Images of American: Chinese in Boston 1870-1965
Wing-kai To and the Chinese Historical Society of New England
Arcadia Publishing, 2008

“Chinese Americans in Boston trace their historical origins to pioneering settlements of merchants, workers, and students in different parts of New England. After the 1880s, hundreds of Chinese arrived in Boston. Beginning as a bachelor-male dominated society, the Chinese in Boston gradually developed stronger bonds of family and community life. Spared natural disasters that characterized the Chinese immigrant experience in the West, Boston’s Chinatown nonetheless faced challenges of urban renewal and environmental degradation. Through their participation in community organizations, merchant activities, educational opportunities, and civic protests, the Chinese in Boston persevered, simultaneously maintaining their Chinese identity and acculturating into America. They formed a close-knit community that distinguished Boston’s Chinatown as one of the oldest and most enduring Chinese neighborhoods on the East Coast.

Wing-kai To is an associate professor of history and coordinator of the Asian studies at Bridgewater State College. The Chinese Historical Society was founded in 1992 to document, preserve, and promote the history and legacy of Chinese immigration in New England. Many of the photographs, published for the first time, are drawn from the collections of families and organizations to produce the first comprehensive visual history of Chinese Americans in Boston.”

Published by [1] Arcadia Publishing and the non-profit Chinese Historical Society of New England, Chinese in Boston 1870-1965, can be purchased for $19.99 and shipped through Arcadia’s website. If you are local and need the book faster, stop by and pick up a copy from the Chinese Historical Society’s office at 2 Boylston St. Boston, in the basement level of the China Trade Center with $20 check or cash. Call the CHSNE for availability (617) 338-4339.

Rose Lok was only 18 when she took up flying and joined the Chinese Patriotic Flying Corps in 1932, highly unusual behavior for a young Chinese woman. Lok may well have been inspired by Amelia Earhart, who was working nearby at the Denison Settlement House on Tyler Street during that time.

Wellesley College class of 1917. 2nd from right, Soong Mei-ling, the future Madame Chiang, wife of Nationalist Party leader Chiang Kai-sek.

The Chinese Merchants Association building at the corner of Tyler and Beach Street. Today in 2008, the ground level is home to the Suishaya restaurant.