This article was submitted by Rachel Wong, the granddaughter of Richard Wong, a graduate of Valencia High School and a first-year student at UC Davis studying managerial economics with an emphasis in business economics and a minor in English.
My grandfather, Richard Wong, was born on October 8, 1932. He was the first child born in the United States to Wong Shoo Tan (my great-grandfather) and Wong Lee Shee (my great-grandmother). My grandfather had four sisters and five brothers: May, Gin, Richard, William, Eugene, Benjamin, Nancy, Alice and Audrey. Over the years, the family grew to include 27 nephews/nieces, and eventually, 40 grandchildren. My grandfather Richard and grandmother Helen had four children: Alan, Rick, Ed and Regan. Rick is my father, and I am the granddaughter of Richard.
My great-grandfather Shoo Tan was the first person, from his immediate family, to immigrate to the United States from China in the early 1900s. My great-grandmother Lee Shee followed her husband and arrived in the United States a decade later, after the United States government relaxed immigration laws for the wives of Chinese men. Both of my great-grandparents were originally from the Toisan region of the Canton province in South China. I was told that his village, Wohinlee in Gom Benn consisted of approximately 50 homes. The village was rural, located near the Pearl River, a prime location for fishing and the farming of rice and sugar. Several villages in Toisan made up Gom Benn, an association of families that had the dream of economic success in the United States. Our family owned a small retail store in the village that helped them earn money for their day-to-day needs. The local villagers were anxious to emigrate to the United States in pursuit of a better life in the land of “golden mountains,” in Southern California.
Upon returning to the United States, in 1944, my great-grandfather formed a three-way partnership to start one of the first Chinese neighborhood grocery stores in Los Angeles. Unique food items and dry goods were imported from China to be resold to other Chinese immigrants and adventurous consumers. Eventually, my great-grandfather bought out his partners. He expanded the thriving neighborhood grocery store to include a supplemental wholesale-to-restaurant delivery business for local Chinese restaurants as that began business grew in the Los Angeles region after World War II. The grocery store, Ying Chong Lung, was located in downtown Los Angeles on San Pedro Street, between 9th and 10th streets, in an area among other Chinese shops. While my great-grandfather set the foundation for the thriving grocery business, he unfortunately passed away at a relatively young age.
Upon my great-grandfathers passing, my great-grandmother successfully took control of day-to-day operations, strategic management, and steady growth of the business. Her nine children also took up jobs in the business.
My grandfather, Richard Wong, a first-generation Chinese was born in Hollywood, California. His parents stressed the importance of maintaining the traditional way of life and cultural identity. My grandfather would go with his siblings to a local Chinese school three hours per day, six days per week and the language was reinforced in their Cantonese-speaking household. He and his family were active in the Gom Benn association and actively attended culturally sponsored social activities. They would look forward to the Chinese Moon Festival and the 10-12 course Chinese New Year’s meals. Most of all, they would eagerly anticipate the red envelope “lay see” packages that were filled with money and promises of good luck.
My grandfather’s household was always chaotic and busy. His parents taught their children key values in life that included hard work, perseverance, competition, education, kindness, culture, and respect and love for food (malnourishment was said to be an issue for many in China). My grandfather was able to maintain his Chinese identity while assimilating into the American culture. He was a good student who successfully graduated from John Adams Jr. High, Poly High School, and Los Angeles City College. In 1950 he was drafted to join the U.S. Army, where he was a Corporal First Class, serving at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He considered his military experience an honor and a time of personal growth. Upon his completion of his military service, he pursued his passion in the structural engineering field working for Brando Johnson and Associated, Bechtel Power Corporation and the City of Los Angeles. My grandfather also found time to raise a family that focused on the same cultural and life values that he grew up with.
My father, Rick is the second child of Richard and Helen and a second generation Chinese. My Dad married America Mejia, in May 1997; an immigrant, who is of Spanish heritage, born in the Central American country of Honduras. My parents both tried to ensure that I grew up respecting and embracing both of my ethnicities. They instill positive life values that will surely help me succeed in life. I am a very driven person who strives to be the best in academics, sports and any activity that I pursue. My favorite cultural holiday is Chinese New Year’s and the corresponding large banquet meal, lion dance, firecrackers and the red envelope “lay see” that accompanies the celebration. I’m proud to understand my Chinese Gom Benn Village roots and look forward to passing on the important cultural traditions to my children in the future.
