[Lengthy Manuscript and Typed Document Record of the Formation and Operation of a Chinese Gambling Society in Cuba]

Matanzas, 1967. Very good.. 120 separate original documents, totaling [145]pp., mostly typed but with the earlier documents in manuscript, sewn together along left margin, remnants of wrappers along threads. Minor occasional foxing, varying levels of toning, a few documents chipped or worn along edges. Rare compilation of original documents relating to the formation of an interesting Chinese Society in Cuba, the Casino Chung Wah, comprised of over a hundred manuscript documents, typed documents, letters, partially-printed forms completed in manuscript and so forth, totaling almost 150 pages of documentation of the society's operations over the course of about seventy years. Many of the documents were executed on Chung Wah letterhead. The Chung Wah Casino was not only a Chinese Society dedicated to mutual aid but also to recreation through the operation of a gambling casino, with different games. The casino was meant to be exclusive for the Chinese and to allow them special privileges. In 1925 the Chung Wah Casino was rebuilt as a majestic ornate building. Incidentally, there was a smaller association founded in 1880 based in Sagua La Grande that had the same name, Chung Wah Casino. The smaller Chung Wah Casino was merged with the larger Chung Wah Casino when it was created. Included in the present collection of documents are articles listing the regulations of the society under its original name of the Gim Sin Sia (later renamed the Chung Wah Society), which lays out the duties of the President, Vice-President etc., clearly outlined, demonstrating how a Chinese Society was formed in Cuba in the late-19th century. Other documents present here cover the society's real estate matters, finances, internal officer elections and other political matters, and much more. It is interesting to note that many of the names of the officers and officials mentioned in these documents exhibit the coming together of Chinese and Spanish cultures, such as Rafael Luis Chonming, Jose Chang, Eduardo Chau, Pedro Chen, and so forth.

Chinese societies in Cuba were meant to emulate those in China. Foundational documents for a Chinese Society in a foreign country, such as Cuba, are of great significance, and the wealth of documents here memorializing the operations of the Chung Wah over seven decades add great historical value for studying the Chinese experience in Cuba. Also, Chinese societies can often be viewed as part of the state itself - in organizational terms the Chinese state (China) is comprised of a number of Chinese Societies linked by different social structures; Chinese colonies such as the one in Cuba create a Chinese state within Cuba through the formation of Chinese societies. In addition, though casino gambling has been officially illegal in China since the Communist takeover in 1949, the people of China have become passionate casino patrons in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, where gambling is enormously popular. The present collection of documents represents an interesting legacy of the Chinese experience in Cuba, which began with a flood of agrarian workers shipped to the island colony as indentured servants (practically slaves), and who later developed a vital community in the country in the ensuing decades.