This vintage image from April 30, 1956 shows Hop Wing Lee's Chinese Laundry. Located in Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town, it is one of the peek-in shops located on Main Street. According to the website immigrationtounitedstates.org, Chinese laundries were an important niche industry for Chinese immigrant families who came to the U.S. after the California gold rush in 1849:
Chinese laundries developed as a major occupation for the first wave of Chinese immigrants who came to the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. Laundries opened throughout the country and became uniquely identified with this ethnic group. The Chinese launderer stereotype appeared in popular culture and media.
On my first visit to Knott's Berry Farm in 2010, I captured this shot of Hop Wing Lee's, complete with Pepsi-themed trash can.
Flash forward to 2014, and mercifully the Pepsi trash can is gone.
This vintage post card shows how the peek-in originally looked, complete with Andy Anderson carved figure:
Circa 2010:
And how it looks today:
See more Daveland Ghost Town Hop Wing's Chinese Laundry photos at my main website.
On my first visit to Knott's Berry Farm in 2010, I captured this shot of Hop Wing Lee's, complete with Pepsi-themed trash can.
Flash forward to 2014, and mercifully the Pepsi trash can is gone.
This vintage post card shows how the peek-in originally looked, complete with Andy Anderson carved figure:
Circa 2010:
And how it looks today:
See more Daveland Ghost Town Hop Wing's Chinese Laundry photos at my main website.
2 comments:
Oh, I remember this... forgotten until this moment. The figure was creepy.
Thanks Dave.
JG
I remember that he used to "sing" and one of the songs was "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" in Chinese.
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