20. LOY CHONG

My first memory of Loy Chong was in 2010. My mother had died and he came to the house to pay his condolences as well as accept a donation in her name to the nascent Red Maple Tree Garden begun at the east end of the Ching Ming Festival area at Fairview Cemetery. Loy Chong had also come the funeral home to collect donations, made in lieu of flowers, to the Ching Ming Festival.

Loy Chong did not surface in my consciousness again until I saw the Niagara Falls Ching Ming Festival website some time after my mother’s death. (The website was first posted as a blogspot in 2007. In 2015, Weebly became the host).

Looking at the posted Gallery from past Ching Ming Festival years, I was pleased to see photos of my brother volunteering at Ching Ming and to see Robert Wong’s familiar face. It was good that this annual Chinese tradition was observed and recorded. I noted that Loy Chong was the contact person for the website.

In the History section under "Head Tax", a photo shows Loy Chong alongside my mother and brother. The caption states that he had assisted them with their application for Head Tax redress.

I did not recall my brother mentioning Loy Chong during the lengthy application process but that may have been because the research for documentation at my end had been intense and arduous. I do admit at the time of seeing Loy Chong’s photo, I felt a bit piqued to see him identified as assisting in the application. I wondered what help he rendered.

Having become more acquainted with Loy Chong after my attendance at the Ching Ming Festival in June 2017 and since the inception of my blog and its research, I have come to understand why Loy Chong is so prominent in the Niagara Falls Chinese community in Niagara Falls.

Head Tax Redress

In 2006, the Government of Canada announced a symbolic redress of $20,000.00 would be awarded to each surviving head tax payer and/or surviving spouse. My brother, Jack Lee, seemed reluctant to apply on behalf of our mother. He believed our father had let go of this wrong a long time ago by burning his head tax certificate.

On the other hand, I argued that the redress would go a long way in replacing her hearing aids, dentures and glasses that were constantly going missing at Oakwood Park Lodge. Jack could buy extra salves to rub on the soles of Mother’s feet with redress money. With the support of my husband, we’d do all the legwork I told him. My brother agreed. He needed only to wait and get some signatures for the application.

After many hours of peering through endless names on microfilm we finally found what turned out to be the official numbers to my father’s head tax certificate. In 2007, my mother received a payment of $20,000 along with an official written apology from the Canadian government.

Those are the pieces of the head tax redress that I experienced. But, stories are many-sided.

I learned from Loy Chong that he was the Niagara Falls representative to the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families. He attended meetings in Toronto and brought the information back to the community including to my brother.

Loy Chong told me that after my mother was awarded the redress, my brother presented him with a small monetary token of appreciation. In ways unknown to me, Loy Chong had been of assistance. I just didn’t know the details of the story.

Past Shapes Present

In order to support the ongoing campaign for head tax redress, Loy Chong told how his own life had been impacted by the imposition of the Head Tax on his father. (See also Post #7).

 Photo by Mike Battista, The Review

 Like many stories told by head tax families, Loy Chong’s story is one of adversity but also of resilience. It illuminates who he is. The following biography appeared in Chinese Head Tax Redress – Our History in Canada 1983-2012 and is copied here with permission from Ling Wang, the translator.

Learning about Loy Chong’s past, I understand his passion for history – for he bears its mark – and the pride he has in being Chinese.

Present Creates a Legacy

2017 represents Loy Chong’s fifty-fourth year of attendance and service at the Niagara Falls Ching Ming Festival. He has been on the executive for a number of years with the last several in the role of president.

His tenure has overseen the creation of a website, compilations of annual Ching Ming Festival events onto multiple DVDs, and recognition of the Ching Ming Festival (Chinese Community) as both a Silver Sponsor of Fairview Cemetery’s One Hundred Twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebration (1883-2008) and contributor to the time capsule.

Fairview Cemetery's 125th Anniversary Celebration, 2008
Cynthia Roberts, Manager of Fairview Cemetery& Parks Services; Rob Nicholson, MP; Kim Craitor, MPP; Loy Chong, Ching Ming Festival President; Mayor Ted Salci (L-R)

At the same time, Loy Chong has become a well-known face associated with the Ching Ming Festival. He believes that Chinese people do not like to explain what they are doing or why. However, in the case of the Ching Ming Festival, it is important to make the activities of the Chinese community transparent so Westerners do not misunderstand the purpose of the festival.

Even as a child, I cringed at the thought school friends might see me picnicking in the cemetery and consider how strange and disrespectful the Chinese were. Loy Chong has worked to insure there is no such misinterpretation.

About 1990 when Bill Smeaton was in office as mayor, Loy Chong planned to meet with him to explain the customs and importance of Ching Ming. On the way, he ran into Murray Johnston, Building Engineer. He and Loy Chong were previously acquainted and began talking about Loy Chong's purpose for being at City Hall.
Murray Johnston sprang into action and phoned Jake Clark, Supervisor of Cemeteries. An understanding was reached.
Murray Johnston told Loy Chong that he did not to see the mayor to get approval for the Ching Ming Festival. An informal agreement had been reached with David Reid, Fairview Cemetery Manager, and held until his retirement.
In 2002, Loy Chong along with Robert Wong, Chick Lew, Moon Chong, and Kim Craitor met with the new Fairview Cemetery Manager, Cynthia Roberts. The purpose of Ching Ming was clarified and further endorsed by the granting of an official permit (September 24, 2002) to hold the event annually at Fairview Cemetery.

From that time forward, politicians and other dignitaries have been invited to attend and participate in Ching Ming as recognition of this valued Chinese custom and ongoing support and cooperation.

Ching Ming Festival, 2010
Tracy Always, representing Rob Nicholson, MP; Mrs.Sharon Salci; Ted Salci, Mayor; Kim Craitor, MPP; Henry Fong, Ching Ming Festival Committee; Loy Chong, Ching Ming Festival President (L-R)

Loy Chong was also a major force in the development of the Red Maple Tree Garden Section W of Fairview Cemetery. This section of the cemetery, directly adjacent to the Ching Ming Festival area, provided 208 burial plots. A traditional Chinese arch, designed by Ms. Zhou Lu (from Texas) and built by Mike Watson and Brad Murray of Yardmasters Niagara further enhanced the setting of red maples and gingko trees. All work on the arch was completed by volunteers.

Red Maple Tree Garden, 2017
Henry Fong, Kim Craitor, Nancy Cao, Sea Pui Fong, Mark Richardson, Loy Chong, Brad Murray, Mike Watson (L-R)

The Section W plots were popular with the Chinese community due to their location, affordability and tranquil setting. In appreciation, buyers often made a donation to the Ching Ming Festival.

In 2007, many of the remaining Niagara Falls Chinatown buildings were demolished. But Loy Chong has endeavoured to keep the history of the Chinese in Niagara Falls alive through the Niagara Falls Ching Ming Festival website and his support of this blog so his children and others may know what went before them.

Loy Chong, his wife FUNG NGAN CHONG and two sons, KAN and YEIT, arrived in Niagara Falls in 1964.

Son, JACK, and two daughters, IRENE and ELAINE, were born later in Niagara Falls.

Today, Loy Chong’s grandchildren embrace diverse cultures just as his own children adopted Canadian ways.

Kan’s daughter, Linda graduated in business and speaks both English and Cantonese.

Yeit has two daughters, Kayla and Rachel. Kayla became a Canada Figure Skating Judge.

Jack’s son, Joshua is going to public school where he speaks English. He also attends a school to learn Mandarin.

Irene, like many North Americans, has found joy in her two dogs.

Elaine’s daughter, Caitlynne, will enter high school next year. She speaks English, French, and Farsi.

On January 17, 2020, Fung Ngan Chong (b. August 24, 1938) passed away. She had been born in China and was predeceased by her parents Teem Geet Tam and Yau Kam Tam.