The Chronicles of Chow King Leong & His Family

Page 7

The emergence of World War I catapulted H. William and Company into high gear. Levying personal income tax was a new concept, but with a family of nine, Chow King was able to keep a firm hold on his earnings. Even then, he had the perception to augment his assets by investing in real property. His two brothers, still maintaining the mentality of the early sojourners made light of the novel but brilliant idea. Turning a deaf ear to Chow King’s rationale, they instead purchased a rice granary in Kwang Zhou, China. The speculative venture was a disaster. Undaunted, they next acquired a paper mill, also in China. It too, was money ill-spent. In the course of time, there were several attempts in other experiments, but all of them struck out.
The first piece of property bought by Chow King was on the corner of St Louis Alley and Jackson Street, between Stockton and Grant Avenue. The ground floor was occupied by The Fook Jewelers and always, ever after, the family referred to that building with pride as our Tin Fook Building. Chow King had a whimsical term of endearment; he alluded to his first acquisition as his Mother Cat. In the passing years, Mother Cat had many litters – at one time as many as twenty-one kittens. Chow King had an incredibly sharp sense of business. With little formal training, he made rapid progress towards improving the well-being of his family. But he couldn’t have done it without Lau Yung. When Lau Yung left China in 1909, she came away with a few pieces of gold jewelry as tokens of remembrance. Now the opportunity to purchase the building at St. Louis Alley and Jackson Street presented itself and her husband needed additional cash. Reluctantly and with misgiving but knowing the step was a means to an end, she relinquished the last tangible remnants of her family ties.
In 1924, the family made a radical change in their lifestyle. Doctors recommended that Lau Yung move away from the San Francisco foggy climate which was detrimental to her asthmatic condition. Oakland, close enough for Chow King to commute to and from work, seemed the logical place to relocate. The lovely big house Chow King bought for his family was at 101 Eighth Street, on the corner of Oak Street. It has been torn down since to make way for a park fronting the Ninth Street Bart Station.

The Leong family home - 101 Eighth Street, Oakland Click to view larger

What a beautiful and spacious house, with wall to wall carpeting and sunshine beaming in from large windows on all sides. And hot running water from a 100 gallon heater was a godsend. Albeit for the longest time, the sight of the blazing flame and the steady sound of the burning gas intimidated us. In the living room, instead of the hard wood framed pull out sofa bed, there was now a three piece set of mohair furniture – a soft, three-cushioned sofa, a wing chair and a club chair.
Taking the place of the odorous kerosene stove was the huge wood-burning fireplace in the dining room. The overhead lighting was provided by a large, circular, dangling from the ceiling, tiffany lamp. Shades of the roaring twenties! The utmost appreciation of the new house by everyone, however, was not having twenty-one people sharing the single toilet as you had to do on Jackson Street. The Oakland house was paradise!
Yes, the family had reached a new high. Chow King must have felt a sense of pride in his achievement. But throughout his life, we never saw any manifestation of it. Because there was not a Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Oakland, the family attended the Chinese Methodist Church located on Eighth Street. Mrs. Chan Lok Sung, wife of the pastor, and Lau Yung became fast friends. The Chan’s oldest daughter, Lenore, was instrumental in helping the family adapt to an all-round living and to meet new conditions. She helped Lau Yung to select the patterns of the silver and chinaware; to purchase the Hoover vacuum cleaner; to join the various community organizations; to enroll the children in the integrated Lincoln Grammar School and even to writing excuses for the children whenever it was necessary for them to be absent from school. She was the family counselor, errand girl, shopper and best-loved friend. In spite of being on her own, Lau Yung was never alone. Some of the best times were enjoyed be all at that church picnics. Who could forget that comical incident when Lau Yung plucked and brought home what she thought was beautiful autumn foliage? But it turned out to be the obnoxious poison oak. Some of the children had to remain at home for days by order of the school nurse fearing the school population would be infected.

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