1936 - King Returns to China

What was happening in 1936?  Around the world, there was the Olympic Games in Berlin where Jesse Owens was the star.  King Edward abdicated from the throne. Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind.  Japan and China were at war. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was reelected over Kansan Alf Landon.  It was the year after the dust storms and Kansans faced Black Sundays.

Still it was a good time for King Mar who had been in Wichita for several years to go back China to begin the new year.   

He lived in the tenement above the Pan American Cafe.  It was one room with a bath and faucet, but his restroom was shared with others on his second floor.  You could look up to the third floor which had a balcony that overlooked the second floor.

In the movie "Sand Pebbles" with Steve McQueen, Frenchy (played by a young Richard Attenborough) was seeing his girl friend in a tenement that always reminded me of King's tenement.  I was born in 1948 and lived there for about a year or two before we moved to his house on 350 N. Topeka - basically a four block walk to work. 

Both photos from the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum most likely contributed by King.  The first photo looks to the southeast corner of the room; there are photos of Chin and Yim on the top of the dresser.  The sink and bathtub were at the north end.

This self-portrait King took in 1950 looking to the southwest corner of the room.  He created the photo using just the room lamps and no flood lights.  









He returned to a new house to be with his mother and his wife Suzon.  His son Chin Wee married Yim Ngo Wong that year, they were respectively age 17 and 18).  King stayed in touch with his friends in Kansas.   You will see in other letters that Wichitans had a keen interest in the presidential candidate Alf Landon.

King arrives in China

This is one of the few letters sent by King I found, the first of many back to friends in Wichita.

                                                                                                January 14 – 1936
                                                                                                Canton, China

Dear

I am writing you to let you know I am arrived here okay.  My boat docked Dec 27.  I stay at Hong Kong two day and went to Canton City one day and I arrived home Dec 31 just in time to celebrate 1936 New Year.

The trip was quite pleasant but very tiresome and I was glad when it was over.

I am feeling fine at present and am hoping this letter will find you in the best of health.

The weather here is quite nice at present. I don’t have to wear my overcoat since back here.

Let me hear from you and hoping it won’t be so long before I am back there again.

                                                                                        Your friend
                                                                                                King Mar

My address
Mar King
c/o Mo Do Drug Store
Bakska Toysun
   Canton China