everyman…Used by reforming politicians to rat out the On Leongs and by his fellow Hip Sing tong brothers to make things difficult for the On Leongs. |
| Wung Ah Ling | 李希龄 | (Tom Lee) Chinatown elder credited with the formation of the On Leong Tong and other NY Chinatown organizations |
| Xie Sheng Tang | 协勝堂 | Hip Sing in Mandarin |
| Yuet Sing | - | Another wealthy On Leong merchant in Chinatown |
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Laszlo is pleased to present an interview with longtime Hong Kong resident, writer, and cartoonist Larry Feign to discuss his new novel The Flower Boat Girl.