Format: Person

Linked To

Spouse

WONG NOY

Child

Other relative

Subject (organisation)

Wing on Woo & Co.

Related collection

Anne Atkinson Collection

Contributor

School of Social Sciences

Person

Document

Subject of (6)

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FONG LANG

Description

Biographical informationFong Lang was born in Canton, China in 1858. He was five feet and five inches in height. He lived in USA from 1878 to 1888 and then moved to Western Australia. He was the uncle of Joe Fong & Sydney Fong.

He established the Wing On Woo store on Marine Terrace, Geraldton, in 1888. He applied for naturalisation on 22 August 1888 but was refused as he had not been in the Colony long enough. He reapplied in 1890, claiming that he owned 4 freehold property in Geraldton and was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Naturalisation was granted on 26 August 1890. In 1895 Charles Lamb was the Assistant Manager in the Wing On Woo firm.

On 9 July 1895 Fong Lang requested permission to bring his wife, Wong Noy, a son and two daughters to Western Australia from Canton. One of the daughters was called May (born in 1895). He must have been granted permission as, in 1899, he requested permission to import a Chinese nurse to assist his wife with their four children. Permission was granted on condition that Fong Lang was responsible for her return (C). Fong Lang had a further six children in Geraldton (BDM records): 1) Samuel Thomas, born 1897; 2) Samuel Paul, born 1899; 3) May Eleanor, born 1900; and 4) Samuel Archibald, born 1901; 5) Samuel Young, born 1903; 6) Charles Gee, born 1904 (D).

He invited Liang Qichao 梁启超 / 梁啟超, a famous Chinese thinker, to give a speech in Geraldton during Liang's visit in 1900.

Fong Lang left Western Australia in May 1906 (D) and wound up his Western Australian businesses. After his return to China he organised the building of a church in the village where he had grown up: Arp Lay Tsui. Other members of the family, including Sydney Fong, contributed generously.

A digitised file of him is hosted at the National Archives of Australia (NAA: K1145, 1906/36). This file includes his Certificate Exempting from Dictation Test dated 12 March 1906. According to this CEDT, Fong Lang was 47 years old in 1906.Other nameFong Lang (differentiated name)鄺亮Date of birth1858

Person

FONG JOE

FONG May (female)

FONG May Eleanor (female)

FONG Samuel Paul

FONG Samuel Thomas

FONG Sydney

LEM CHUNG

SAM BEEN Samuel

WONG NOY

Document

AAC-Box-004-Binder-1-0212

AAC-Box-004-Binder-2-0017

Box-007-Sorb-Box-0291

Box-007-Sorb-Box-0327

Fong Lang Maid 1899-2062

Samuel Fong 1901-0458

Organisation

Wing On Woo & Co.

A profile photo attached to Fong Lang’s Certificate for Exemption from Dictation Test form, dated 12 March 1906 (source: NAA: K1145, 1906/36, page 1)

Family

SpouseWONG NOYChildFONG May (female)FONG Samuel PaulFONG Samuel ThomasFONG May Eleanor (female)Other relativeFONG SydneyFONG JOESAM BEEN Samuel

Connections

Subject (organisation)Wing on Woo & Co.Subject (place)GeraldtonSubject (topic)Chinese heritage in Western AustraliaShop keeperRelated collectionAnne Atkinson CollectionRelated linkNAA CEDT File 1906

Item information

ContributorSchool of Social SciencesSource of informationAsian immigrants to Western Australia, 1829-1901 (Atkinson, 1988)

Significant place

RelationPlace of birthPlaceCantonDate1858

Significant place

RelationImmigrated toPlaceAustraliaDate10 April 1888 (WA)

Significant place

RelationTravelled toPlaceGeraldtonDate[date unknown]

UWA Collected

FONG LANG

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA