>Zhang Zhaohong: The earliest document of the Chinese ancestors of Alberta (1)

Zhang Zhaohong: The earliest document of the Chinese ancestors of Alberta (1) The earliest statements made by A…

The earliest statements made by Arizona’s Chinese-American found.

Phoenix City Zhang Zhaohong

This is the earliest document containing photos of the Chinese ancestors of Alberta that can be found so far. The date is May 3, 1894. A certificate of entitlement to return to the United States in the future issued by Henry Brachman, the tax collector of Portland, Oregon, to Sing Kewong, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona - No. #127865. The function of this document is equivalent to the current "Reentry Permit". The original English text of this document titled "Statement" is as follows:

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>The Chinese translation of the document reads as follows:

Statement

Pursuant to the treaty concluded on March 17, 1894, signed on December 7, 1894, and ratified and promulgated by the President of the United States of America on December 8, 1894, between the United States of America and the Empire of China, Registering Chinese workers to return to China with the intention of returning to the United States is in compliance with the regulations promulgated by the Department of Commerce and Labor on February 5, 1906.

>Kwong Sheng ((Chinese transliteration of Sing Kewong), with video) hopes to leave the United States and return to China and plans to return to the United States. At the request of Kuang Sheng and in accordance with the corresponding Sino-US treaty, Henry Brachman, the tax collector of Portland, Oregon, issued a certificate of right to Phoenix to return to the United States – No. 127865 – on May 3, 1894, along with two copies of his photo and a complete description of his personal, family, property and debts owed to him in the United States. As follows:

> Name Sing Kewong

Age: 39 (currently)

Height: 5 ft. 5? inches

Eye color: Brown

Skin tone: White

Local residence: English Kitchen, North First Street, Phoenix, AZ

Occupation: Chef (In a restaurant called British Kitchen)

Distinguishing mark: mole in front of left ear

Debtor and amount owed to him:

Charlie Bound (Charlie Bound), Phoenix, Arizona $ 360.00

Yu Sheng (transliteration), Phoenix, Arizona $ 585.00

Cheng Long (Transliteration) Phoenix, Arizona $ 399.00

As we all know, the US government signed the "Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882" (Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882). Why were there still Chinese people who could get documents to return to the United States until 1894? Will Kuang Sheng really return to Phoenix City in the future? We will continue in the next issue.

(This article thanks Deng Hongyue, chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation, for his assistance, and Mr. He Leping, a researcher at the Arizona State Library, for his translation)