National Register Listing

Chee Ying Society

a.k.a. Chee Yuen Society;Chinese Clubhouse

HI 24, Honokaa, HI

When the Chinese workers came to Hawaii, mainly for the purpose of working on the sugar plantations, secret societies such as Hung Men and other fraternal organizations, were founded by the workers. The societies in Hawaii all had common goals of supporting their culture by building a clubhouse, providing recreational outlets, financial assistance, and fellowship to their members, all of whom joined for life. Participation in the societies by women was limited. Members of one Hung Men society were considered to be members of all Hung Men societies throughout the world. Thus, if a member of a California Hung Men Society were traveling through Hawaii, his room and board would be provided by a local Hung Men Society. If he became ill, he would be taken care of by that Society. If he died, he would be buried by the Society.

The activities of the Chee Ying Society included companionship and celebration of festivals. The members grew fruits and vegetables, and some of the flora imported from China is extant. Other activities probably included gambling and opium smoking. The members would meet to exchange news of China with people from other islands, and read, or have read to them Chinese newspapers. The festivals and celebrations have included the Kuan Ti festival, to celebrate the god, the New Year festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year, and Ching Ming in April, when offerings were made at ancestral graves. At these festivals, the pork cooker located next to the cookhouse would have been used to prepare Chinese pork. Each society had one high priest, usually on the premises. It is uncertain if a high priest lived at Chee Ying, or whether he was brought in from Ket On Society or Chee Kung Tong Society in Honolulu. In general, the Hung Men's Societies which supported the restoration of the Ming Dynasty channeled their political support to Sun Yat-sen after the turn of the century.

According to Tin-Yuke Char, the societies' main purpose was to "engage in peaceful activities of mutual protection and mutual welfare. Their chief concerns were care of the elderly and disabled and burial for the dead... Smaller disputes among the Chinese were settled by Triad moral codes. The cemetery formed a very integral part of the Hung Men organizations. The choice of site for the Society building and the adjacent cemetery was *Women could not be members, and were allowed only on the first floor of the building.

dependent upon a location that was "on sloping ground and of great natural beauty"3 The site was chosen for a good view and much space, so. that the spirits could roam freely around the area. When a person was buried, a headstone was placed at the gravesite. Frequently the remains would be disinterred and sent back to the ancestral village in China if another person were going back there. The remains were returned to China in the following way. They were ceremoniously taken out of the grave and washed after they had been in there for an extended period of time. Then they were wrapped and carried back to the ancestral village. At this time the headstone would be removed from the former grave. Later in Hawaii Hung Men Society histories, the remains were no longer sent back to China. The economic structure of the societies was such that an initiation fee was paid. Any money coming from a member of the society after that time was purely on a donation basis. The donations to the society covered maintenance of the building and ceremonial supplies, and money for the support of traveling Hung Men members, and those members who were ill and dying and had come to the Society to be provided for. In some ways the society was self-sufficient, growing many of its own vegetables to feed members. No funds were donated for disinterring remains and sending them back to ancestral villages. Donations were recorded on the walls, showing an item a list of donors, and the amount given. Donations probably were given to Sun Yat-sen although no specific details were recorded due to political situations.

The remains of the house behind the cook house, are the remains of what was probably the building used to house the elderly and sick. There was no place in the plantation camps for the old, sick, and indigent to go to prepare themselves for death.

Traditionally the Chinese prepared themselves for death by choosing a site in which to be buried, and clothes in which to be buried. The Chee Ying Society was a place for them to search for that sense of peace. There was no fear of death among them, according to Chinese tradition. They would prepare themselves and then pass on. The building is constructed with a hierarchy noticeable in the plans and function and in certain design elements of the structure. The lower store contained the public meeting room, which was also used for community gatherings, and possibly a Chinese language school for the children of Chee Ying Society members. The main room of the upper story is where the altar to Kuan Ti was located. The table, as well as some of the minor elements, remain.
The first and second-story rooms at the rear of the building, virtually shut off from the rest of the structure, were probably used for gambling and opium smoking. On the second floor, the posts of the veranda are decorated with jigsawn brackets, which serve to place more importance on this floor. These contribute to the subtle hierarchy of elements of the building.

Local significance of the district:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.