Sojourners To Joke Sings

Tales of Chinatown and Beyond

Sojourners to Joke Sings:
Tales of Chinatown and Beyond

Check out the web comic
for select chapters of the book

“Uncle Ron, look at what Grandma wrote, it reads like something out of Warrior.” He handed me a large green binder with the title Joke Sings. It turned out to be a book written by LK Lennie Lee (1923–2021), my mother, Erik’s grandmother. “What’s Warrior?” I asked. He explained it was a television series about Chinatown in the 1880s and was based on an 8-page “treatment” written by Bruce Lee in the 1970s. Stories by Bruce Lee versus tales by an elderly grandmother seemed unlikely. It turned out Lennie’s stories were arguably more adventurous and exciting than Bruce’s or those written by Warrior producers.

For example, Lennie writes that her ancestors were the inspiration for one of the greatest adventure stories ever written — Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Knowing there would be doubters, our family did research to confirm plausibility. Enough was collected that a book was produced. A bonus is that her incredible recall allowed for detailed descriptions of Chinatown life beyond the façade of tourism. Realizing this work would appeal to young people, it was decided to produce a web comic version of certain chapters that has the look and feel of a graphic novel.

Little Pete Must Die

During the 1895 San Francisco Fair at Golden Gate Park, hooligan Fong Ching (Little Pete), a city-slicker, police dupe, and stool pigeon, became involved with international kidnapping of Chinese girls from Hong Kong and China to dance at the Park's events.

The Arizona Suey Ying Tong men wanted to use the assassination of Little Pete as an unspoken warning to San Francisco's rogue police. Lennie heard from her Father, Chow Chong, that the Suey Ying Tong were involved.

Little Pete
In his 1962 book, "The Hatchet Men", noted historian Richard Dillon described gangster Fong Chine, aka “Little Pete,” as totally amoral who was a Chinatown crime kingpin.
barber
His gangland style murder in a barbershop chair is one of the most infamous crime stories in Chinatown history.
Newspaper
San Francisco's "Yellow Journalism" news media were forwarned about the impending murder, arriving at the murder scene minutes after the killing.
Chinese New Year
Suey Ying Tong elders told the story that the Tombstone AZ killers chose January 23, 1897, during the Chinese New Year celebration, as the right time to assasinate Little Pete and leave town unnoticed.
Chinese telephone ompany
Albert Bew Chan (Lucretia's grandfather) said that he was the young messanger boy who deliverd the killers message via the Chinatown telephone switchboard.

The Mystery of China Beach

The Northwest corner of San Francisco has one of the most scenic beaches in California, if not the world: China Beach.

How this lovely place got that name is a bit of a mystery.

The National Parks Service website states there’s no evidence the Chinese camped there. Historian Eva Ma reported that Chinese Junks were seen anchored there from time to time but with no evidence of fishing. Some speculated that they were pirates.

China Beach monument
In 1981, a well-meaning but not so well informed family erected a monument that assumed fishermen camped there. It celebratd Chinese fishing but unfortunately did not mention that fishermen were barred from fishing in the Bay and were subject to persecution
Fish Patrol
If a Chinese fishing vessel ventured into the Bay, a group called the Fish Patrol would board, arrest the crew and confiscate any catch. They would then sell the fish for profit. As a young man world famous author Jack London was part of the Fish Patrol and wrote about his exploits
James D Phelan
The cove was originally named Phelan beach after James Phelan who made a large contribution that enabled the State to purchase the property from a private party. Phelan was a notorious racist who persecuted the Chinese. In 1974 when the beach became part of the NPS, it was renamed China Beach
Chinese Junk ships
Lennie reported that the Clan did make use of the beach. They would anchor there. Though they built campfires there, they had a diVerent mission. Their mission was quite diVerent
Cemetary
The Clan was in the business of exhuming bodies of sojourners who had died in America and returning the remains to the deceased's home village. After anchoring at the beach, they would go to a nearby cemetery to “Jub Gwuch” (Pick up bones). In 1880 Robert Louis Stevenson sailed with them. He later wrote about “Skeleton Island” in his famous novel "Treasure Island"
New China Beach facility
Eventually China Beach will become a premiere attraction of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)