Zhang Zhaohong: An outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta

Zhang Zhaohong: An outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta An outstanding Chinese in the history of Alberta In memory of Guan Chongqiong, the first chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation and the first chairman of the Phoenix Longgang Office (1)…

Zhang Zhaohong: Outstanding Chinese in the history of the province Outstanding Chinese in the history of the province Notes Guan Chongqiong, the first chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation and the first chairman of the Phoenix Longgang Office (1): Zhang Zhaohong Guan Chongqiong and his wife Recently, I interviewed the family of Guan Chongqiong, the first chairman of the Phoenix Overseas Chinese Federation and the founder of the Fengfeng Longgang Office, and received a warm welcome. Guan Chongqiong was an early pioneer of the local Chinese. The Guan Chongqiong family had made positive contributions to mainstream American society and the Chinese overseas community. In this interview, Guan Chongqiong's sixth daughter Guan Libi (YIOLET TOY) and eleventh daughter Guan Xiuyu (SHIRLEY TOY) provided quite rich and valuable information. Most of these photos and objects have not been published. We will make installment reports on this heroic family so that people can better understand this Chinese model family and gain more knowledge and understanding of the early Chinese contributions and overseas history in Phoenix. Guan Chongqiong (Dea Hong Toy) is from Kaiping, Guangdong. Born on November 9, 1893. On October 9, 1909, under the age of 16, he came to Phoenix from China under the pseudonym "Xie Hongxing" wearing a long braid from the Qing Dynasty. At that time, the Chinese Exclusion Act had been implemented in the United States, and only a small number of Chinese could come to the United States by using "fake papers" to pretend to be their immediate family members. After Guan Chongqiong came to the United States, she worked at the American Kitchen, the earliest Chinese restaurant in Phoenix, where she washed dishes and earned fifty cents a day. Kwan Chongqiong was drafted into service in 1915. He was one of two Chinese veterans in Alberta who participated in the First World War. He left behind the only photo of the earliest Chinese soldier in uniform. In October 1917, after completing basic combat training in New York, Guan Chongqiong was sent to the European battlefield. He was with the 164th Infantry Regiment. Then he went to Metz, France, and then to the Nice area of ​​France in 1919. Unfortunately, Guan Chongqiong was injured in the battle. The English information was found in other books. Guan Chongqiong said that war was cruel and a soldier's life was lonely. He knew that several comrades had never received any letters from home. One of the best memories of the war was when his partners shared their emails with him before Christmas. After the Armistice he became a member of the American Legion. Won the "Purple Heart Medal" and became the first Chinese-American soldier in Phoenix to receive military merit. The photo above shows him reunited with his comrades from the 164th Infantry Regiment at a later date. In 1919, Guan Chongqiong retired and returned to Phoenix, Alberta. The Phoenix City Museum has a rare photo: "Guan Chongqiong and his carriage." At that time, most of the roads in Phoenix were still dirt roads. After in-depth investigation, it was discovered that the photo had a deeper content. It turned out that Guan Chongqiong had used horse-drawn carriages to deliver food to tuberculosis patients in the Sunny Lopez area. Because tuberculosis was contagious, under the conditions at the time, it was difficult to cure once infected, so no one was willing to do it, but Guan Chongqiong was not afraid of danger and worked hard. During the delivery, he also used the horse-drawn carriage to camp out overnight. Here, we can see Guan Chongqiong’s fighting spirit. Because of his hard work and hard work, he soon became one of the earliest Chinese entrepreneurs. He was the first Chinese to open a shop at the beginning of the last century. In the 1920s, he already opened a grocery store "TOY扴 GROCERY", which sold meat, vegetables, fruits and soda drinks, and also sold automobile diesel, etc. In the 1930s, he opened another "TOY扴 MARKET". These precious historical photos show the cultural features of the Chinese people in Phoenix City during the drought period. In 1950, Guan Chongqiong took the lead in building the largest restaurant in Phoenix at the time: TOY SHANGRI-LA on Camelback Rd in Phoenix. The restaurant covered an area of ​​10,000 square meters and had 450 seats. Chongqiong House opened in 1950 and provided high-quality service. Many of its guests were Americans. The dishes used in the restaurant are also specially made to order in Los Angeles. Shangri-La Restaurant is also a favorite place for traditional Chinese families. In addition to wedding celebrations, social organizations such as the Yu clan in Phoenix City and the Liu, Guan, Zhang and Zhao clan clans in Longgang often hold spring banquets at Chongqiong Tower. It was the most beautiful Chinese restaurant in Phoenix City at that time. Guan Chongqiong has a virtuous wife, Lee Chee Toy. They have a total of four boys and seven girls, and they have a happy family. In 1972, their children held a banquet to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary at Chongqiong House - Shangri-La Restaurant. The picture below is a photo of six of the daughters with their parents and aunts in Chongqiong Tower. The Guan Chongqiong family has made positive contributions to society and the overseas Chinese community, and we will continue to report on it.