Ng Poon Chew
Ng Poon Chew (Chinese: 伍盤照; pinyin: Wǔ Pánzhào, March 14, 1866 – March 13, 1931) was an author, publisher, and advocate for Chinese American civil rights. He published the first Chinese-language daily newspaper to be printed outside of China.[1]
Born in the Toisan district of Guangdong province in Southern China, Ng moved to California in 1881, where he first worked as a domestic servant on a ranch. He became a student of U.S. culture, studying English, adopting Western dress, and converting to Christianity. He joined the seminary[2] and in 1892 became the first Chinese Presbyterian Minister on the American West Coast.[3] He was assigned to a ministry in Los Angeles, but after a fire destroyed his mission, he decided to focus his efforts on establishing a Chinese-language newspaper instead. After a year of publishing his L.A.-based weekly, Hua Mei Sun Bo, Ng moved to San Francisco, where he wrote the first Chinese-language daily outside of China: Chung Sai Yat Pao.[4] His newspaper generally promoted an assimilationist viewpoint, encouraging Chinese American readers to adapt to North American values.[5]
Ng traveled the country speaking out against anti-Chinese legislation,[6] such as the Chinese Exclusion Act. He also published books[7] and pamphlets[8] opposing discrimination against Chinese Americans.
Ng was adviser to the Chinese consulate general in San Francisco from 1906 to 1913 and vice-consul for China from 1913 until 1931.[9]
He was called "an Oriental Mark Twain".[10]
See also[edit]
- King Lan Chew, Ng Poon Chew's youngest daughter, a dancer.
- John P. Irish, supported Chinese immigration. Ng Poon Chew was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.
- Samantha Knox Condit, Presbyterian missionary in San Francisco. Ng Poon Chew was an assisting pastor at her funeral.
Notes[edit]
- ^ Franklin Ng, "Ng Poon Chew," in Kim, Hyung-chan (1999). Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313289026. pp. 56-59
- ^ SFgenealogy SFgenealogy.org
- ^ Ng Poon Chew Biographical Notes inn-california.com
- ^ Guide to the Chung Sai Yat Po Newspaper Collection Online Archive of California (oac.cdlib.org)
- ^ Being Chinese book review historycooperative.org
- ^ A Historian's Reflections on Chinese American Life in San Francisco calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu
- ^ A Statement for Non-Exclusion books.google.com
- ^ The Treatment of the Exempt Classes of Chinese in the United States calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu
- ^ Vice-consul
- ^ Promotional Flyer sdrcdata.lib.uiowa.edu/libsdrc
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1866 births
- 1931 deaths
- Chinese Christians
- Converts to Christianity
- Chinese emigrants to the United States
- American Presbyterian ministers
- American male journalists
- American male non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American journalists
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 20th-century American male writers
- People from Taishan, Guangdong
- Journalists from California
- Religious leaders from California
- 20th-century Presbyterian ministers
- 20th-century American clergy