The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey
KWONG HING LUNG & CO DRY GOODS & GROCERIES KWONG HING LONG CO DRY GOODS NEWS FURNISHINGS GROCERIES CHINA ETC DO
One HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Chad Soon and George Chiang LARRY'S HOMETOWN IN THE 1920s Nestled between three lakes at the head of the Okanagan Valley the Vernon of Larry Kwong's youth was a picturesque town of 5,000 people Orchards farms and pastures spread from the valley floor up the rolling hills and mountains Just south of the main-street shops was Chinatown where the Kwongs lived above their general store About 500 Chinese Canadians called the modest buildings on the neighborhood's three streets home Boarding houses were packed with Chinese farm workers Some ran small businesses like restaurants and laundries which attracted white customers to Chinatown Many other white resi- dents wanted the Chinese community gone 2 ANTI-ASIAN HATE The idea that Chinese were filthy diseased and drug-addicted was commonplace in North America at that time Racist stereotypes caused fear of and hate toward Chinese immigrants and their families People also accused them of stealing jobs from white workers In 1907 an anti-Asian rally in Vancouver drew thousands of people and turned into a riot The mob attacked Vancouver's Chinatown and Japantown smashing windows and terrorizing residents In Vernon the Kwongs hoped that their neighborhood would be spared a similar fate
KWONG HING LUNG Larry's father Ng Shu Kwong came to Canada from China in 1882 He opened his store in Vernon's Chinatown in 1895. Kwong Hing Lung which means abundant prosperity was a Canadian shop with something for everyone from tea and silks to macaroni macaroni and cowboy hats The store brought in a diverse crowd including Chinese Japanese white and Indigenous customers Around town people began to call Larry's father Kwong after the name of his store Our real family name is Eng said Larry but 3
