- Hong Wah Kues
The Hong Wah Kues (宏華僑 or 弘華僑) were a
San Francisco -based allChinese-American professional basketball team that participated in the barnstorming circuits during the late 1930s. They were also the first Chinese professional team. Started in 1939 with six players, the Hong Wah Kues became known for their speed and quick passing. Contemporaries of theHarlem Globetrotters , the Hong Wah Kues made inroads into the world ofbasketball before disbanding with the start ofWorld War II . Playing only two season due to the disruption of war, the Hong Wah Kues drew players and fans from the Chinatown community. Other barnstormers included theNew York Renaissance ,Toledo Brown Bombers ,Cleveland-Rosenbloom Celtics ,Missouri -basedOlson’s Terrible Swedes ,South Philadelphia Hebrew Association , andIndianapolis Kautskys . [Kathleen Yep. "The Fiendish Grin: Hong Wah Kues and (Re)defining Chinese American masculinities" in "Outside the Paint: the Racial and Gender Politics of Chinese American Basketball (1930- 1950)"] The characters representing Hong Wah Kue, which according to several accounts means "Brave (Great) Chinese Warriors" inCantonese . In the transliteration, the 僑 suggests "compatriots" more so than "warriors." Consistency in use of "kue" also indicates direction towards the same character, as opposed to others like 過, which mean passing over. [ [http://www.graceyoung.com/excerpts1.html Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen - An Excerpt ] ] [ [http://home-winemaker.com/blog/2007/06/20/ » 2007 » June » 20 ] ]Genesis
With the growing popularity of sports in America during the 1920s, basketball spread quickly to major urban centers like SF. The
Great Depression a decade later further cemented sport's role in American society because, at the time, few had significantdisposable income . Sports were a cheap form ofentertainment and further contributed to their expansion in American society. Occupying much of theNorth American consciousness at the time, sports helped provide opportunities for liberation as well associal reproduction . The idea to form an all-Chinese men's team came from accountantJames W. Porter . Porter held tryouts at theChinese Playground for the first ever Chinese professional team. The first team consisted of Fred Ming Gok, Fred Hong Wong, Albert Lee, George Lee, Robert "Doggie" Lum and Chauncey Yip. Members of the second season were Albert Lee, George Lee, Lum, Faye Lee, Douglas Quan and Arnold Lim.Partly out of a desire to find more favorable conditions, the players joined up and left to see the world outside Chinatown after high school. During high school, it's likely they played pick up games with or knew members of theMei Wahs through the shared site of theChinese Playground .Playing Style
At their tallest, the Hong Wah Kues stood at 5'11". The shortest was only 5'3". Mostly single, working class and second-generation immigrants, the players faced dead end jobs because of the prevalent discrimination in those days. However, the basketball court became an arena where there was opportunity to find an equalizer. While facing limited socio-economic possibilities, each of the Hong Wah Kues had extensive experience in basketball; many had won awards on their Chinese club teams and high school teams. For example, Gok, who stood 5'11", participated in several sports, was among the first Chinese lettermen at
Galileo High School and earned all-city honors. Another, Fred Hong Wong, was a three sport letterman in basketball,soccer and track. Wong later went on to win the 1948 SF Golden Gloves forlightweight division.With their athletic background, the Hong Wah Kues came together and utilized a fast up-tempo game with quick passes to their advantage.In the context of the Hong Wah Kues, basketball provided a means to get out and see America. From the audience's perspective, the "Oriental invaders" who spoke perfect English could be seen as aracially progressive force .On the Road
Players traveled November through March. Games took place once every night and twice on Sundays. Out of 80 games in 100 days of their first season, the Hong Wah Kues amassed a
winning percentage of 70 percent. Life on the road was hard; players were known to pile into a car immediately following a game because they had get to the next town. Seven crammed into one car; three in the front, three in the back and one ridinghassock . Players earned $135 each month but had to cover room, board, food and shoes. The team provided a car, a ball and one uniform. At this time,Abe Saperstein , owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, served as agent for the Hong Wah Kues. He would arrange their games and make sure the ticket fees were paid.Media Portrayals
In 1998,
KPIX-TV reporter Rick Quan earned anEmmy and anRTNDA award for his documentary on the Hong Wah Kues. [ [http://cbs5.com/bios/rick.quan.cbs.9.415218.html cbs5.com - Rick Quan ] ] They have also been featured inmuseum exhibits. [ [http://asianweek.com/060399/calendar.html AsianWeek's Arts & Entertainment Calendar ] ] During their active years, the Hong Wah Kues' experience withracism varied. In some towns, they foundAfrican-Americans received the brunt of the abuse. Fans were known to cheer on the team with phrases like "Go, Chinky!" Usage of theracial slur took on different meanings. Whereas typically used in a derogatory manner, cheering fans seemed to just use the term as a way of caricaturing the Asian athletes. This was in no small part due to the fact ad campaigns for the Hong Wah Kues tended to focus on messages like "invaders," "Oriental rug cutters," "sing song language" and similar constructions of their identity and masculinity; the players were required to speak Cantonese on the court. Under the theory of amatrix of domination , being of lower class origins and Chinese played a role in placing these athletes in positions of subjugation and objectification. At the same time, a serious free agency formed as the team co-opted heretofore harmful language into slogans for mass entertainment, thereby creating a contested terrain. Readers should keep in mind that scholars regard race as a social construction. ["The Story We Tell" in "RACE--the Power of Illusion" Vol 2. Prod. Larry Adelman. Writer. Jean Cheng & Innbo Shim. California Newsreel. PBS. 2003 http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm]ources
ee also
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/05/28/MN79372.DTLhttp://www.nasss.org/2004/index.phphttp://muse.jhu.edu/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/v030/30.2yep.htmlhttp://us_asians.tripod.com/timeline-1930.htmlhttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/CHINESE-AMERICAN+HOOPSTERS+HAD+A+BALL+TOURING+IN+'39-'40+:+BAY+AREA...-a083966414http://gustavus.edu/athletics/mbb/records/gamebygame/1930s.cfmhttp://66.35.240.8/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/05/16/SC94099.DTL
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