The history and character stories of the Fengcheng Overseas Chinese Community: 1. The century-old overseas Chinese journey tells the story of Chinese businessmen

The history and character stories of the Fengcheng Overseas Chinese Society: 1. The century-old overseas Chinese journey tells the story of the Chinese merchant Zhang Zhaohong. Although some scholars have verified that the Chinese came to the United States very early, but according to the official...

Zhang Zhaohong

Although some scholars have verified that the Chinese came to the United States very early, according to official U.S. data, the earliest year the Chinese came to the United States was 1788. That year was only twelve years after the founding of the United States in 1776. It can be said that the Chinese were one of the first ethnic groups to come to the United States. However, not many Chinese came to the United States in the early days. Most of them came to the United States as businessmen. In China, status is divided into scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants. The social status of merchants is relatively low. But in the Chinese community in the United States at that time, businessmen played a leading role, and the U.S. government had long had a good relationship with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In 1850, representatives of the Chinese community were invited to participate in some religious activities and also attended the funeral of President Zachary Taylor. They wore luxurious silk costumes and showed noble manners, which left a particularly good impression on the mainstream society in the United States at that time. At that time, Americans had a favorable impression of the Chinese. After 1850, the gold rush began and Chinese people poured into the United States. After the money-making wave passed, a large number of Chinese workers came to the United States to build railroads, either recruited as workers or sold as piglets. After the completion of the railway, Chinese workers were stranded, and anti-Chinese sentiment gradually spread in the United States, reaching a climax in the 1880s, forcing the Chinese to return home. In 1882, the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in Washington, D.C., which prevented Chinese from entering the country for decades. Chinese people in the United States faced strong discrimination. Some shipping companies stipulated that Chinese people returning to the country must pay off their debts, otherwise they would not be able to buy shipping tickets. As early as 1852, Chinese merchants established merchants' guild halls. In 1908, Sun Shiyi, the Consul General of the Qing Dynasty in the United States, ordered the establishment of the Gold Chamber of Commerce. By 1910, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was established. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented, there was still trade between China and the United States, and businessmen had to communicate with government departments through the Chamber of Commerce before they could come to the United States. In order to help compatriots from the motherland return home, the Chamber of Commerce and the shipping company reached an agreement to allow the Chinese to obtain exit certificates. An older generation of overseas Chinese in Phoenix recalled that the work of overseas Chinese in the United States was very difficult and their income was meager. In particular, the local city was extremely hot during the day and it was still too hot to sleep at night. In order to go back to Tangshan, their fathers spent many years of savings to buy a boat ticket. The only valuable things they could bring back were pickaxes for railway construction and mining lamps for mining copper mines. Compared with the Chinese return home in splendid clothes today, it is indeed very different. The "Chinese Business Association" in Huangcheng was established in 1939. There are seven founders, including: Deng Kailong, Deng Yuening, Deng Xielong, Deng Yisheng, Deng Zhezhang, Deng Tongyan, Yu Qingzong, etc. They registered with the provincial government and became the earliest local Chinese business association, which is commonly called the "Chinese Chamber of Commerce". At the time of Japan's invasion of China, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce launched the "One Bowl of Rice" campaign to collect the rice money saved by the expatriates, bring it to San Francisco, and donate it back to the motherland to help the suffering compatriots. At the same time, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce also organized local Chinese to hold activities to celebrate the National Day of the United States, showing the mainstream society that Chinese are also part of the United States, we also love our country and should not be discriminated against. Since then, National Day activities have been held continuously. Since the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is only a business organization, in 1968, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, together with a total of twelve other Chinese groups in Phoenix, jointly organized the "Fenian Overseas Chinese Federation", which is the predecessor of the "Greater Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation". Later National Day celebrations were taken over by the Overseas Chinese Federation until today. However, the queen selected in the early National Day beauty pageant was still called "Miss Chinese Business", and it was only later that she was called "Miss Chinese". Adhering to its consistent tradition, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has long had good relationships with state governments and municipal departments, so it can better serve overseas Chinese. When Chinese people encounter health, safety and other issues while doing business, the Chamber of Commerce will promptly contact relevant departments to resolve them. Hu and his daughter, members of the Chinese business community, were shot dead by robbers. The Chamber of Commerce immediately raised a bonus of 10,000 yuan from the overseas Chinese community within 24 hours and handed it over to the police to solve the case. In the 1980s, the local Chinese population continued to increase, and new immigrants came to a strange place. They needed help in learning to drive and changing their driving licenses. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce provided services for learning driving licenses and replacing expired driving licenses twice a year, providing help to overseas Chinese in times of crisis. In the 1990s, when a stadium was being built in the city center, a batch of Chinatown cultural relics from the early 19th century were unearthed. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce launched the "Phoenix Chinatown Cultural Relics Exhibition" event, which received strong support from the city government and overseas Chinese communities. A total of nearly 20,000 yuan was raised, and comprehensive funding from all aspects reached more than 52,000 yuan. It was the first exhibition on Chinese history in Phoenix. In 1992, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was appointed by the Alberta Immigration Bureau as the Chinese group to handle the admission examination and set up an examination room at the Chinese Senior Citizens Association. Although the test was also in English, staff from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce gave presentations in English and explained relevant precautions in Chinese, which reduced the pressure on the naturalized candidates, so the venue was full. Forty-three of the first 50 people passed the exam. After taking the oath of admission, they can apply for their parents and siblings to come to the United States to reunite. The new immigrants are very grateful. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce is the oldest Chinese organization in Phoenix. In the early days, many senior overseas Chinese leaders served as presidents of the chamber of commerce, such as Guan Chongqiong, Deng Wenhua, Deng Yueyin, Deng Chaoze, Deng Jisheng, Yu Zichun, Yu Mingde, Yu Wenyu, Yu Wenjin, Huang Xingli, Huang Jiaoli, Huang Tingyu, etc. (too numerous to mention). The National Chinese Chamber of Commerce has been established for more than a century, and the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce also celebrated its 72nd anniversary in 2011. Over the past century, the Chinese Americans have made many contributions from the thorny road to self-improvement. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce has now compiled the information and photos collected over the years into a document to pay tribute to the advanced Chinese businessmen who have made contributions to the overseas Chinese.

In 1975, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce hosted a banquet for the governor. Front row from left: Mrs. Deng Xinping, Governor Raul Castro and his wife, Mrs. Deng Wenqian. Back row from left: Judge Deng Xinping, Deng Jiaji, Mrs. Deng Changlong, Deng Chaoze, founder of the Senior Citizens Association Deng Changlong, Deng Wenhua, Deng Wenqian, Yu Wenjin and Deng Zhushang.