Chen Fang
Chen Family moved to Meixi from Dongguan in Jiajing Emperor of Ming Dynasty. For over 600 years, the Family became larger and larger and developed into a famous group. Chen Fang, the title role of our story, was born rich in a Chen Family in 1825.
In 1849, Chen Fang went to Honolulu to do business with his uncle when he was 24 years old. He worked as an apprentice in the store and then began his own business to plant cane and make sugar. With his intelligences and diligences, he soon became a millionaire and was labeled “merchant prince of the sandalwood mountains”.
Chen Fang was not only a business talent but also a politics-savvy. To improve Chinese political position in Hawaii, he entered the Hawaii’s refined society with his unique way. He was elected a member of the privacy of Hawaiian Kingdom. Also, he married the member of Hawaiian Royalty. This allows Chen Fang help Hawaii Kingdom to institute a series policies, boosting Chinese’ development effectively. Furthermore, he was also a famous leader among Chinese.
In 1890, at his old age, Chen Fang retired gloriously. He traded off two-part ownership of his plantation and returned home with 600 thousands USD.
He worked tirelessly and enthusiastically for people in his hometown and earned Royal Stone Archways from Guanxu Emperor.
The lifetime of Chen Fang was a legend. Its first wife and the second Hawaiian wife Julia, bore 18 sons and daughters. Most of his offspring studied in America’s famous universities and did well in business and politics in China, Hong Kong, Macao, as well as Hawaii.
For example, his second son, Chen Xiyu, who supported Dr. Sun Yatsen with the revolution and assumed the office of Governor of Guang Dong Province; his third son, the merchant prince in Hong Kong and the header of Zhongshan County, Chen Yong’an. Today, most of Chen offspring live in USA, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Beijing and some other areas.
With the full and accurate historic events and rare pictures, Chen Family Exhibition will present you clearly that how Chen Fang went to abroad and made his way to success. Through the Exhibition, you may learn not only Chen Fang’s story but also his family’s 100-year history. It is a secret 100-year history about overseas Chinese, a story about philanthropist, as well as san endeavor story of overseas Chinese.
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