Source: Mercantile Library Collection

Gwan Gung, the Protector of Merchants, is one of the many gods and goddesses celebrated by followers of Confucious. He often resided at the entrances of laundries, restaurants and any Chinese owned and operated business. Chinese deities play an important role in Chinese holidays. For example, Gwan Gung plays an important role in the Chinese New Year celebration, and is a prominent figure for the On Leong Merchants and Laborers Association.

When the chinese first came to St. Louis, many philanthropic St. Louisans quickly established missions to convert the immigrants to Christianity. Many of the missionary teachers were kind and were remembered fondly by Chinatown residents. However, most of the missionary teachers did not know the Cantonese dialect. So, if the immigrants were going to learn the Christian faith, they first needed to know the English language. As in most immigrant communities, the children were the quickest learners of the English language and American customs. As a result, the children quickly assimilated into the dominant culture. Miss Lee Chiles founded the first Chinese Christian church, the St. Louis Chinese Gospel Mission, in 1924. The borrowed space from the St. Louis Gospel Church on Washington Street to hold Sunday services in both the Cantonese dialect and English.

By the 1950s, the majority of Chinese St. Louisians had converted to Christianity, yet many Chinese customs and beliefs were retained. A mixture of Chinese customs and superstitions and the newly acquired Christian beliefs combined to create a unique Christian religion. For example, the chinese color for luck and prosperity is red. As a result, most Chinese Christian churches were adorned with red crosses. This mixture was also evident in Mayor Lin's funeral where Christian hymns were sung and the mourners wore white ribbons (white is the symbolic color for sadness).

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