Kenneth Ho 何松生
Kenneth Ho was born in Sunwui in Guangzhou, China. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 and attended California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Ho worked in
the aerospace and defense contract industries as a structural analyst, and began volunteering with Kong Chow Association in the 1970s. He was elected to become president of the association in 2001, and retired in 2013.
Kenneth Ho was interviewed by Suellen Cheng and Eugene Moy on August 5, 2024.
History of the Kong Chow Association
Kenneth Ho: Kong Chow, the history is 130 or something like that [years old]. We just went up to San Francisco to celebrate 170 years established, but the Los Angeles, Southern California [branch], they are about 1890, ’89.
Timestamp: [00:41:43]
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Kenneth Ho: Kong Chow Chinese establishments [are] Ng Yup [五邑] Toisan [台山] Hoiping [開平]. Yan Ping [恩平]. Hok San [鶴山], Sunwui [新會]…Originally, Kong Chow is the first establishment, but these people gather together for protection or shelter. They usually go to temple so they establish, what they called Kong Chow Mew [岡州廟], “the place for the goddess of justice” or other fairy that for blessing, so people gather that way, but later more and more Chinese come so they spreading out into regional: Toisan, Hoiping, Sunwei. So we only left with the Kong Chow Wei Guan [岡州會館]. They no longer call [it] a temple. They call Wei Guan [會館]. Ling Yang Wei Gong[寧陽會館], Lung Kong Gong Zhou [龍岡公所], or whatever they call it. So they left us with just Sanwei and Hok San, two locales.
Timestamp: [00:43:17]
Challenges Facing the Kong Chow Association
Kenneth Ho: We try to do all kind of, you know, each year we want to impress the kids. Well, hey, we have association activity like picnics and commemoration of the building establishment or the spring banquet and New Year. One time we have, like, a Hong Kwon [漢宮 Empress Pavilion]. We have like 75 tables…and now we hardly can fill up 15 tables.
Timestamp: [00:47:06]
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Kenneth Ho: We [are] nonprofit, but nobody give us any money as opposed to, well, income has been dwindled for the last few years because the rental situation. And Chinatown have been very rundown since I, you know, I don’t hung around Chinatown since 1965, you know like that. When you have a kid, you have a car, you can drive all over. You can see how the city been, you know, economically come down already…There ought to be a lot more people with more dedication, with responsibility for the community.
Timestamp: [00:48:05]
Membership in the Kong Chow Association
Kenneth Ho: Occasionally, we have recruit member. We try to encompass, in larger recruiting membership qualification. The old established, you know, associations, regulations are you must be a Sunwui or Hok San member, from there. But we want to open up like saying that the spouse, children as well. But with spouse, the women from the Kong Chow member, okay? She married to outsider, Toisan, Hoiping, other people. But they no longer become [eligible]….they just want to restrict it so that only for men from Sunwui or Hok San.
Eugene Moy: To be a member. So, are you or some others working on changing the requirements?
Kenneth Ho: We try to work on it and also try to entice the younger people, encourage you, call you to come to serve the association and help out on that.
Timestamp: [00:51:18]
Social Activities in the Kong Chow Association
Suellen Cheng: Could you share with us what was your most proud moment of that era [the 2000s]? What did you do that you can think that is—?
Kenneth Ho: At that time, everybody want to join Kong Chow, so, because we have a lot of activity going on, especially Tuesday evening, they have instruction of singing and the chorus group, like that, and we have dinner. Women start cooking dinner. We met everyone that know their, you know, this community here, come join us to have dinner. Even though it’s a minimum fee, like three bucks. But that’s nothing, you know? That was good. And, we have like 80, somewhat 80 people come up to join and, after work, they want to stay for singing lessons, things like that. They’re welcome.
Timestamp: [00:58:12]
Future of the Kong Chow Association
Kenneth Ho: Yeah. So Kong Chow still need a lot of improvement to do. We need not too many people, actually, from Sunwui or Hok San. They, you know, sign in or join the membership. I think the new immigrant, they are too busy making a living as well. Some of them are not aware that Kong Chow is actually Sunwui association. So we need to, you know, open it up and put up some announcement or news, something like that to the community, find out if they want to join the association if they are from Sunwui or Hok San.
Timestamp: [01:09:55]
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Kenneth Ho: Right now is, let’s take care of the financial situation, you know, and get the income coming from the rental downstairs for the building. It’s tough. It’s tough. We have been enjoying the last 30 years, with good income, but last six or seven years, no income. So, yeah, I’m sure that all these associations have the same problem. Mostly, it’s just the manpower support. The old Chinese saying that you can, what do you call it, [ji yi rong yi] [置業容易]. “You establish your establishment is easy, but to maintain it is tough and difficult [ji yi rong yi, sao yip nan [置業容易，守業難].”
Timestamp: [01:13:45]