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Biography of "Frank" Lee Hong
Written by Ben Lee (grandson of Frank Lee, son of Byng Lee) in Toronto, 2000 and edited by Terry Lee (son of Ben Lee, in 2004).
Lee Hung-Yuen, (May 14th, 1863 - Feb. 27th, 1942)
I have only a very dim memory of my grandfather when I was about five years old. My father hardly ever talked about him, and by the time I started to take interest in our roots, it was difficult to collect much information.
In 1991, I paid my first visit to my ancestor's village, Nam-Tuen, a half-hour drive from the city of Toy-Sarn, and about three hours drive from Guangzhou city. If it weren't for a newly built village entrance gate, inscribed with the village name on it, we would have easily missed it. Nam-Tuen village is very small, about 400 inhabitants, and poor. For what used to be a farming village, the place was deserted except for a few elders and toddlers. Most of the able bodies had ventured out to the nearest towns and cities to work.
As our taxi slowly crept towards the Ancestors' Memorial temple, several elders, including officials from city of Toy-Sarn, were there to greet us. The new ancestral temple-like structure was built in 1989 with funds collected from all the Lee clans originally from this village and now living around the world. Inside the main hall are plaques inscribed with the names of those who have contributed to the building. Among the names are those of three of my first cousins, my father, and me.
Our hosts then directed my wife and me to my grandfather's old brick house, which still stood, with the traditional open courtyard. The house was occupied and taken care of by an unrelated family. It was said that the house is co-owned with another cousin (though I would say, likely with a brother), however, they did not need to worry about any interest to reclaim the ancient property.
We gather that my grandfather, Frank, came to North America in 1883, when he was about 20 years old, but he possibly came earlier, in his late teens. He may have worked during the "Gold Rush" and later, labored at the railways until that project completed in 1885. Many returned to China, but he chose to stay, working as a houseboy, where we think he learned to speak English. It is known that he had a good command of the English language and acted as an interpreter as well as an unofficial "go-between" among the "whites" and "kin" folks.
Around 1893, after 10 years of hard labor in Canada and the U.S., the young man had apparently saved a bundle. He then headed back to his old village of Nam-Tuen to find himself a wife. He probably had about $1,000 of "gold money" on hand, secured several acres of rice field land in his village, and lived in relative comfort and leisure.
Frank spent the next 10 years in the village and bred three children before heading back to Canada in 1904. The first was a daughter (never heard of again after she married), then Wes in 1897 and Byng in 1903. Imagine the courage and vision to go abroad again despite the financial burden and the long, rough trip crossing the Pacific Ocean. His fourth child, Watts, was born in Winnipeg, the very first Canadian-born Chinese in the city, followed by Mable.
During those four years in Winnipeg, Frank must have done pretty well financially, making enough money to bring over his number one son, Wes, when he was 11 years old (he must have been accompanied on the trip with an uncle or cousin). Three years later, in 1911, Frank sent over for his wife and my father, Byng (then eight years old). It is known that all came to Canada without paying the imposed $500 "head tax', because they were of a "merchant's son". I wonder then, about his wife, as women may have been disallowed to immigrate to the country in those early days. Perhaps Grandpa Frank had attained some sort of status or had connections (remember that he was an interpreter for some officials).
During Frank's 27 years in Winnipeg with his family, he established himself fairly well. He operated an import and export company in Chinatown, a Chinese restaurant, and a curio shop with an adjoining café on the city's main street, Portage la Prairie. There was also citrus farm. It is known that some of his ventures went sour. He did have a business partner, a cousin or such who apparently cheated him. On the other hand, Grandpa probably spent most of his time socializing, leaving his business interests to his partner, thus leaving a hole in all of his tills.
Grandpa Frank was a big stocking figure, very imposing. He was well dressed, with a mustache and spectacles. He also walked with a cane, a symbol of class and dignity in those days. Frank lived for a total of 37 years in Canada.
In 1930, when Byng graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, the whole family returned to Hong Kong, leaving Watts behind in Toronto. Wes had already returned in 1922 along with his wife and baby, Norma.
While Frank lived in Hong Kong, he made one last trip to Winnipeg, trying to wind up his business affairs. It is doubtful he got anything out of it. Frank also paid a last homage to his village during his 12 year span in Hong Kong. During this period, he ran a café/restaurant on Canton Road in Kowloon. I don't know how long it lasted. At times, he also tried to peddle some Chinese ointments or medicine. He was quite the adaptive entrepreneur.
Watts did unite with his family in Hong Kong before the war. He worked at the King's Theatre by selling tickets for the premium class section booth. The job lasted for a short while, then he returned to Canada by himself. Mabel attended school in Hong Kong (she was 15 years old). Later, she worked as a receptionist in a Catholic convent run by American Marinate Sisters. At the time, the family resided in Sum-Sui-Po, where most of the Toy-Sarn folks gathered.
Then came the Japanese war and everything was in shambles. It just happened that the timing was not right for Grandpa Frank. He died in 1942, in a very bad situation (not in a hospital), practically from starvation. His body was not found and was probably buried with the other war casualties. His wife (May 1st, 1872 - Mar. 6th, 1942) died only a few months later.
Timeline
1863 - Hung-Yuen ("Frank") Lee, born in Nam-Tuen, China.
1883 - Frank goes to Canada (landed Victoria, BC).
1893 - Frank returns to Nam-Tuen village to get married.
1894 - Birth of 1st child, first daughter.
1897 - Birth of 2nd child, first son, Wes.
1903 - Birth of 3rd child, second son, Byng.
1904 - Frank returns to Winnipeg, Canada.
1908 - Wes arrives in Winnipeg, Canada.
1911 - Frank's wife and Byng arrive in Winnipeg, Canada.
19xx - Birth of 4th child, third son, Watts (first Canadian-born Chinese in Winnipeg).
1915 - Birth of 5th child, second daughter, Mabel.
1922 - Wes, wife, and baby Norma return to Hong Kong.
1930 - Family returns to Hong Kong.
1942 - Frank dies during Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
Notes of Interest
·In 1664, the Manchus take over China and found the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
In 1880, the average wage in south China was about 7 cents a day (about CAD$2 per month). While working as a railway laborer in Canada, one could earn 80 cents a day (more than 10 times as much as home), however, white crew members earned up to $1.75 per day.
·In 1885, Canada imposed the first "head tax" of $50 for every incoming Chinese immigrant. By 1902, the federal government had doubled the amount of the tax but the Chinese immigrants kept arriving. The tax was later raised to $500. There was also a $19 "jobless tax" if an immigrant chose to stay after the railroad was completed in 1885.
·During the Great War (aka: World War I: 1914-1919), China sides with the Allies, however, this loyalty is betrayed as German concessions in Shangdong Province are subsequently handed over to Japan (in the Treaty of Versailles), sparking the "May 4th Movement" in Tiananmen Square in 1919.
·In 1937, Japan invades China from their bases in Manchuria, quickly occupying the major coastal cities. By the end of the war (1945), 20 million Chinese die at the hands of the Japanese.
·In 1949, the "Communists", led by Mao Zedong, force the "Nationals", led by Chiang Kaishek, to flee to Taiwan. The "Communists" proclaim the new "People's Republic of China" but the Red Army is so pre-occupied with re-unifying the south, they ignore Macau and Hong Kong, even though Portugal and Britain were in no position to protest a re-unification. |
