KAM WAH CHUNG - MAY 19th

"Once it was a general store, a doctor's office, a post office, a library and a center of Chinese social and religious life. Now it is a museum - one of the most unusual you will find anywhere."  Brochure

Kam Wah Chung, which loosely translates as "Golden Flower of Prosperity" is a memorial as well as a museum commemorating an important era in Oregon history and recalling the lives of two men who eventually earned their community's respect as two of its most prominent citizens. Kam Wah Chung website.

The shrine used for religious rituals.

Doc Hay's Apothecary where he mixed remedies. There were many testimonials by families near and far as to the efficacy of his treatment. He treated both Chinese and locals.

Not so different from current-day practice.

The building was also home - a home they shared with relatives, friends and itinerants. It's seven rooms included two bedrooms, a bunk room and a kitchen as well as its general store, stockroom, herb room and medical office.

The visitor center showed an Emmy-nominated film about Kam Wah Chung. There were photos and memorabilia of Lung On and Ing Hay. Interpretive exhibits explained the Chinese immigration of the mid-to-late 1800's.

Imagine emigrating to a place where the residents hate you. Hate you so much they pass laws barring you from coming, laws barring you from owning property. What would the conditions in your native land have to be to motivate you to move to this place?

Just as the Chinese had their own section of town, they had their own cemetery. Eventually, all of the male remains were repatriated to China; very few of the female ones were. Lung On and Ing Hay were so assimilated into the community that both were buried in the community cemetery. 

It's Katie's 13th Birthday and you can tell from her expression that no way did she want to move off Carole's CPAP pillow.  It's a perfect fit for her furry body.