21 Aug 1850 Jahr - Four Chinese Houses

Beschreibung:

Not long after the immigration from China began, the Chinese in San Francisco organized into four associations, or houses. The associations corresponded to the regions from which the various Chinese emigrated, and new arrivals were easily sorted into the appropriate associations on the basis of their dialects.

For the Chinese, a particular obligation of the associations was the return to China of the bones of any argonaut who died in America, that he might be honored by his descendants.

By the end of 1850 the [Chinese] population had increased to 4,000, and by 1852 there were 18,000 Chinese in the state. As did other Gold Rush arrivals, most headed for the mining regions, where they worked in gangs to extract gold from the placers. But some settled in “Chinatown,” at first centered at Sacramento and Dupont (Grant Avenue) streets.

Because of the unfamiliarity of the mostly agrarian newcomers with the economic cultures and customs of the overseas settlements, a number of societies—some of them indigenous to the old country—emerged to facilitate their survival in the alien world. Governmental mandarins did not accompany the migrants because the Manchu rulers of China discouraged emigration. In their place—in addition to family associations, which admitted to membership all having the same surname—merchant companies called huiguans rose to prominence. The first such huiguan organized in San Francisco in 1850 was the Kong Chow Company. In 1851, the Sam Yup Company was formed out of three of the districts not covered by the Kong Chow Company. And later the Sze Yup Company split off from Kong Chow. By 1854, there were four companies, known as the Four Great Houses and by the 1860s there were six major mercantile huiguans.

https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Six_Companies

The district associations were very important
institutions for Chinese immigrants. These
organizations, later known as the Six Companies,
were similar to the landsmanshaften self-help
groups organized by groups of immigrants from
Europe. Each association was based on its own
district within Kwangtung Province. It provided its
members with a place to stay when they arrived in
California and helped them find work. If they
became sick or got in trouble with the law, the
district association would help out. And, if the
need arose, the association would even ship their
remains home to be buried.

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