Dr. Joan Wang, East Asian/Chinese Studies Librarian
Dr. David Romney, Japanese/Korean Studies Librarian
Washington University in St. Louis
— Submitted on behalf of the project team
What was the experience of Asian American migrants to the Midwest in the late nineteenth century? What did Chinatown in St. Louis look like before its demolition in the 1960s? What happened to Japanese Americans who escaped internment camps and settled in St. Louis during World War II? How did the Asian American immigrants establish successful businesses with the support of the local community? How did national developments in race relations and social activism in the twentieth century influence Asian Americans in St. Louis?
With the support of the Missouri Humanities Council, The Washington University Libraries have created a StoryMap collection, called Asia in St. Louis, exploring the experience of Asian Americans in St. Louis through a variety of perspectives. Asia in St. Louis is comprised of five sections: Explore Asia in St. Louis Map, Early Chinese and Chinese Americans in St. Louis, Historical Traces of Asian Americans in St. Louis, A Song of Resilience, and Asia American Civil Rights. Each section in this collection may be read individually or as part of a larger project which weaves the vibrant ethnic and cultural tapestry of St. Louis, the heart of the Midwest.
Private James Jewik and family in front of Charlie Long Laundry at 1709 Market Street, ca. 1942
Below follows a brief explanation of each of the five webpages in Asia in St. Louis:
Explore Asia in St. Louis is a web map tracking locations associated with Asian and Asian American history in St. Louis. You can explore the web map for Chinese businesses, residences, churches, Japanese architecture, government buildings, cemeteries, and civic groups. You will discover restaurants, hand laundries, and grocery stores in the old Chinatown, also known as “Hop Alley.” Amongst the many sites of Japanese architecture, you will discover the “Flying Saucer” designed by Richard Henmi, “Seiwa-en” Japanese garden, and others. If you have interest in early civic groups, you can see where On-Leong Merchants governing the Chinese community in Hop Alley existed, as well as the St. Louis Japanese American Citizens League, and Chinese Nationalist League Office. We hope an exploration of these will provide insight into the history of Asian Americans in St. Louis.
Early Chinese and Chinese Americans in St. Louis focuses on individual members and personal journeys of Chinese American community from 1857 to 1966. The first recorded Chinese immigrant to St. Louis is Alla Lee in 1857. He opened a tea and coffee store on 106 North Tenth Street and married an Irish woman in 1858 and built a family, which is postulated to be the first interracial marriage in St. Louis. This webpage provides an interactive map which visualizes a Chinese immigrant’s, How-Chun Pong, journey from Southern China to St. Louis. The webpage follows his story through his deportation to China from 1901 to 1916 during the period Chinese exclusionary acts. Additionally, this section highlights the stories of individuals who were responsible for governing the early Chinese American community, the presidents of the On Leong Merchants and old Chinatown “Mayors.” The webpage also introduces the story of the Gee brothers, the owners of the last Chinese hand laundry in St. Louis and their fight to keep their business running with the help of the local community. Finally, this section introduces resources for people to connect with Asian American organizations in St. Louis.
Historical Traces of Asian Americans in St. Louis traces spatial spaces of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in St. Louis spanning the late-19th to mid-20th century. It explores the old Chinatown before 1966, which was in the downtown area between 7th Street and 8th Street, and between Market Street and Walnut Street. This webpage also investigates the early sites of Asian American education. Additionally, the page introduces the Seiwa-en, a 14-acre Japanese Garden located at the Missouri Botanical Garden, which carries on the Japanese culture and heritage of the residents of St. Louis. This delicate, peaceful, and natural garden is designed to be a spot of pure, clear harmony and peace. The StoryMap provides a web tour to a variety of attractions in the Garden. Finally, this page helps re-visualize the design legacies of two prominent Japanese architects, Richard Henmi (1924-2020) and Gyo Obata (1923-2022) in St. Louis and across the globe.
1904 Sanborn Map showing Hop Alley running down the middle of St. Louis’s Chinatown district
A Song of Resilience focuses on the memories of Japanese American internment during World War II, and the relocation of Japanese Americans to St. Louis. This page focuses on the resilience and optimism of the two influential St. Louis-based architects, Richard Henmi and Gyo Obata and their families. Interviews of two of their Children, Rod Henmi and Kiku Obata, discuss how the inclusive atmosphere in St. Louis and the support of Washington University-St. Louis drew their parents from California and helped them make it a new home for their families. They share personal stories of how their ancestry’s optimism and belief in the power of art deeply influenced their lives. A full interview with Rod Henmi can be found here; and with Kiku Obata can be found here.
Gyo with his sister, Yuri, and his parents, Haruko and Chiura Obata / A dance scene at Fresno (California) Assembly Center; the couple on the right is Richard Henmi and his wife. “That is how I learned how to jitterbug,” said Richard Henmi.
Asian American Civil Rights elaborates the forming of Asian American identity, as an ethnic group and the difficulties of being treated equally in the racial and social hierarchy of twentieth-century America. The webpage follows four specific developments of Asian American (in St. Louis and across the country) contributions in the fight for greater equality; from early supreme court cases to the Third World Liberation Front Strike, and to the Anti-Vietnam War Protests 1964-1973. Many of these early cases paved the way for social change that came much later.
Lum Family – Gong Lum v. Rice (1927); the left on the front row is Martha Lum.
Asian Americans became increasingly visible in the fight for greater equality as people strove to make a difference while conditions around them changed drastically. This webpage shows only a portion of the vast number of people who fought for racial equality for all Americans.
Student Life Wednesday May 6, 1970 — A student-operated newspaper at WashU during the anti-Vietnam War Protests
As with any work which brings together the stories of a broad group of people, this project is not meant to be exhaustive. We hope that this project provides a glimpse of the history of Asian Americans in St. Louis and illuminates the profound impact of the Asian Community, (approximately 4% of the total population) on the city’s social, physical, and cultural landscape. We also hope that this project can serve as a gateway to a greater understanding of and appreciation for the rich cultural fabric that defines St. Louis and will encourage more to endeavor to look further into the stories of the Asian American community in St. Louis.
Project team members: Sarah Rider, Chenxi Luo, Yue Wang, Joan Wang, David Romney
Special thanks to:
- Missouri Historical Society
- The State Historical Society of Missouri
- The National Archives at Kansas City
- The Missouri Botanical Gardens
- Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, Washington University-St. Louis Libraries
Note: This project was supported by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Missouri Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
