Lew Hing
Lew Hing | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China |
| Died | March 7, 1934 (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, financier |
| Known for | Development of San Francisco and Oakland Chinatowns; pioneering canning industry in California |
Lew Hing (married name Lew Yu-ling; Chinese: 劉興; May 1858–March 7, 1934) was a Chinese-born American entrepreneur and financier. He played a pivotal role in the development of the "New Chinatown" after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and was instrumental in founding Oakland's Chinatown. Lew ranked among the most affluent Chinese immigrants in the United States.
Having arrived in the U.S. in 1871, Lew became a trailblazer in the canning sector, operating four canneries located in San Francisco, Oakland, Monterey, and Antioch, California. His facilities provided supplies to Herbert Hoover’s American Relief initiative following the First World War.
Within the Bay Area, Lew also owned a shipping enterprise, two hotels, and an import-export firm. Beyond U.S. borders, he managed a cotton plantation in Mexico. He held leadership positions as Chairman of the China Mail Steamship Company and President of the Canton Bank of San Francisco. Furthermore, he was engaged in property development.
His influence endures through the Pacific Cannery Lofts in Oakland, where Holliday Development commemorates him by preserving one of his original Pacific Coast Canning Company structures.
Early life
Lew was born in May 1858 in Guangzhou (Canton), China, as the second son of his father’s third wife. His family hailed from Li’ao village in Sunning (modern-day Taishan), situated within Guangdong Province’s Pearl River Delta area. He received formal schooling in Hong Kong.
Prior to Lew’s birth, his father had briefly attempted to establish himself in San Francisco but returned to China after two months due to dissatisfaction with labor conditions and rejection of the Barbary Coast environment.
In San Francisco
In 1868, Lew Hing’s elder half-brother opened a metal workshop on Commercial Street in San Francisco. Encouraged by its success and his brother’s advice, Lew Hing emigrated to America in 1869, shortly after the Burlingame Treaty facilitated immigration between China and the United States. When his half-brother perished in a ship fire near Japan in 1872, 13-year-old Lew Hing found himself alone without family or financial support in San Francisco.
To improve his English proficiency, Lew attended missionary school classes while assisting with customs shipment translations for the United States Customs Service. Through this work, he connected with P. W. Bellingall, a leading importer-exporter. The nascent Chinese community that evolved into San Francisco's Chinatown established family associations to aid new arrivals; these networks were crucial for Lew’s survival. He continued laboring at his late brother’s metal shop while attending church missions that enhanced his literacy and bookkeeping abilities. His dedication and entrepreneurial spirit led him to undertake various jobs to sustain himself during these early years.
Marriage and children
In 1877, Lew Hing wed Chin Shee (1860–1947) in San Francisco. Together they had seven children born locally:
- Lew Yuet-yung (Mrs. Quan Yick-sun) (1879–1967)
- Lew Gin-gow (1885–1943)
- Lew Yuen-hing (Mrs. Ho Chou-won) (1889–1978)
- Lew Wai-hing (Mrs. Ng Min-hing) (1890–1969)
- Thomas Gunn-sing Lew, also known as Tom Lowe (1894–1974)
- Lew Soon-hing Rose (Rose Lew Moon) (1898–1993)
- Ralph Ginn Lew (1903–1987)
Early career
Although Lew Hing was not as proficient in metalworking as his half-brother, he acquired foundational skills such as soldering and gained practical knowledge in food preservation by assisting a European woman in producing fruit jams for storage in glass jars. Leveraging this expertise, he ventured into the nascent canning industry.
At the age of 18, in 1877, Lew established his inaugural cannery alongside Lew Yu-tung at the intersection of Sacramento and Stockton Streets in San Francisco. This operation spanned two floors with storage space below, while Lew and his partners resided on the upper level.
During the 1880s and 1890s, canning was still an emerging technology that required considerable experimentation to guarantee product safety. Inadequate sterilization often led to spoilage and dangers such as swollen or bursting cans. Lew created unique formulas for preserving fruits and vegetables, which he kept confidential. Initially favored within Chinatown for export to China, his canned fruit products gradually gained popularity among Western consumers, broadening sales beyond San Francisco’s Chinatown district.
Middle years
Lew’s first cannery prospered for over twenty years until his retirement in 1902 at age 44, when he moved back to Canton. However, within a year he returned to California to launch the Pacific Coast Canning Company at 12th and Pine Streets in Oakland.
This new facility was Oakland’s pioneering concrete industrial structure and featured state-of-the-art equipment designed for large-scale production. Oakland provided more room and direct Southern Pacific rail connections, facilitating nationwide distribution of Lew’s Buckskin brand canned items such as asparagus, cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, grapes, and notably tomatoes. Lew ensured rigorous quality standards by sampling batches daily. Eventually, Buckskin products reached markets across the Western Hemisphere.
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Lew played a crucial role in relief efforts by opening his cannery to displaced individuals and providing tents and meals. Many Chinese immigrants relocated to Oakland’s developing Chinatown; Lew supported this community through financial backing, leadership roles, and organizing neighborhood growth. He forged strong partnerships with Chinatown organizations connected to Pacific Canning Company.
As Pacific Canning flourished, Lew broadened his business portfolio by assuming leadership of the Loong Kong Tien Yee Association, which aided families from multiple clans in both Oakland and San Francisco.
In 1907, Lew expanded his ventures in San Francisco by becoming President of the Canton Bank of San Francisco located at Montgomery and Sacramento Streets. That same year he entered the hospitality sector by constructing The Republic Hotel on Grant Avenue. Balancing these responsibilities with his presidency at Pacific Coast Canning Company in Oakland, he divided his time evenly between both cities.
Later years
By 1910, Lew Hing had diversified into import-export activities, initially investing in Sing Chong and Fook Wah Companies that imported Chinese art goods. That year he launched his own import-export enterprise, distributing wholesale Chinese food products from Hop Wo Cheung in Canton to Hop Wo Lung store on Grant Avenue in San Francisco.
By 1911, Pacific Coast Canning Company had become one of Oakland’s largest employers, offering over 1,000 positions during peak periods predominantly to Portuguese, Italian, and Chinese workers. Lew emerged as the Bay Area’s leading employer of Chinese laborers.
In 1912, he constructed his second hotel at 858-870 Clay Street in San Francisco; originally named Mun Ming Lue Kwan, it was later renamed The Lew Hing building in tribute.
In 1915, Lew assumed the role of Chairman of the Board for China Mail Steamship Co. Ltd., sharing office premises with his Canton Bank.
By 1917, he had expanded into sardine canning through investment in Bayside Canning Company located on Monterey’s Cannery Row. During World War I, Pacific Coast Canning exported canned goods to Europe, supporting Herbert Hoover’s food relief initiatives and contributing to the American war effort.
Between 1916 and 1921, Lew owned the Wa Muck cotton plantation near Mexicali, Mexico. He recruited hundreds of Chinese workers who passed through San Francisco en route to employment there. Additionally, he established a small Chinatown enclave on the plantation to serve these laborers.
In 1918, Lew Hing was listed on an assassination "hate list," drawing attention both locally and internationally.
At age 70 in 1928, he founded his fourth cannery—West Coast Canning Company—situated along San Pablo Bay in Antioch, California.
Legacy
Lew Hing was a trailblazer in California's industrial landscape. The Lew Hing building remains a landmark in San Francisco's Chinatown. Although the Pacific Coast Canning Company's facility in Oakland was torn down in 2006, it gave way to the Pacific Cannery Lofts, which feature a commemorative plaque celebrating Lew Hing’s enduring impact.
Throughout a multifaceted career that included ventures in canning, maritime shipping, hospitality, and finance, Lew regarded his most significant achievement as the swimming pool he financed at the San Francisco Chinese YMCA in 1925—this pool remained the sole aquatic facility in Chinatown for more than eight decades.
A progressive and principled entrepreneur, Lew Hing rose from modest origins to become a respected figure who generated numerous employment opportunities for Chinese immigrants and enhanced their living standards during a period of cultural integration challenges. He fostered strong relationships within both Chinese and Caucasian communities and was an influential member of San Francisco mayor Jimmy Rolph’s close circle. Fully embracing American life, he chose never to return to China.
External links
- Podcast: Long Lost Oakland, chapter 5: Overcoming racism, Lew Hing became king of Oakland’s canning industry, presented by East Bay Yesterday on Soundcloud