Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-06-12
"SIX CUMPANIES'
HISTORY AND PURPOSES OF
CHINESE ASSOCIATION.
FEELING OF KINSHIP
FEELING OF
KlNSHIP
Very Strong in the Chinese-The Pur-
poses of the Companies Are for
Good-To Help the Sick Being
One of the Principal Objects
Other Matters Of Interest.

whose people nave stronger klnShlp
feeling than the Chinese. The begin
ming of the Big Six Companies of San
Francisco can be traced to this regard
for relationship and to their love of
locality.
For years, Americans looked with
doubt upon these organizations, not
understanding how they came to be
formed, or why; and vaguely fearing
them as menace to American law
and order. BY the more ignorant,
they were often supposed to be asso-
cations of criminals banded together
for mutual protection and to wreak
vengeance upon offending countrymen
"a sort of oriental brand of Kentucky
family feud. Acquaintance with
Chinese customs corrects this impress
sion and shows the Big Six Companies
to be a benefit, not only to the China
men but to the American as we'll.
In China, the ties of locality are
very strong. Persons who rove from
place to place are held in very slight
esteem. Every Chinaman hopes to
spend his life and die in the place in
which he was born, and after DEATH
be buried among his many and highly
honored ancestors. Accordingly, new
families make their homes as nearly
as possible to the paternal one which
they have left. AS this custom is CEN
turtles old, the entire population of vii
lagos and towns will often be related
and the place will bear the family
name, which, translated into English,
would read somewhat this way: 1.-The
Village of the Chang Family" or "The
Town of the Wang Family" In some
places, the land is held in common,
worked by all and for the benefit of
all, profits being divided among the
families according to work done, and
vision of the property is made only
upon the death of the male head of
the family.
A Chinaman who is forced by
povertv to leave his home, always in
tends - return and spend there a
peaceful old age. During his absence,
he is an exile and always suffers
more or less from inconsistencies.
This is the case not only when he is
in foreign countries, but also when
his business causes him to live for a
time in another than his own prov
ince, for the tie is purely a local one,
though national Characteristic A
Cantonese is not happy to live in
Peking, and will stay only so long as
he must. In every large city of
China, there are vi Kuns or societies,
organized by these strangers in a
strange land" one of their chief
the bones of any who may die in exile.
1t was but natural that the Chinese
in America should follow the univer-
sal custom, and organize here their
III Kuns or guilds. The San Fran
cisco societies were formed by mer-
chants and men of standing who> were
drawn together because they traced
their ancestry to a common head, be-
cause they had come from neighbor-
ing towns and provinces, and because
they spoke the same dialect.
At first, there were but four COM
At first, there were but four COM
panies, but as the Chinese population
increased, the largest company, the
members of which were from Canton
and the neighboring provinces, was
divided and reorganized.
The Sam zap company was or
ganized in 1851. The name shows the
people to be from three provinces, the
oifu of Canton an6 vin;pitu
The Kong Chau was organized in
the same year by Chinese from three
districts southwest of Canton.
Young Wo company was organized
in 1852 by people from Macao and
three adjacent districts.
In 1858 the Ming Yeung was formed
by people from west of Macao, from
the province extending inland from
the sea coast
The members of the Hip Kat COM
pany are known in China as foreign
ers. They live in the southeastern
part of the province of Canton, having
come there from the northern part of
China. Their homes are far apart
but all speak one dialect, which is I'M
like that of the native population of
Canton.
The Hop Wo company was formed
in 1862 by Chinese from provinces
southwest of Canton.
All the companies are organized
upon very much the same plan, and
have the same officers-a president.
secretary and treasurer, linguist, and
servant and messenger Beside these
officers, there is an advisory commit
tee composed of half dozen men of
recognized ability and honesty, who
discuss and help decide all questions
OF Importance which come before the
company.
By common consent, the manage
ment of the company is left to the
few men of known integrity whose
business interests keep them in this
country
Some of the purposes of the COM
pany are, to help sick and unfortunate
members who are friendless or whose
friends are unable to help them to
decide differences which may arise
between members; to compel the pay
ment of just debts and take steps to
prevent the flights Of absconders; to
arbitrate in disputes between Ameri-
cans and members of the company
In the latter case, if the matter can
not be settled by arbitration and is
carried to the courts, the company
pays the fees of a lawyer for defend
ing the case.