Governing "Hop Alley": On Leong Chinese Merchants and Laborers Association,
1906–1966
by Huping Ling
"On Leong" means peaceful. If they have problems and don't
know what to do or if there is a dispute about payment of debt, they go
to one of the two co-presidents instead of going to a lawyer. The men
at the meetings hear the story—like a jury. They consult and the
co-presidents hand down a decision. You know, we Chinese like to keep
our problems within our community and solve them ourselves.
— Annie Leong, St. Louis Globe- Democrat, 1962
LIKE OTHER URBAN CHINESE immigrant communities, the St. Louis Chinatown
(1860s¬1966) generally known as "Hop Alley" developed a self-defense and
self-governing structure, the On Leong Merchants and Laborers Association,
commonly known as On Leong Tong. Since its founding in the beginning of
the twentieth century, it had been the dominant community organization in
St. Louis Chinatown. Its presidents were referred to as "the Mayors of Chinatown"
by the public, as the Chinese were believed to prefer resolving problems
within the community to leaving issues to civil authorities. Because On
Leong bore the term "tong" in its name, it had been often mistakenly perceived
as one of the Chinese secret societies associated with criminal activities.
Was On Leong connected with the criminal fighting tongs? What were the nature
and functions of On Leong? What was the impact of On Leong on the St. Louis
Chinese community? This essay attempts to address these questions.
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