Taishan
Encyclopedia
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
: Toi⁴saan¹ tʰɔ̭ːisáːn; Mandarin: Taishan; Other: Toishan) is a coastal county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
in Guangdong Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region
Greater Taishan Region
The Greater Taishan Region is another term used to refer the Sze Yap Region or Wu Yi Region of Guangdong province.-Geography:...
.
The city is located in the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...
, southwest of Jiangmen
Jiangmen
Jiangmen , is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southern China with a population of about 4.48 million in 2010. The 3 urban districts are now part of Guangzhou - Shenzhen built up area.-Names:...
(to which it administratively belongs) and 140 kilometers west of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It contains 95 island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s and islets, including the largest island in Guangdong, Shangchuan Island
Shangchuan Island
Shangchuan Island also written is the main island of Chuanshan Archipelago on the southern coast of China. Its name originated from São João - Saint John in Portuguese. It is part of the Guangdong province, in the South China Sea...
. It is one of Five Counties in Guangdong
Five Counties in Guangdong
Five Counties belongs to the five counties of Jiangmen City in Guangdong, China. They are Enping , Kaiping , Xinhui , Taishan and Heshan . Sometimes, four of the counties are called "Four Counties" , except Heshan which has been managed by Jiangmen since 1983....
(was called Sze Yup
Sze Yup
Sze Yup, Sze Yap, Seiyap refers to the four former counties of Xinhui, Taishan, Kaiping and Enping in the Pearl River Delta of southern Guangdong province, China. Xinhui is a city district and the other three are county-level cities, all four belong to Jiangmen prefecture administered from the...
with excluding Heshan).
Taishan is famous for being the Birthplace of Chinese Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, that was brought to Taishan by overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
, and the city won many provincial and national championships. The city is also famous for being one of the Birthplaces of Guangdong music
Guangdong music
Guangdong music may refer to:*the music of Guangdong*a specific genre called Guangdong music and also known as Cantonese music...
, where the other being Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
.
One quarter of the “Flying Tigers”, the legendary group of American volunteer airmen who fought the Japanese during the Second World War before the US entered it, came from Taishan.
Taishan History
On February 12, 1499 in the 12th year of the reign of the emperor Hongzhi during the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, Taishan was founded as Xinning County (新宁县) from land in the southwest of Xinhui
Xinhui
Xinhui also known as 'Kuixiang'. Famous people born in what is now known as Xinhui include Liang Qichao, Chen Baisha, Chan Heung, and Michael Li from Westmead Hospital.-Geography:...
County. Xinning has also been romanized as Sunning, Sinning, Hsinning, Hsînnîng, and Llin-nen.
From 1854 to 1867 a genocidal war
Punti-Hakka Clan Wars
Punti–Hakka Clan Wars or Hakka–Punti Clan Wars refer to the conflict between the Hakka and Punti in Guangdong, China between 1855 and 1867. The wars were particularly fierce in around the Pearl River Delta, especially in Taishan of the Sze Yup counties...
broke out mainly in Taishan County between the Punti
Punti
The Punti, a rough transliteration of the Cantonese term for "original locality," refers to the Cantonese-speaking populations of Guangdong province in southern China...
and Hakka people
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
with disastrous results for both sides.
In 1914, Xinning was renamed Taishan to avoid confusion with the Xinnings of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
and Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. Unfortunately it is now confused in English with Taishan (Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
) in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
Province.
In 1941 March 3, Japanese invaded TaiCheng town (the capital of Tai Shan) and killed nearly 280 people.
On April 17, 1992, Taishan's status was upgraded from county (县) to county-level city
County-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
(县级市).
In 2010, parts of the movie Let the Bullets Fly
Let the Bullets Fly
Let the Bullets Fly is a 2010 China-Hong Kong co-production action comedy film written and directed by Jiang Wen, based on a story by Ma Shitu, a famous Sichuanese writer. The film is set in Sichuan during the 1920s when the bandit Zhang descends upon a town posing as its new mayor...
were filmed in Taishan.
Overseas Taishanese history
Owing to natural disasters and the colonization, Taishanese started to search for new lives overseas after the First Opium WarFirst Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
. The migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
of Taishanese to North America started with the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. Many Taishanese came to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as contract labourers. Later, another peak happened during the construction of the transcontinental railways
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
in the United States and Canada. In 1870, there were 63,000 Chinese in the United States, almost all in California. Due to discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
and language barriers, the first Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
formed to allow Taishanese (or Chinese) to live along and help each other.
Education
Education in the city of Taishan enjoys significant support from overseas Chinese professionals and businessmen. Many secondary schools were built and financed by Chinese living in the SAR (Hong Kong and Macau) and various foreign countries, such as the US, Canada, and Brazil.To honor their benefactors, these schools often bear their names or the names of their parents. An example is the Taishan City Peng Quan School (鹏权中学), which was constructed during 1999–2001, and is now integrated into the city's public school system. It is situated on the west side of the city, and was built by a Hong Kong businessman.
Below are some of the schools in Taishan:
University:
- Deng Xiaoping-era Television University (磐石电视大学).
High schools & middle schools:
- Taishan No. 1 High School (台山第一中学)
- Taishan Overseas Chinese Middle School (台山市华侨中学)
- Peiying Middle School (台山培英职业高级中学)
- Taishan Teaching School (台山师范学校)
- Taishan City Peng Quan School(台山市鹏权中学)
- Taishan Shi Li Tan Geng kai Jinian Zhong Xue (台山市李谭更开纪念中学)
Administration
Taishan is under the jurisdiction of JiangmenJiangmen
Jiangmen , is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southern China with a population of about 4.48 million in 2010. The 3 urban districts are now part of Guangzhou - Shenzhen built up area.-Names:...
. In a jurisdiction of 3,286 km², Taishan contains 16 townships (镇), which are subdivided into 313 village residential committees (村居委会) and 3,655 natural villages (自然村).
These townships (镇) are:
- Taicheng Subdistrict (台城街道): the seat of Taishan, formerly a town
- Baisha (白沙镇)
- Beidou (北陡镇): separated from the other townships by Zhenhai Bay (镇海湾) inlet
- Chixi (赤溪镇)
- Dajiang (大江镇)
- Doushan (斗山镇)
- Duhu (都斛镇)
- GuanghaiGuanghaiGuanghai is a town under the jurisdiction of Taishan, in the Guangdong province in southern China.-External links:* * *...
(广海镇) - Haiyan (海宴镇): contains an overseas Chinese farm (华侨农场)
- Duanfen (端芬镇)
- Sanhe (三合镇)
- Chuandao (川岛镇): including Shangchuan and xiachuan islands; Tourism Open Integrated Experimental Zone (旅游开发综合试验区)
- ShenjingShenjingShenjing is a township-level division situated in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China....
(深井镇) - ShuibuShuibuShuibu is a town in Taishan County, Guangdong Province in China. It's near the county of Kaiping. Gary Locke, the then Governor of the State of Washington, visited the Shuibu area in 1997, to visit his ancestral home.-External links:*...
(水步镇) - Sijiu (四九镇)
- Wencun (汶村镇)
- Chonglou (冲蒌镇)
These "natural villages" (自然村) include:
- An Nan Jiang Chao (安南江潮)
- Bi Hou (庇厚)
- Tang Mien Pao
- Jilong
- guanbuli (官步里)
Transportation
Taishan is currently accessible by bus and hydrofoilHydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
ferry (require bus connection, ferry is not direct service). There is a bus station in Taicheng and a port at GongYi
Gongyi
Gongyi , formerly Gong County , is a county-level city belonging to the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province, China. It has a population of 790,000 people and an area of 1,041 square kilometres....
on the Tan River which flows into the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...
. The ferry service from HK to GongYi has been discontinued.
Up until the Japanese War, there was a limited railway system constructed by Chen Yixi
Chin Gee Hee
Chin Gee Hee , courtesy name Chàngtíng , Cheun Gee Yee, was a Chinese merchant, labor contractor, and railway entrepreneur, who made his fortune in Seattle, Washington before returning to his native village in Taishan, Guangdong province, which sources variously refer to as...
linking various parts of Taishan with Jiangmen
Jiangmen
Jiangmen , is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southern China with a population of about 4.48 million in 2010. The 3 urban districts are now part of Guangzhou - Shenzhen built up area.-Names:...
, then known as Kong Moon. It was one of only three built, owned and run by Chinese during the years prior to the Communist Revolution of 1949.
Language
The main language of Taishan is Taishanese. While most Taishanese today use MandarinStandard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
in school or formal occasions, Taishanese is the de facto language. Taishanese is a dialect of Yue Chinese, a large group which includes, but is broader than, Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Thus Cantonese and Taishanese are related but distinct. Before the 1980s, Taishanese was the predominant Chinese language spoken throughout North America's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
s. Cantonese (Guangdonghua) is also widely known in Taishan, as it serves as lingua franca of Guangdong Province.
Demographics
Today, there is over 2.3 million Taishanese worldwide; some 1.3 million people living overseasOverseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
can trace their ancestry to Taishan, outnumbering those who now live in Taishan, 1 million.
If considering the total Greater Taishan Region
Greater Taishan Region
The Greater Taishan Region is another term used to refer the Sze Yap Region or Wu Yi Region of Guangdong province.-Geography:...
or Sze Yap Region, which includes Kaiping
Kaiping
Kaiping : Hoi3 Pen6) or Hoi Ping is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, southern China. It has a population of 680,000 as of 2003 and an area of 1,659 km². The locals speak a variation of the Taishan dialect.-Administration:...
, Xinhui
Xinhui
Xinhui also known as 'Kuixiang'. Famous people born in what is now known as Xinhui include Liang Qichao, Chen Baisha, Chan Heung, and Michael Li from Westmead Hospital.-Geography:...
, Enping
Enping
Enping is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, China and is part of the Siyi prefecture administered from Jiangmen city....
and Taishan
Taishan
Taishan is a coastal county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region....
, there is about 8 to 9 Million Taishanese people
Taishanese people
Sze Yap Cantonese are a Han Chinese group coming from a region in Guangdong Province in China called Sze Yap , now called Ng Yap, which consists of the cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Xinhui, Enping, Heshan and Jiangmen; which now administers these cities...
worldwide. According to American historian Him Mark Lai
Him Mark Lai
Him Mark Lai was an American historian. He was known as the “Dean of Chinese American History” by his academic peers, despite the fact that he was professionally trained as a mechanical engineer with no advanced training in the academic field of History.-Life:Him Mark Lai co-taught the first...
, approximately 430,000 or 70% of Chinese Americans in the 1980s were Taishanese according to 1988 data. Currently some 500,000 Chinese Americans claim Taishanese origins.
Taishan has a population of 1 million, while 1.3 million overseas Taishanese distributing in 91 countries and regions. It is estimated that over 75% of all overseas Chinese in North America until the mid- to late-20th century claimed origin in Taishan, the city is also known as the "Home of Overseas Chinese." As late as 1988, those with ancestry from Taishan accounted for 70% of Chinese Americans.
An office of the local Taishan Bureau of Overseas Chinese can help to arrange visits of overseas Chinese people.
Actors/actresses & singers
- Tony LeungTony Leung Chiu WaiTony Leung Chiu-Wai is a Hong Kong film actor and former TVB actor. A major film star since the 1990s, Leung has won nine Hong Kong Film Awards and three Golden Horse Best Actor awards...
- Hong Kong actor. - Shawn YueShawn YueShawn Yue is a Hong Kong actor and singer. A former model, he has starred in many films such as Jiang Hu and Infernal Affairs II and has established himself as a recognized face in Hong Kong cinema.- Background :...
- Hong Kong actor and singer. - Donnie YenDonnie YenDonnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
- Hong Kong Chinese martial artist and actor, film director, fight choreographer, and producer. - Wong Ka KeungWong Ka KeungSteve Wong Ka-Keung is a Hong Kong musician, composer and the songwriter. He was one of the members of the now disbanded, Hong Kong rock band Beyond. Steve Wong plays bass guitar and provides vocals...
- member of Hong Kong band Beyond. - Wong Ka KuiWong Ka KuiWong Ka-Kui was a Hong Kong composer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the founder of the Hong Kong rock band Beyond....
- lead singer of Hong Kong band Beyond. - Wong Koon Chung - member of Hong Kong band Beyond.
- Yip Sai WingYip Sai WingYip Sai Wing is a songwriter, singer and the drummer of the Hong Kong rock band Beyond. He is the only remaining original member of Beyond.In 1983, Sai Wing, along with the late Wong Ka Kui and a few other friends, formed Beyond....
- member of Hong Kong band Beyond. - Myolie WuMyolie WuMyolie Wu Hang-yee is a Hong Kong actress for the Hong Kong TVB television station and a singer under contracts with Neway Star-Career:...
- Hong Kong actress and singer. - Danny ChanDanny ChanDanny Chan Bak-keung was a 1980s cantopop singer, composer and actor in Hong Kong with origins in Taishan, Guangdong. Chan was of the first generation of pop idols in Hong Kong. He was already an electronic organ player, a songwriter, an actor and a promising singer at the beginning of his career...
- Hong Kong singer. - James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
- actor in United States famous for roles in Big Trouble in Little China, Balls of Fury and others. - Andrea Louie - scholar, actress, model, singer and fashion designer.
- Flora ChanFlora ChanFlora Chan Wai-Shan was born in 30 May 1970 in Hong Kong. She is a Hong Kong television and film actress.-Biography:Chan was born in Hong Kong and emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts at a young age. As a child, she had hoped to become a dancer, but because of an injury when she was a teenager, she...
- Hong Kong actress and singer. - Gordon Lam - Hong Kong actor.
Artists
- Alan ChinAlan Chin (artist)Alan Christopher Chin is an American artist working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has worked in the media of painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, sculpture, and film. He is known for his exploratory paintings and sculptures. Chin studied at California College of the Arts in Oakland,...
- San Francisco Bay Area contemporary artist - Tyrus WongTyrus WongTyrus Wong is a Chinese-American painter, muralist, ceramicist, lithographer, designer and kite maker. As film production illustrator in the film industry, Wong has worked for Disney and Warner Bros.. Wong's most famous work was for the Disney animated classic, Bambi.-Early life:Wong was born in...
- painter, muralist, ceramicist, lithographer, designer and kite maker
Business
- Eric Kwong - investor.
- Norman KwongNorman KwongNorman Lim "Normie" Kwong, CM, AOE is a former professional athlete, sports executive, and was the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta...
- Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta & professional football player, president & manager of the Calgary StampedersCalgary StampedersThe Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. - Justin Lee - cardiovascular specialist of Seattle, Washington.
- Jack YanJack YanJack Yan is a publisher, designer and businessman, born 1972 in Kowloon, Hong Kong.Yan founded his own company in 1987 while a teenager and grew it, initially, into the region's leading font software firm, claiming to be the first New Zealander to design digital typefaces...
- magazine publisher in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. - James Tak WuJames Tak WuDr James Tak Wu, SBS isa Hong Kong-based conglomerateur. As Chairman of Maxim's Catering Limited, a subsidiary of Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd., he helped co-founded and helped establish a chain of operates restaurants, night clubs, fast food outlets, cake and coffee shops, institutional...
- founder of Hong Kong's famous Maxim's CateringMaxim's CateringMaxim's is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain. Founded in 1956 by Dr James Tak Wu and his brother S.T...
Limited, which is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain. His ancestral town is Sijiu (四九). - Annie Wu Suk-chingAnnie Wu Suk-chingDr. Annie Wu Suk-ching , SBS, JP, is a Hong Kong-based Chinese businesswoman and activist of Taishan, Guangdong origin. She is the daughter of Hong Kong businessman Dr. James Tak Wu...
- founder of Beijing Air Catering Ltd and member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She is the daughter of James Tak Wu. - Luis Chi - Taishan businessman in Miami and International Commerce Representative for Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado
Education
- Li EnliangLi EnliangLi Enliang or E.L.li , is a Chinese civil engineer and educator. Li was a former Vice-president of Zhejiang University and former President of the Zhejiang University of Technology.-Life:...
- Chinese civil engineer and educator. - Chin Siu Dek (aka Jimmy H. Woo) - martial artist of SanbaSanba, GuangdongSanba is a township located northwest of Taicheng, capital of Taishan, in the Guangdong province of southern China.Most of its inhabitants have the family clan name of Chen and Kwong....
and a Grandmaster of Kung Fu San SooSan sooKung Fu San Soo is a martial art based on techniques from all over China, both Northern and Southern Chinese martial arts systems, acoording to Grandmaster Woo in a 1970's interview. The 5 Family Fist , practiced in the Taishan region of the Guangdong province. Kung Fu San Soo has many traditional...
. - William Poi Lee - San Francisco author who wrote The Eighth Promise.
- Ken HomKen HomKen Hom OBE with ancestry from Taishan, Guangdong is a notable Chinese American chef, author and British television-show presenter. In 2009 he was awarded by HM The Queen with an honorary OBE for ‘services to culinary arts’...
- Chinese American chef, author and British television-show presenter. In 2009 he was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II with an honorary OBE for ‘services to culinary arts’.
Historical figures
- Alexander Yee - calculated World Record digits of Pi.
- Evan LowEvan LowEvan Low is an American politician and a member of the Campbell, California City Council. In 2009 and 2010 his colleagues on the Council selected him to serve as Mayor. He current term on the council expires in 2014....
- the youngest Asian American mayor in the United States. - Anna May WongAnna May WongAnna May Wong was an American actress, the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star...
- the first Chinese AmericanChinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
movie star. - Chen YunchangChen YunchangChen Yunchang was a Chinese movie actress in the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:Chen Yunchang was born in Guangzhou in 1919, but her hometown is Taishan, Guangdong. She starred some popular movies including Mulan Joins the Army in 1939.Chen married Tang Yuhan, a doctor in Shanghai, in 1943...
- a very famous ShanghaineseShanghaineseShanghainese , or the Shanghai language , is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Shanghainese, like other Wu dialects, is largely not mutually intelligible with other Chinese varieties...
actress. She starred some popular movies including Mulan Joins the ArmyMulan Joins the Army (1939 film)Mulan Joins the Army is a 1939 Chinese historical war film. It is one of several film adaptations of the Hua Mulan legend, which have included two silent versions: Hua Mulan Joins the Army by Tianyi Film Company, and a less successful Mulan Joins the Army produced by Minxin...
. She is the 3rd "Chinese Film Queen"; while the 1st is Hu Die who is also of Sze Yap origin. - Gary Locke - first Chinese American to serve as Commerce Secretary of the US and former Governor of Washington.
- James Wong HoweJames Wong HoweJames Wong Howe, A.S.C. was a Chinese American cinematographer who worked on over 130 films...
- master cinematographer of Hollywood. - Arthur ChinArthur ChinMajor Arthur Chin was an American pilot and a Second Sino-Japanese War fighter ace.-Biography:Chin was born in Portland, Oregon to a Chinese father of Cantonese origin and a Caucasian mother of Peruvian background. Motivated by the Japanese invasion of China, Chin enrolled in flight school in 1932...
– America's first ace in World War II - Raymond Kwok ChowRaymond Kwok ChowRaymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, born Kwok Cheung in 1960 in Hong Kong, is a Chinese American former triad member who once was the second-highest ranking member of the American branch of the Hong Kong-based triad Wo Hop To...
(a.k.a. Shrimp Boy) -- San Francisco Chinatown mobster, Dragon Head of the San Francisco Chapter Chinese Freemasons
Politicians
- Ed LeeEd LeeEdward Hubert Lee is a retired professional ice hockey player who played two games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Quebec Nordiques.Traded to the Minnesota North Stars in 1985, Played for the Fredericton Express and the Springfield Indians in the American Hockey League.-References:...
- Mayor of San Francisco - John TsangJohn TsangJohn Tsang Chun-wah , GBM, JP, is the current Financial Secretary of Hong Kong. His responsibility is to assist the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in overseeing policy formulation and implementation in financial, monetary, economic, trade and employment matters. He exercises control over the...
- Financial Secretary of Hong Kong. - Leland YeeLeland YeeLeland Yee is a California State Senator in District 8 which represents the western half of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County. Prior to becoming state senator, Yee was a California State Assemblyman, Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District, and was a member and President of the San...
- California State Senator. In 2004 Yee became the first Asian American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore. - Margaret ChinMargaret ChinMargaret Chin is a New York City-based American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the New York City Council on November 3, 2009, to represent District 1 in Lower Manhattan, which includes, amongst other neighborhoods and sites, Chinatown, the Financial District, City Hall, and the site...
- New York City-based American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the New York City Council (First Chinese American elected to this position) on November 3, 2009, to represent District 1 in Lower Manhattan. - Bill Lann LeeBill Lann LeeBill Lann Lee is a Chinese American civil rights lawyer who served as Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division under President Bill Clinton....
- United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Clinton Administration. - Julius ChanJulius ChanSir Julius Chan GCL GCMG KBE was Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982 and from 1994 to 1997. He is currently Member of Parliament for New Ireland Province, having won the seat in the 2007 national election...
- former Prime Minister of Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
of An Nan Jiang Chao village in Doushan. - Hiram FongHiram FongHiram Leong Fong , born Yau Leong Fong , was an American businessman and politician from Hawaii. He is most notable for his service as Republican United States Senator from 1959 to 1977, and for being the first Asian American and Chinese American to be elected as such...
(a.k.a. Hiram Kwong) (1906–2004) - former US Senator from HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. - Matt FongMatt FongMatthew Kipling Fong was a Republican who served as the 30th California State Treasurer and was also the adopted son of Democrat March Fong Eu, the 25th California Secretary of State....
(a.k.a. Matt KwongKwongKuang , also Kwong, Kwang, Quong, Kong, and Fong, is a Chinese family name originated from central China. Today, it is the surname of over 5 million individuals, across China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Fiji, Thailand, Cuba,...
) (1953–2011) - former Treasurer of the State of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. - Wong Kim Ark - defendant in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898).
- Patrick YuPatrick YuPatrick Yu Shuk-Siu is a celebrated trial and appellate lawyer in Hong Kong.Born into an intellectual Chinese family in Hong Kong, with ancestry from Taishan Guangdong, Yu was educated at home for many years before attending Wah Yan College Hong Kong, a prominent Jesuit high school in Hong Kong...
- Hong Kong lawyer and Crown Counsel, and founder of its first law school. - Gary Faye Locke Governor of Washington State (1996-2006); Secretary of Commerce, US Ambassador to China (2011-)
