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.

He had a remarkable life of adventure, courage, and entrepreneurship.  Despite his position as eldest son and heir of an old and prosperous Cantonese family, he cast off the privileges of rank and sought a new life in the West.  In 1883 at the age of 18, he sailed to Hawaii in 1883 at the age of 18, and built a series of businesses that eventually employed many residents of Kauai.

Most importantly, he was a devoted father and grandfather.  He had four wives and a total of sixteen children, not all of whom survived to adulthood.  His plantations, stores, restaurants, gardens, and vast household were all excellent arenas for teaching children to be responsible with assignments, hard workers, smart money managers, and focused on achieving excellence.

As one of his granddaughters, I am immensely proud of the legacy of this great man, and feel so lucky to be a part of this family.  He has dozens of grandchildren, and there is now a large, and expanding list of descendants.  This site is designed to help us all understand the history of this family, the great life of Chock Chin, and perhaps find threads and patterns of similarity in our own lives.

— Susan Leihana Chock Salgy