The more and more I drive in and around downtown Fresno, the more I find. Interesting correlation. My latest journey takes me down to Fresno’s Chinatown. Yes, we have a Chinatown. If you can orientate yourself while in downtown Fresno Chinatown is located to the west. It’s not a Chinatown that see’s much activity but more of the remains of a Chinatown. There are a few buildings that fit the architectural stereotype but we’ll get into those later. What caught my attention was a building in “China Alley” behind Central Fish Co. It read, “Bing Kong Association.” I looked it up on Google and found this on Wikipedia.
“The Bing Kong Tong (Chinese: 秉公堂; pinyin: Bǐnggōng Táng) was one of the powerful Tongs in San Francisco's Chinatown during the early 20th century.
Known as the Bing Kong Tong Society (or Bing Kung Association in Seattle, Washington), the organization was one of the largest in California when the Hop Sing and Suey Sing Tongs allied against the Bing Kongs, instigating one of the most violent of the Tong wars in the United States. As the gang war continued, the numerous murders caught the attention of the press as the often gruesome slayings were detailed. Eventually an investigation headed by Santa Rosa, California attorney Wallace L. Ware[1], in cooperation with the District Attorney's office, exposed the extent of the Bing Kongs influence throughout the Chinese American populations along the west coast and southwestern United States (as far as the conviction of four members for a Tong murder in Kingman, Arizona). Weakened by the decade long war against the rival Tongs as well as state authorities, the Bing Kongs would eventually merge as a powerful trade union, under the Association; Free Masons although it is suspected by federal and local law enforcement officials to still have remaining ties to organized crime.
The Bing Kong Tong has several branches in the United States including in:
§ Fresno, California - Located at 925 China Alley”
It looks like the building had been used recently so my task is to find out what it’s used for. It’s a neat piece of history in our hometown.
I'll end this post with a whimsical sign I stumbled upon by Hotel Fresno.
