About this Site
Chock Chin was the patriarch of a large Chinese family who lived in the early 1900’s in the beautiful Hanalei valley on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. His oldest surviving son was my father, George F. Chock.
He had a remarkable life of adventure, courage, and entrepreneurship. Befitting his responsibilities as eldest son and heir of an old aristocratic Cantonese family, he set out to save his family by earning money abroad during a time of great financial hardship and famine in China. In 1883 at the age of 18, he sailed away from Canton, China to take his first job as a paniolo on one of the King’s cattle ranches in Ka’u on the Big Island. At some point he moved to the island of Kauai to be near relatives of his grandmother’s Hee clan, and went on to create a series of businesses that eventually employed many residents of Kauai.
As one of his granddaughters, I am immensely proud of the legacy of this great man, and feel so blessed to be a part of his family. This site is designed to help every generation of cousins learn from the history of this family and the abundant life of Chock Chin, and find his courage, integrity, and resilience arising in us when we need to be strong.
When we research the families of the mothers and wives in our enormous family tree — we discover the beautiful interweave of futures that each marriage enables. Our section about the clans of our mothers offers stories about how we found their (often rare) clan records and the special clan cultural traits that these women passed on to their children — born to the Chock clan but always a living alliance between two great houses.
Our story is the story of thousands of descendants of Chinese men who left China to earn money to feed their starving families during those years. We know all about the terrible obstacles that keep you from knowing anything about the families they left China to save, when you are tethered to the American culture, unable to read or speak Chinese, with no contacts in mainland China, and no idea where and how to begin looking.
We pray that this site will give you hope and practical advice if you are stuck, or simply don’t know where to start. Be of good cheer — the records that were burned, hidden, or scattered in the Cultural Revolution are continually being restored. Don’t give up!
With love and aloha!
— Susan Leihana Chock Salgy
Contact:
Susan Chock Salgy | ssalgy@gmail.com
Galen K. Chock | galenkchock@gmail.com
Chock Chin’s Historical World
To really understand Chock Chin, we must come to understand the world he lived in. His historical context helps us interpret the way he organized his family, the way he interacted with his community, his business practices, his dreams and ambitions, and ultimately the...
Chock-Huang Intermarriages
Chock Chin's mother was Huang Shi -- a daughter of the Dong'an Huang clan. Their marriage was one more golden link in the long chain of kinship alliances that have connected the Guan Tang Chock/Zhuo and the Dong'an Huang/Wong in deep interpersonal bonds of loyalty,...
Born to Bless Another Clan
When a baby girl was born to a Chinese family, her own clan did not especially welcome the news. In a world that treasured lineage continuity above all else, only healthy male heirs added to the family wealth, and built the power and prestige of the clan. Their full...
Finding my Chock cousins
The year 2022 has turned out to be a tremendous year of connecting with Chock cousins. I originally created this site specifically for the purpose of finding my cousins. I thought that perhaps the children or grandchildren of my father's siblings might someday Google...
Finding Chock Chin’s house and Lotus Pond
I have been to Hanalei several times and have looked around for anything that might once have been the famous lotus pond or lily pond. However, I had no real chance, because I didn't actually know any of the relatives who once lived there and knew exactly where it...
Chock Chin’s Lotus Pond
Tourists to Hanalei throughout many decades were advised not to miss the famous Hanalei Lily Pond, dug by Chock Chin and his sons originally as a Lotus Pond near the family home. Located along the main road, it was featured in the travel photos of thousands of...
The Restaurant in the Chock Chin Store
Chock Chin's store in Hanalei had a popular restaurant and bakery area in it. This establishment was a fixture in the community, feeding local villagers, visitors from the port, plantation workers and paniolos from the nearby ranches. The name of the Chock Chin...
Chock Chin in Hanalei History
In the Hawaiian Encyclopedia there is a long section about the history of Hanalei. Chock Chin appears in there several times, as he had many businesses and enterprises and played an important role in the economy of the area. Here are the excerpts where he is...