Ep. 194 | The History of Toi San and U.S. Immigration
In this episode, Laszlo looks at U.S. Immigration during the bad old days of Chinese Exclusion. The subject will be examined through the telling of the stories of three rather plain and non-extraordinary brothers from Haiyang Village in Toi San (Taishan in Mandarin).
These three Moy brothers were featured in Scott Seligman’s 2013 book “Three Tough Chinamen” (Earnshaw Books). In addition to the Chinese Exclusion laws, Laszlo briefly introduces the life of another Toisanese, Ng Poon Chew. And at no extra price, Laszlo also gives the history of the Taishan region a nice neat overview.
Check the links below in the Resources section for more great reading.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ān Lùshān Rebellion | 安禄山之乱 | Violent upheaval that brought down the Tang. Ran from 755-763 |
| Anna May Wong | 黄柳霜 | Early Chinese-American film star featured in episode CHP-159 |
| Chiu Chau | 潮州 | Cantonese for Chaozhou |
| Cholon | 堤岸 | Dī Àn, The Old Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| Duānfēn Township | 端芬镇 | The Town (镇) where the Village (村) is located |
| Ed Lee | 李孟贤 | 1952-2017, former San Francisco mayor who died suddenly in office. San Francisco's first Asian American mayor. |
| Ēnpīng | 恩平 | One of the four counties of the Taishan region |
| Fújiàn | 福建 | Coastal province adjacent to Guangdong to the north |
| Guǎngdōng | 广东 | Province in South China |
| Guǎngzhōu | 广州 | Capital of Guangdong, used to be called Canton |
| Gāoyuán | 高原村 | One of the vilages that make up Taishan. |
| Haiyang Village | 海洋村 | One of the vilages that make up Taishan. This is the one where the Moy's came from. |
| Hakka | 客家 | Featured in CHP episode 150 |
| Hiram Fong | 邝友良 | 1906-2004, Former senator from the state of Hawaii from 1938-1954. |
| Huáng Xīnxiáng | 黄馨香 | Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, inventor of proton nanotechnology...Just bought the LA Times |
| Hèshān | 鹤山 | One of the five counties of the Taishan region...the last to join the list |
| Húnán province | 湖南省 | South-central province of China |
| Hǎitánglǐ | 海棠里村 | One of the vilages that make up Taishan. |
| James Hong | 吴汉章 | Unforgettable actor born in 1929 and still going strong. Over 500 TV and movie roles. |
| James Wong Howe | 黄宗沾 | 1899-1976, Great Hollywood cinematographer and two-time Oscar winner |
| Jiāngmén | 江门 | Prefectural city on the west side of the Pearl River Delta River |
| Kowloon | 九龙 | The part of Hong Kong, SAR. Located across the harbor from Hong Kong Island |
| Koxinga / Zhèng Chénggóng | 郑成功 | Hokkien pronunciation Koxinga: 国姓爷. Ming Dynasty loyalist and defeater of the Dutch in Formosa |
| Kāipíng | 开平 | One of the four counties of the Taishan region |
| Kāng Yǒuwéi | 康有为 | 1858-1927, Late Qing reformer and all around scholar |
| Liáng Qǐchāo | 梁啟超 | 1873-1929, Late Qing and early Republican era Reformist, statesman, scholar |
| Lo Wu | 罗湖 | The last stop on the train before crossing the border into China. |
| March Fong Eu | 余江月桂 | 1922-2017, former California Secretary of State |
| Margaret Chin | 陳倩雯 | NYC Council rep from the 1st District which covers Chinatown and the surrounding area |
| Matt Fong | 1953-2011, Former California State Treasurer, Son of March Fong Eu, died tragically from cancer | |
| Ming Hóngzhì Emperor | 明弘治 | Ming Emperor from 1487-1505 |
| Moy Jin Fuey | 梅振魁 | 1862-1924, Youngest of the Moy brothers |
| Moy Jin Kee | 梅振基 | 1847-1914, Oldest of the Moy Brothers |
| Moy Jin Mun | 梅振文 | 1851-1936 Middle of the three Moy brothers |
| Méi Shì Gōngsuǒ | 梅氏公所 | Moy Family Association |
| Nányuè Kingdom | 南越国 | A kingdom in southern China and northern Vietnam. Lasted from 204-111 BCE |
| Níngbō | 宁波 | Major port city in Zhejiang just east of Hangzhou |
| Qin Emperor | 秦始皇 | The Qin Emperor almost always refers to the first one, Qin Shihuang |
| Quánguó Dì Yī Qiáo Xiāng | 全国第一侨乡 | The First Home of the Overseas Chinese |
| Qīngcháo Mònián | 清朝末年 | The final years of the Qing Dynasty |
| Sun Yat-sen | 孙逸仙 | 1866-1925, Also known as Sun Zhongshan, the Father of the Country |
| Sì Yì | 四邑 | The Four Counties of Taishan, Enping, Kaiping, Xinhui |
| Sòng Dynasty | 宋朝 | Dynasty that ran from 960-1279 |
| Taiping Rebellion | 太平天国运动 | Bloody rebellion that ran from 1850 to 1871 |
| Teochew | 潮州 | Also known as Chaozhou, located on the east coast of Guangdong province. |
| Toi San | 台山 | Taishan in Mandarin. Toi San is Cantonese. Located on the southern tip of China on the west side of the Pearl River Delta |
| Tsim Sha Tsui | 尖沙咀 | Located at the southern tip of the Kowloon peninsula of Hong Kong |
| Tyrus Wong | 黄齐耀 | 1910-2016, Best known for the Disney cartoon Bambi, great American painter, muralist, lithographer, designer. Lived to 106! |
| Táishān | 台山 | Toi San in Cantonese, Hoi San in Toi San....See above. |
| Táng Dynasty | 唐朝 | Dynasty that ran from 618-907 |
| Tǔ Kè Xièdòu | 土客械斗 | The Punti-Hakka Clan Wars that lasted from 1885-1867 |
| Wong Chin Foo | 王清福 | Featured in CHP episode 136. Not from Toi San or anywhere in Southern China. He was a northerner who immigrated to the US and led the fight against Chinese Exclusion |
| Wǔ Bīngzhī | 伍冰枝 | Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada |
| Wǔ Pánzhào | 伍盘照 | Ng Poon Chew, 1866-1931, publisher of the first Chinese language DAILY newspaper outside of China |
| Wǔ Tíngfāng | 伍廷芳 | 1842-1922, Late Qing diplomat and politician. Also served in the early Republic years |
| Wǔ Yì | 五邑 | The five counties that add Heshan to the above list |
| Wǔchāng Uprising | 武昌起义 | 10-10-1911, Double Ten Day, the first successful uprising that spelled the fall of the Qing Dynasty |
| Xiàmén | 厦门 | Major port city in Fujian, formerly called Amoy |
| Xiàn | 县 | County |
| Xīnhuì | 新会 | One of the four counties of the Taishan region |
| Xīnníng County | 新宁县 | Former name of Taishan |
| Xīyuán | 西园村 | One of the vilages that make up Taishan. |
| Yì | 邑 | an archaic term for a county |
| Yǒng Xīng | 永兴村 | One of the vilages that make up Taishan. |
| Zhào Tuó | 赵陀 | Former Qin official and later ruler of the Nanyue Kingdom |
| Zhōng Xī Rì Bào / Jung Saai Yat Bo | 中西日报 | Ng Poon Chew's newspaper and primary platform to speak out for Chinese civil rights |
| Zhū Yuánzhāng | 朱元璋 | Ming Dynasty founder, also known as the Hongwu Emperor. Reigned a respectable thirty years from 1368-1398 |
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