Norman Asing
Norman Asing, born Sang Yuen around 1800 in China, emerged as a prominent figure within the Chinese community in San Francisco during the mid-19th century. After traveling through Europe and becoming a naturalized citizen in the United States, Asing established himself as a merchant in South Carolina before moving to San Francisco amidst the California Gold Rush in 1849. He played a vital role in the Chinese Six Companies, a coalition of Chinese business leaders, and became known for his civic leadership and community engagement.
Asing opened several businesses, including a notable restaurant called the Golden Dragon, credited by some as the first Chinese restaurant and buffet in the United States, though this claim is debated by historians. Additionally, he managed theatrical performances that showcased Cantonese opera, marking a significant cultural contribution. Despite facing scrutiny and legal challenges concerning his business practices, Asing advocated for the rights of Chinese immigrants, notably challenging anti-Chinese sentiments through public letters and legal actions. His legacy lies in his efforts to support newly arrived immigrants and his commitment to defending the rights and dignity of the Chinese American community during a time of widespread discrimination.
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Subject Terms
Norman Asing
Chinese-born entrepreneur and activist
- Born: ca. 1800
- Place of Birth: Huangliang Du, China
- Died: Date unknown
- Place of Death: place unknown
Birth name: Sang Yuen
Areas of achievement: Activism, business
Early Life
Little is known about the early life of Norman Asing, who came from the Huangliang Du district of the Pearl River Delta in China. Although his exact birth date is unknown, it is estimated that he was born around 1800. Asing traveled throughout Europe before arriving in the United States around 1820. He became a naturalized US citizen. He first moved to New York City before relocating to South Carolina, where he established himself as a merchant. In 1849, at the time of the gold rush in California, Asing moved west to San Francisco. It is here that Asing became a leader in the Chinese community through his association with the Chinese Six Companies, an association of Chinese business leaders also known as the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
Life’s Work
Asing established himself as a civic leader in San Francisco, forming relationships with local law enforcement, participating in public ceremonies, and taking on a leadership role as a spokesperson for the Chinese community.
Asing also established several service businesses. He opened a mercantile store on Montgomery Street, a brothel on Jackson Street, and most notably, a restaurant called the Golden Dragon at the corner of Commercial and Kearny streets. It offered an all-you-can-eat menu that charged customers one dollar. Some historical accounts list this restaurant as the first Chinese restaurant in the United States and the first buffet-style Chinese restaurant. However, historians at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago are skeptical of the claim that Asing’s restaurant sparked a new dining trend in San Francisco. They have suggested that the few restaurants in Chinatown, according to city records from 1885 (thirteen restaurants as compared to sixty-nine Chinese brothels and thirty-six American brothels), likely did not have a mainstream, non-Asian patronage.
In addition to his service businesses, Asing took on the role of theater manager for the Tong Chick Company and the Tong Hook Tong Company. The company performed at the American Theatre on Sansom Street in San Francisco on October 18, 1852, in what was likely the first performance of a Cantonese opera in the United States. The production’s 123 musicians and performers were shareholders in the venture.
The same year, Asing wrote a letter to the governor of California, John Bigler, whom he viewed as attempting to exploit widespread anti-Chinese sentiment for political ends. In his letter, published in the Daily Alta California, Asing states plainly that the governor’s aim to initiate race-based immigration reforms violates the United States Constitution.
Perhaps Asing’s most significant involvement in business was his role as the elected leader of the Yeong Wo Association, one of the huiguan (Chinese Six Companies) in San Francisco. Asing formed the company in the early fall of 1852 with two colleagues. As the head of the Yeong Wo Association, Asing provided a number of services for newly arriving Chinese immigrants and for the Chinese population already living in San Francisco and outlying areas. Travel fares were arranged to the United States, initial room and board were provided, and registration and interpretation services were offered for a fee that was paid off after the new arrivals secured employment. Many of the practices of Asing’s company and the other companies came under the scrutiny of Americans, Chinese, and government officials. Asing was charged with taking advantage of Chinese immigrants through unscrupulous and oppressive tactics. On one occasion, he was taken to court by a well-established prostitute (“Miss May”) who accused Asing of extortion. Asing lost the case.
Significance
Despite the controversy surrounding some of his business practices, Asing’s life is significant in two areas. He provided much-needed services for Chinese immigrants in the San Francisco area. More critically, Asing used his status to defend the rights of Chinese in America at both the local and state levels. His strategic use of the United States Constitution in protesting Governor John Bigler’s request for federal restriction of Chinese immigration was demonstrative of his allegiance to the Chinese American community.
Bibliography
Asing, Norman. "Petition to California Governor John Bigler (1852)." National Constitution Center, 2024, constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/norman-asing-petition-to-california-governor-john-bigler. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Davis, David Brion. Antebellum American Culture: An Interpretive Anthology. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1997. Print.
Goloboy, Jennifer L. Industrial Revolution: People and Perspectives. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2008.
Lai, Him Mark. Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions. Lanham: AltaMira, 2004. Print.
Mullen, Kevin J. Chinatown Squad: Policing the Dragon from the Gold Rush to the Twenty-First Century. Hereford: Noir, 2008. Print.
Yung, Judy, Gordon H. Chang, and Him Mark Lai, eds. Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to Present. Berkeley: U of California P, 2006. Print.