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{{Short description|Chinese-American fraternal organization}}
{{No footnotes|date=April 2009}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}
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[[File:Seattle Bing Kung Association 03.jpg|thumb|Bing Kung Association building in Seattle [[Chinatown-International District, Seattle|Chinatown]]]]
The '''Bing Kong Tong''' ({{zh|c=秉公堂|p=Bǐnggōng Táng|j=bing2 gung1 tong4|first=j}}) was one of the most powerful [[Tong (gang)|Tongs]] in [[San Francisco]]'s [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] during the early 20th century. Since most immigrants from China to the United States during the 19th century were from the province of [[Guangdong]], Chinatowns founded at that time used place names which were transliterated from [[Cantonese]]. The literal translation of {{zh|t=堂|j=tong4|labels=no}} is "hall", while {{zh|t=秉公|j=bing2 gung1|labels=no}} translates to "with justice."


==History==
The '''Bing Kong Tong''' ({{zh|c=秉公堂|p=Bǐnggōng Táng}}) was one of the powerful [[Tong (gang)|Tongs]] in [[San Francisco]]'s [[Chinatown, San Francisco, California|Chinatown]] during the early 20th century. Since most, if not all, Chinatowns founded in the United States in the 19th century were founded by migrants from the province of Canton (''Guangdong'' in mandarin Chinese, which is a spoken Chinese dialect different from that spoken by the Cantonese), many place names were transliterated from the Cantonese dialect. The word 堂, "tong" or "tong4", here means "hall" and is not to be confused with 黨, "dong2", which means gang or (political) party. Bing Kong Tong would be more accurately transliterated as "Bing2 Goong1 Tong4", meaning "hall upholding justice". Unfortunately, perhaps owing to the fact that many halls rivaled each other and had loyalists who would form gangs, it seems that the confusion has been perpetrated and perpetuated. (The difference between the correct word and the almost-correct word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. --Mark Twain)
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Also known as the Bing Kong Tong Society (or Bing Kung Association in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]), the organization was one of the largest in California when the [[Hop Sing Tong|Hop Sing]] and [[Suey Sing Tong]]s allied against the Bing Kong Tong, instigating one of the most violent [[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<!---not the redirected pseudonym for 1950s novelist David Karp --->,<ref>Street, Richard Steven. [https://books.google.com/books?id=DxOHu1EP36cC ''Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769-1913'']. Stanford University Press, 2004. {{ISBN|0-8047-3880-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8047-3880-4}}. p398.</ref> 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 emerge as a [[trade union]], although it is suspected by federal and local law enforcement officials to still have remaining ties to [[organized crime]].{{cn|reason="ties to organized crime" requires attribution|date=March 2019}}
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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 Tong|Hop Sing]] and [[Suey Sing Tong]]s 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]]<ref>Street, Richard Steven. [http://books.google.com/books?id=DxOHu1EP36cC ''Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769-1913'']. Stanford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8047-3880-7, ISBN 978-0-8047-3880-4. p398. </ref>, 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]].

==Branches==
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[[File:Seattle Bing Kung Association 01.jpg|thumb|The Bing Kung Association building in Seattle, Washington.]]
The Bing Kong Tong has several branches in the United States including in:
* [[Bakersfield, California]] - 705 18th Street (''defunct'')
* [[Fresno, California]] - 925 China Alley
* [[Isleton, California]] - 29 Main Street (''defunct'')
* [[Los Angeles, California]] - 963 N Broadway
* [[Oakland, California]] - 374 8th Street
* [[Oxnard, California]] - 751 S Oxnard Boulevard
* [[Portland, Oregon]] - 24 NW 4th Avenue
* [[Sacramento, California]] - 918 5th Street
* [[Salinas, California]] - 16 Soledad Street
* [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] - 1212 S State Street
* [[San Francisco, California]] - 35 Waverly Place
* [[Seattle, Washington]] - 706 S King Street
* [[Stockton, California]] - 440 S San Joaquin Street
* [[Walnut Grove, California]] - 14136 Market Street (''defunct'')


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


*Devito, Carlo. ''Encyclopedia of International Organized Crime'', Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-4848-7
*Devito, Carlo. ''Encyclopedia of International Organized Crime'', Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2005. {{ISBN|0-8160-4848-7}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.bingkongtong.com/ Bing Kong Tong website] (in Traditional Chinese)
* [http://www.bingkongtong.com/ Bing Kong Tong website] (in Traditional Chinese)
* [http://www.zsql.org/news.asp?newsid=472 History of Chinese Associations in Fresno] (in Simplified Chinese)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080617142953/http://www.zsql.org/news.asp?newsid=472 History of Chinese Associations in Fresno] (in Simplified Chinese)


{{Chinatown, San Francisco}}
{{Chinese American}}
{{Chinese American}}
{{Chinese American organizations}}
{{Chinese American organizations}}
{{Organized crime groups in the United States}}
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[[Category:Chinese American organizations]]

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[[Category:Chinese in California]]
[[Category:Gangs in San Francisco, California]]
[[Category:Chinatown, San Francisco]]
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[[Category:Chinese-American culture in San Francisco]]
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[[Category:Gangs in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Tongs (organizations)]]
[[Category:Tongs (organizations)]]

Latest revision as of 17:54, 10 October 2024

Bing Kung Association building in Seattle Chinatown

The Bing Kong Tong (Chinese: 秉公堂; Jyutping: bing2 gung1 tong4; pinyin: Bǐnggōng Táng) was one of the most powerful Tongs in San Francisco's Chinatown during the early 20th century. Since most immigrants from China to the United States during the 19th century were from the province of Guangdong, Chinatowns founded at that time used place names which were transliterated from Cantonese. The literal translation of 堂; tong4 is "hall", while 秉公; bing2 gung1 translates to "with justice."

History

[edit]

Also 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 Kong Tong, instigating one of the most violent 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 emerge as a trade union, although it is suspected by federal and local law enforcement officials to still have remaining ties to organized crime.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Street, Richard Steven. Beasts of the Field: A Narrative History of California Farmworkers, 1769-1913. Stanford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8047-3880-7, ISBN 978-0-8047-3880-4. p398.
  • Devito, Carlo. Encyclopedia of International Organized Crime, Facts On File, Inc.: New York, 2005. ISBN 0-8160-4848-7
[edit]
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