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Three Coins – A fascinating tale of true love in old San Francisco Chinatown

Three Coins, Ah Ying as a teen
Ah Ying as a teenager. Photograph by Thomas Houseworth 1880’s.

By Raymond Douglas Chong (Zhang Weiming)

Three Coins – A Young Girl’s Story of Kidnappings, Slavery, and Romance in 19th Century America is a fascinating tale of true love in old San Francisco Chinatown during the late 19th century, between Ah Ying (woman) and Gee Sung (Hung Lai Wah) (man).

Dr. Russell Low, a radiologist in La Jolla, California, poignantly writes about the real tale of blossoming romance between Ah Ying and Gee Sung, his great grandparents. Gee Hung was a Chinese railroad worker during Transcontinental Railroad from Toishan (Taishan) of Kwangtung (Guangdong).

During the early days on Gold Mountain (America), Chinese families sadly sold their daughters to become slave girls for servitude for merchants and prostitution for owners. The book title Three Coins, refers to the day that 9-year-old Ah Ying is about to be kidnapped and taken to America as a child slave. Her mother hands her three coins. She instructs her daughter to throw them into the water to protect her on her journey. Ah Ying, unaware of her fate, does not understand but places the three coins into her pocket for safekeeping.

Three Coins, Christian Stairway
“Christian Stairway” by Thomas Houseworth mid 1880’s at Occidental Home for Chinese girls at 933 Sacramento Street. Courtesy of Greg Kimm whose great grandmother Ah Mooie was a sister of Ah Ying at the Mission Home.

In 1880, Ah Ying is a servant under a rich Chinese merchant, who brutally beats and burns her while she defiantly endures. In 1886, she boldly escapes to Presbyterian Mission House where Margaret Culberson protects Chinese slave girls from servitude and prostitution. Ah Ying falls in love with Gee Sung, a successful cigar maker. In 1888, she flees the Mission House to escape its harsh captivity to marry Gee Sung. But two highbinders (gangsters) kidnaps Ah Ying but she later eludes them, but police officers unintentionally return her to the Mission House.

In a sensational trial, Superior Court Judge Daniel Murphy reviewed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus by Gee Hung to return Ah Ying. The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper vividly covers their love story. Judge Murphy rules in favor of Ah Ying and Gee Hung. Shortly, Justice of Peace officially marries them.  Afterward, they raise their children in San Francisco Chinatown, until the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

In Three Coins, Low brilliantly creates an exotic world of old San Francisco Chinatown with vivid dialogues. He carefully covers racial discrimination during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. It subtly tells an unknown experience of Chinese Americans on Gold Mountain.

Three Coins, the Hong Family
September 1903 photograph of the Hong family in San Francisco. The two parents Tom Ah Ying, Hung Lai Wah with their children Left to Right – Chung Ngo, Ah Kay, Kim Toon, Bing Quong, and Kim Seung. This is the last time the family was together. The Chinese Exclusion Act has made money and food scarce, and the family it being forced to separate to survive.

Dr. Low pensively mused:

Three Coins is a celebration of the immigrant spirit of a fiercely determined young girl who refused to quit fighting for her freedom or to be held down by slave owners, missionaries and Tong highbinders. Ah Ying took control of her life, and against great odds, survived and found romance. Through her 100 descendants, she changed the world in ways she never could have imagined.

Ah Ying’s romantic interest is Hung Lai Wah, a Transcontinental Railroad worker. The adventures of Lai Wah and his brother offer a compelling story of courage as they help to build the railroad that transformed and united our nation.

We all have stories like these in our families that we should cherish and retell to honor those who sacrificed so that we could become Americans.

Three Coins is available from Amazon.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. RE: Three Coins: A fascinating tale of true love in Old SF Chinatown: This sounds like an amazing story! Is there any way to get in contact with Dr. Low?

  2. I just finished reading Three Coins and was amazed at what Ah Gew/Ah Ying had to endure… what a strong young lady to persevere under such hardship. Not only Ah Ying, but all of the young girls who were kidnapped and sold into slavery of one kind or another.
    I am Thankful that Russell Low’s great grandmother was Blessed through Margaret Culbertson. Just as I am eternally grateful to God for Blessing my three Chinese grandchildren in allowing my daughter and son-in-law to meet and adopt them from China. They in turn have Blessed all of our lives in a most remarkable way.

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