Chinese-American Museum of Chicago (CAMOC)                                             Raymond B. and Jean T. Lee Center

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See below for INDEXES to this website: Exhibits, Research, Programs, etc.  Click here to jump there
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHINESE-AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CHICAGO (CAMOC 美洲華裔博物舘) AND ABOUT THE CHINATOWN MUSEUM FOUNDATION (CMF; 華埠博物館基金會), BOTH AIMED AT TELLING CHINESE-AMERICANS AND OTHER AMERICANS ABOUT THE BACKGROUND OF HISTORIC AND RECENT CHINESE IMMIGRATION TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND THE MIDWESTERN U.S.

Past CMF Lectures on Chinese-American Religion: 31 Jul 04: "Protestantism, Missionaries, and the Chinese Immigrant," with Stephen Yeh, Margaret Larson, Paul Poy, & Rev. Ronnie Kaan. 31 Jul 04.  For Chinese & English lecture slides, click on Protestant Images. "Buddhism and Chinese Americans in Chicago: The Immigration of a Religion," with Ven. Ji Ru (International Buddhist Friendship Assoc.) and  Amy Choy, (Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Fdtn.).   25 Sep 04 : "Catholicism in Chinese Chicago" Speakers: Mr. Richard May, Dr. Al Chen, Sister Barbara Doherty, Ph.D.
Major Gifts:  on 26 June 2004, it was announced that Raymond Lee,  founder and owner of Golden Country Foods, had donated the price of the museum, $660,000.  The donation was completed in May 2005 and enabled us to pay off the mortgage on the building    On 26 August 2004, the Museum Foundation received from Jeffrey Moy the gift of one-half of the vacant lot just to the west of the new museum building, with a sales value of $110,000.  In August 2005, the same donor competed his gift of $50,000 for the renovated reception area of the museum.  Two more major gifts have been promised, and more than 40 other donors have contributed between $1000 and $10,000.  Those donors will be honored by having their names etched on a wall of crystal bricks in the Museum's reception area. .Click here to see how you too can donate.  It's legal for us to raise funds in Illinois & Indiana.
Wen Yiduo wrote his "Laundryman's Song" after spending a year in Chicago in 1922-23.  We are proud that a great Chinese poet writing in the Chinese language took part in Chicago's famed tradition of social protest literature.  In Chicago Wen was a friend of a major U.S. poet, Kenneth Rexroth
As of July 2006, the CMF's Board of Directors has 19 members: Kinman Auyeung, John Beal, Mark Birbeck, Rosita Chan, Catherine Chin, Joseph Chiu, Grace Chun, Matthew Eng (Treasurer), Chuimei Ho, Tao Luo, David K. Lee, Billy Ying Fu Moy, Soo Lon Moy, John Rohsenow (Secretary), Andrea Stamm, Kim K. Tee (President), Loong Yan Wong, Malcolm Woo, and Wai-Chee Yuen.
This web site now has a good deal of data on Chinese involvement in Chicago's world fairs, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Century of Progress Exposition of 1933-34.  Both were important to Chinese-Americans.  Take a look at these links, and at Midwest World Fairs for data on Chinese at the St. Louis, Omaha, and New Orleans World Fairs.
As of July 2006, the CMF's Advisory Council has 22 members: Ben Bronson, Ian Chin, Margaret Chung, Ann Connors, Michael Davitti, Joseph Faruggia, Mary Lawton, Raymond Lee, Ann Leung, Richard Tze-chung Li, Leonard Louie, Henry Moy, Jeffrey Moy, Ruth Moy, Susan Lee Moy, Elinor Pearlstein, Robert Salika, John Shea, Yman Huang Vien, Nancy Wing, Francis Yip, and Betsy Yung.  Members of its Board Committees include: Ling Arenson, David Chang, Emily Chen, Jen-Chin Chen, Lillian Chenbyerley, Sheila Chin, Julianne Chiu, Telly Cheung, Susanna Fong, Li Fu, Bill Hinchliffe, Anita Hsueh, Margaret Larson, Thomas Lee, David Lilovich, Josephine Meleeio, Yan Meng, Maria Moy, Stewart Moy, M. Grace Sielaff, Robert Sit, Gordon Tai, Chooinie Ting, Jean Vondriska, Ling Wang, Conrad Winke, May Wong, Tom Yuen, and Lisa Zhao.  The Manager of the Museum is Joanne Chiu.  The Assistant Manager is Michael Dang.  The Office Assistant is Cheung Wen Yeung.
As of Jan 2006, real progress is being made in plans to convertt our vacant lot (see 26 Aug 2004 Newsletter) into a parking garden.  Got ideas?  Let us know
Board
Advisors
The Quong Yick building (built in 1896), now CAMOC's Raymond and Jean Lee Center.  A gut rehab of the 1st floor interior began on 12/27/ 2004 and  finished on 5/21/2005.  Click here for progress, history, and photos
5 Nov 05  The Chinese-American Museum's Annual Banquet,博物舘筹款晚會, Furama Restaurant.  Featuring Chinese food, music, and culture. The event was attended by 420 guests and raised more than $13,000 for renovating CAMOC's new building.  One of the guests was U.S. Senator Richard Durbin.
ONGOING: Chinatown Archaeology Project 芝城華埠考古 Excavations 3-4 Nov 05.  Click here for more data, plus pictures of the dig, student archaeologists, and finds, including a 1868 nickel coin! 
RESEARCH, last updated 11 Jan 06.  More new data on Midwest Chinese-American history--white prostitution in early Chinatowns, biracial marriages, the rapid spread of Chinese laundries; the cleanness of Chinese shops, immigrant smuggling in Detroit, the first Chinese in Illinois, and the first use of the term "Chinatown."  Much of the data comes from our own work on primary sources, not from history books.
2004-2006: CMF Newsletters.  Past reports on building renovation progress that includes views of the new exhibition hall and the reception area, decorated with the antique window lattices donated by Jeffrey Moy and marble-topped tables donated by Billy Moy.
NEW RESEARCH:
   John Meares & the first recorded Chinese in North America, 1789 (10 Nov 06)
   Anti-Chinese feeling among artists: Chicago vs. San Francisco, 1930s (6 Mar 06)
   Chinese restaurants for non-Chinese are not early in the US (14 Feb 06)
   The Imperial Chinese Commission comes to Chicago, 1906 (19 Jan 06)
   The Ffrst Chinese between the E & W Coasts,1852 (11 Jan 06)
   Racism at Rosehill Cemetery and Tom Y Chan, 1944 (26 Dec 05) 
   The Clark Street Chinatown reaches maturity, 1890 (13 Dec 05)
   The notorious HInky Dink Kenna gets Chinese help,1905 (5 Dec 05) 
   More on the Al Capone connection and Al's mother's gift, ca. 1930 (28 Jan 06)
   Chinese-American restaurants move down-market, 1910-1960 (21 Nov 05) 
29 Oct 05.  Lecture 講座: Two public lectures on one day!   (1) Chop Suey 雜 碎: Americanized Chinese Food,
by Ben Bronson and Soo Lon Moy, held at the museum at 10:30 am; and (2) Women without a House to Return To: Stories of Early Chinese Immigrants, by Emily Chan and Chuimei Ho, held at the Glenbrook Public Library at 10:00 AM.    Both lectures were well attended, with excellent audiences who asked perceptive questions.  Click here for slides from the Chop Suey lecture.
The Places page will soon appear in print as a low-cost Historic & Architectural Guide to Chinatown .  The version posted on this web site is a first draft.  We would appreciate your comments and corrections.  (8 Sep 05)

C.A.M.O.C. (芝加哥美洲華裔博物舘) IS THE MIDWEST'S ONLY CHINESE-AMERICAN MUSEUM

OUR 7TH EXHIBITION. CHINESE AT PLAY: TOYS, GAMES AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
WILL BE OPENED ON MAY 31, 2008.

OUR 6TH EXHIBITION. GREAT WALL TO THE GREAT LAKES: CHINESE IMMIGRATION TO THE MIDWEST,
OPENED ON OCTOBER 21, 2007. 
    長期性展覽: 別我長城．抵美湖區：華人移居美國中西部, 開放日期 2007年10月21日, 星期日

OUR 5TH EXHIBITION. CHINATOWN HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY: FACES OF CHANGE,
OPENED ON OCTOBER 1, 2006.  CLOSED ON  APRIL 25, 2008. 

OUR 4TH EXHIBITION. TWO WORLD FAIRS, CLOSED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2007. 

OUR 3RD EXHIBITION, TOFU, CLOSED ON OCT. 31, 2006. 

OUR 2ND EXHIBITION, SILK AND WOOD, CLOSED ON SEPT. 16, 2006. 

OUR FIRST EXHIBITION, PAPER SONS, CLOSED ON DEC 31, 2005. 

   LOCATION: 238 W 23RD ST. 3 BLOCKS FROM THE CHINATOWN STOP OF THE CTA RED LINE.

   MUSEUM HOURS: FRIDAY 9:30 AM -1:30 PM, SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10:00 AM -5:00 PM.
   開放時間:: 星期五:上午九時半至下午一時半.  星期六,日: 上午十時至下午五時

   SUGGESTED DONATION: ADULTS: $2, SENIORS & STUDENTS: $1, MEMBERS FREE.
   建議捐助: 每位2元, 學生與年長者: 每位1元, 會員免費

   TELEPHONE: 312-949-1000

OUR FIRST BOOK: CHINESE IN CHICAGO.  180 EARLY PHOTOS.  $19.99.  TO ORDER, CLICK HERE
OTHER RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
   White-on-Chinese homicide: Chicago's first conviction in 1916
   The vanishing cemetery in the 1920s
   The Pekin (Illinois) Chinks become the Pekin Dragons, finally, in 1981
   A Russian super-spy in Valparaiso Indiana in 1908
   The soap opera of Willie and Emma Wing in 1912
   The murder of Charles Sing by Alice Davis Sing in 1913
NEW FEATURES
   New data on Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition 
        芝城1933 年百年進步展(17 May 06)
   New data on Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition (19 May 06)
   World Fairs of Chicago exhibition plans (30 Apr 06).
   Annual Report for 2005 (1 Dec 05)
   Food page, on Chinese restaurants and foodstuffs (19 May 06)
   Crystal bricks for donors: new photos 
   Places section with Chinatown map (7 Aug 05)
   New Newsletter archive (latest update 29 Jan 06)
   Chinatown history before 1900 and after 1899 (with frequent updates)
   Silk & Wood exhibition credits (Jan-Feb 06)
Fair
Capone
Wings
Bricks
Places
Clark St
Restaurant
Cemetery
Sing
1 Mar 06. 2006 ASIAN-AMERICAN COALITION AWARD to CAMOC and Chuimei Ho, Feb 25.  The AAC's gala event was attended by many business leaders and politicians, Asian and non-Asian
28 Apr 06.  Pain for Beauty: Female Footbinding in China.  Special Program with Fundraising Reception, April 28.  Click here for more information.  "中國婦女纏足" 籌款講座
Tofu, The Wonder Food.  New exhibition, Apr 2-Dec 31 Featuring soybean curd history, products, and Midwestern connections.  For photos of the April 2 opening, please click here. "豆腐天地"展
6 May 06  Making Chinese Furniture without Nails. Demonstration by Mr. Yeung Chan, master woodworker from California.  The first in the Tang Research Foundation Lecture Series 2006.   陳朝陽: "傳统傢具接榫技术" 講座
Google
An experiment: to find a word within this website, type CAMOC followed by the word.  Example: CAMOC Capone. 
Choose a page in Google.  Then use control-F to find the word within that page.  If this doesn't work, use the indexes below
Another Terry Goldsworthy discovery!  The first Chinese in Chicago were here in 1853!  (19 Feb 07)
Selected finds from the 2004-2005 archaeological excavations in Chinatown are now on line (25 Apr 06)
Chicago's Two World Fairs.  A NEW EXHIBITION that just opened (on June 10). The fairs played a major role in the history of local Asian-Americans, who found them to be not just business opportunities but ways to affirm their pride in being Asians.  For more data, click here. 
New historical pictures and data on the fairs are frequently added to this website, and comments from readers are welcome.  For the 1893 Fair click here,  For the 1933 Fair click here