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Born: Died: |
GEE HONG AND
GEE ONE
Chinese immigrants like Gee Hong and Gee One, came to be stereotyped as laundry workers because of legal restrictions that prohibited them from entering other occupations. Chinese immigrants were limited to labor-intensive work that was often rejected by mainstream laborers. Hand laundries required very little skill and capital to operate. For Chinese immigrants who could not speak English and did not posses any training or skills required for work in other occupations, hand laundries became the most practical type of business to operate.Gee Hong and Gee One owned and operated the Sam Wah Laundry from 1922 through 1986. They purchased the laundry from their uncle, Sam Wah, the original owner, who started the laundry in 1915. Both of the brothers emigrated from Canton, China in 1922, having to leave behind their wives and children due to American Immigration Policies. They came to America in search of easier work and better wages, only to find grueling work and low wages.
Their hand laundry was where the brothers both lived and worked. A day at a Chinese hand laundry for the brothers, like many other Chinese Americans who operated hand laundries, consisted of arduous and hazardous work. The Sam Wah Laundry had a widespread reputation in the St. Louis area for the quality of their service. Although many households at this time had washing machines of their own, the Gee brothers still maintained a large clientele. Their laundry was still in operation during the 1950s, however, many of their competitors either went out of business or changed over to the restaurant business.