Howland: Tell me about your childhood. Describe the place where you grew up.

Linda: I came to America when I was 14, and when I turned 16 I immediately started working. My family was big and my dad was sick. So me and my twin sister went to a sweatshop factory in order to make money to support our family.

Howland: And you lived in Philly your whole life?

Linda: Yeah, because my uncle helped us come here to America and he lived in Philly. We didn’t speak any English, so we came to Chinatown in order for us to fit in a little bit. We also had a job here, so we didn’t move and our family liked Chinatown as there were other Chinese people. However, there were barely any Chinese people here. Every 6 months we would see a Chinese person; we mostly saw white and Black people, but rarely many Chinese. 

Howland: Have you owned or worked at any businesses in Chinatown? 

Linda: In 1980, I worked at a restaurant called Duk Hin with my friends. Now it sells Vietnamese food which is called Little Saigon.

Howland: How long did you work there? 

Linda: 3 years, because the partner for our business did not fit with us. 

Howland: After you worked at that restaurant, did you work anywhere else? 

Linda: Yeah I worked at a seafood store. It was pretty famous. It was called Tai Pang. But I only worked there for one year around 1982. I also worked as a dealer in Atlantic City in 1986 at Harrah’s. I worked as a cashier until I got my license as a dealer. Customers always complained though, since I didn’t know English. The supervisors, however, really liked me because I would always have a good attitude, smile, and have good manners. I was working there for a year until I got pregnant. I was married to my husband for 11 years and this was my first time pregnant. There were many times where we couldn’t have a baby because of his health problems but it was always blamed on me. I tried 6 times and I got really sick. 

When my husband’s family wanted to come over here, I worked at the casino in order to get money to apply for them to come here. When my husband’s family came two months later, they really didn’t like me because I had no baby. My mother-in-law was upset and said, “You must divorce her.” My husband said “I only have one family so let's get a divorce.” He doesn't have cousins, he doesn't have friends. He jumped ship and I married him. Okay, I was upset and I said fine, so I moved to Atlantic City since I worked there. My sister had an apartment there so I lived with her. Within two months I felt very sick and dizzy, so I was sent to the hospital. “Congratulations! You are 9 weeks pregnant!” I was beyond happy and cried so loud the entire hospital heard me. I immediately called my husband and he came over to Atlantic City and he picked me up. But my parents-in-law didn’t like me and I didn’t care. So my husband went to China to get medicine and doctors to see if it will do good for me. But it was his health problems. When my husband’s parents came to America I had some money, and when I had my baby,  my cousin said, “You can’t go back to the casino, so why don’t you make a Chinese restaurant since they are very famous.” Do you know the Mr. Wish spot? It was my old restaurant. When I had no baby I had money; when I had a baby, no money. My grandma told me that it's not about the money, it's about the life of the precious baby. I believed her. It was stressful, working nonstop to pay back the debt. I had basically nothing, so I applied for a loan which I used to slowly pay off my debts to people. In five years I paid off my debt.

My mother has 7 children. My brother has a mental problem. When they came to America, I was 14, the youngest was 1 and a half years old, the third sister was 11, and the other one was 9 and 5. My uncle was very upset when we came to America because he didn’t know that my father had 7 children and that he was sick. My brother also has a problem, so all these things made my uncle think we will burden him.  My uncle wrote in a letter, “If I knew you guys were struggling I would’ve sent money instead of you coming to America, but it's too late.” We never bothered my uncle and never asked him for help. When I turned 15, I immediately worked at a restaurant and washed dishes for $5 for 12 hours. This was in 1971. I remembered the first day working when two young Black men came in, closed all the doors, and started yelling for money. I didn’t know what was going on and since I spoke no English, I continued to wipe down the tables. Eventually, I heard BANG BANG, coming from the bathroom and ran away. The cashier and kitchen staff came out from the kitchen and immediately asked if I was okay. I said, “What? What?” Then I realized what happened, my heart sank and I was so scared. 

Howland: They shot up the bathroom? 

Linda: Yeah, they didn’t manage to take anything, so in retaliation they destroyed the bathroom and they had to pay for damages. I was so lucky nothing happened to me like that, especially on my first day here. My father was very sick in the hospital and no one made enough money to support our family except for my mother. One day I got a letter from my father, saying we should learn how to sew. So, when I was 12, me and my twin sister went to work at a sweatshop, then came to America when I was 14. My uncle did not let me work since, in America, you need to be 16 in order to work. One dollar in America is 7 dollars in Hong Kong. That's why I was so eager to work, even though I was so tired. I made way more money in America and I gave everything to my mom and family. My brother had problems and we got him a job at a restaurant, but the boss only gave him $200 a month. $200 a month working every day for 12 hours was crazy. My mother, me and my twin, my other sister, and my brother all worked in order to get an apartment in Chinatown. When we were living in Hong Kong, rooms were so tight, especially for a family of 9, so when we finally got an apartment in Chinatown we were so happy because of the space, and that's why I love America. In 1981, my brother was so old that they sent him to China to find a girl. He eventually did, and she married him regardless of his problems. Then we went back to China for a month and went back to our old house, and I was shocked at how small it was and how we lived like this back then. So when I went back to America, I promised never to come back again.  In 1981, I went once and never came back. In America, I love it because when I was 18, I had a car and I drove for 48 years. When my daughter comes and visits, I like to drive across a couple streets for fun. 

Howland: Wow, so your life has been so crazy.

Linda: Yeah, because my husband had no immigration card and it cost a lot of money to get his family over here. I helped them so much and they took so much money. They all came here and bought many houses in the northeast and never once gave me even a cent. I always gave money to their family and I always helped other people. I sent so much money to them. 

Howland: You are such a nice and kind person.

Linda: Not a nice person, I’m a stupid person. I’m so dumb. That's why I feel so sorry for my children. 

Howland: I do understand to some degree when my mom came here and helped so much. 

Linda: Did you know my sister, my younger sister works as a pharmacist and she makes so much money? So one day I asked her, “If you have so much money, why don’t you give any to Dad?” She said, “I’m not like you so dumb, It's my money I worked for it. That's why you are so poor because you give your money away and don’t save.” She’s 57, no children because of problems.

Rodney: I’m turning 52 soon.

Linda: We are not young, you know. Many people call me “a pou,” Grandma. I’m 67 years old and my twin sister has 3 grandchildren. The youngest is 4 years old. In her first year of marriage, she had a baby. I married and it took 11 years until my first.  My youngest is 31 years old. 

Howland: So how long have you been in Chinatown?

Linda: 53 years.

Howland: Wow. Have you ever thought of moving somewhere else in Philly?

Linda: No. If I do move, it will be around the area. I moved eleven times. I'm so tired. In 1977, we moved to Michigan, Detroit, only for a year because we wanted to make money. Only one year, and then we came back because my lawyer died. He applied for my husband to come here, so my sister said that Imust come back in order to apply for my husband to come here. I told my boss and we moved back to Philadelphia. Now we don't go anywhere else. That's why my husband in 1981 could get the immigration card. My lawyer said not to send my brother to Hong Kong because there's a chance he might not be able to come back. So we sent him to Canada. On July 4th, my husband told me that I got the immigration card ready!   

Howland: How has Chinatown changed in the last 10 to 20 years?

Linda: Wow, it has changed so much.

Linda: Are you talking about these last 20 years or the last 53 years? 

Howland: 53 years, since you lived here for so long. 

Linda: Chinatown is so small. There are only 4 to 5 supermarkets and like 10 or so stores. So back then when you wanted to eat duck, you would need to pre-order it for a week, because they don’t know how to make it since the duck came from New York. You would get the number, then you would go to buy. If you don’t have a number, you can’t buy it. So in 5-6 years, people start to try to make the duck. Do you know Lee How Fook? It's the first place to sell duck. It's very good, but it's very expensive. After Lee How Fook, they started to make dim sum, roast duck, and chicken. So when we tried to order some duck, it would always be sold out because everyone wanted it. Now, you can buy duck everywhere because there are so many stores everywhere. Supermarkets, there are too many. When I had to go to New York back then, we would buy so much food and bring it back, but now that Chinatown in Philly grew, I haven’t driven back in 15 years.

When I first met AAU it was in the 2000s. My first son James went to Macau when he was 7, then my second son followed. So when AAU’s John and May were out knocking apartments nearby for interviews, no one bothered to answer but me. They came in and we talked and talked. They were Chinese and born here, but they couldn’t speak Chinese very well. They asked me what happened and helped me a lot, so now when AAU asks me for help, I always help. I remember one day they came to my apartment and they asked, “ Hey Linda, can you help me go to a Catholic place and help me look for a sister?” We are applying for money for AAU. I’m Catholic; when I came to America, I went to Holy Redeemer School. When I was a kid, my uncle told me to go to school and not work. I loved God because the principal loved my sister and me. When I went there, my sister and I were laughing and the principal was confused about why we were so happy and laughing. My sister and I both said one thing: she looks like my grandma. It was so funny because she is white and we were Chinese, and she did look very similar to my grandma. She helped us so much. The other people at school would laugh at us and we would feel upset because we didn’t know English. The principal would see and punish everyone that laughed by pulling their ears. She scolded everyone and told them that they don’t know Chinese, so how is it fair for us when we are all the same. I loved her so much that when she passed away, I would visit her grave every year on March 26. I would buy food and flowers. 

Rodney: What cemetery?

Linda: I don’t know but it was only for sisters and fathers. Every time I go over to see her I would be upset, so would my twin sister. We would go to the church and give them money to help buy things for the sister. 

Howland: Have you heard about the 76ers arena?

Linda: Yes I have, and Chinatown is way too small. It's so stupid for them to try to build it.

(shows us photos of the sisters and photos of her family) 

I always donate to the church. Last week, I gave $100 and a couple of weeks before, $600. Because when I had no money they supported me, like when my restaurant got set on fire they gave money for me. When I had no money, when I went to church and got married, the church did not charge us and they gave flowers and many other things. Marrying at church is often very expensive so they help a lot. 

I also want to talk about the arena: Chinatown is so small, so why do they want to build a basketball arena here? Right now it's already hard to find parking, so where are they going to find space to build 3000 parking spaces?  They were saying this in the last meeting at Ocean Harbor. The basketball arena is so massive but there is no parking space. If there is an emergency while there is a game, the traffic would be horrible and access to hospitals would be hard because of the traffic. People would lose their lives. Chinatown is already small and crowded. I just don’t understand how it's possible to build an arena there. During the Superbowl, there was a car crash and it took forever for help to arrive because of the game and traffic. 

Howland: I want to thank you today for your time and you telling me your beautiful life story. 

Linda: Yes. I think you all should try to gather youth and fight against the arena. Chinatown is so small and there are so many youths and elderly that will be affected if the arena is built.