Chinaman Tycoon: Life and Times of Lew Hing (1858–1934)

Based on the book of the same name by Roland Hui, local Chinese American historian, Chinaman Tycoon: Life and Times of Lew Hing (1858 – 1934) traces the life of a 12-year-old boy sent from China to San Francisco in 1871.  Destined to be a shopkeeper of a small dry goods store in Chinatown, he instead broke racial barriers to become a pioneering industrialist, banker, shipping magnate, hotelier and real estate developer. Upon his death in 1934, the New York Times, in a rare acknowledgment, described Lew Hing as a “Noted Captain of Industry on the West Coast.” This exhibition features original documents, photographs and artifacts collected during his life, reflecting his involvement in significant businesses in early Chinatown and the wider business world of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Drawn from the Lew/Quan family papers held by the San Francisco History Center and from additional family documents and artifacts, this exhibition showcases one of the most successful Chinese entrepreneurs in America at that time.