Three Tough Chinamen

Scott D. Seligman
Earnshaw Books

At a time when most Chinese in the United States were living in a defensive crouch, Moy Jin Kee (梅振基; 1847-1914), Moy Jin Mun (梅振文; 1851-1936) and Jin Fuey Moy (梅振魁; 1862-1924) were making waves and taking names.

The Moy brothers, late 19th century Chinese immigrants to America, crossed lines and broke barriers. Tough men whose lives were hemmed in by prejudice and restrictive laws, they were scrappy and ambitious, and they were in the U.S. to stay. In an era when Chinese were excluded from America’s shores and most already there kept their heads down, they stood up and spoke out against injustices. They fought for their countrymen and used all means available to get ahead, up to and including committing petty crimes and, in the case of one brother, heinous ones.

Three Tough Chinamen tells stories of outwitting laws that mandated that Chinese accept third-class status if they desired even a small share in the American dream.

The Moy brothers did what they had to do to succeed and prosper, and their tales offer a window into the lives of America’s Chinese at the turn of the 20th century. They tell of navigating obstacles and of culture clash, and of how Western ethics and laws fared among Asian immigrants when they went head to head, as they inevitably had to, against ancient values like clan loyalty, and against personal interests and greed.

Praise

“

It's the story of three exceptional brothers who came to the U.S. in the 19th century and built their lives here. They were able to achieve a remarkable degree of success against tremendous odds. . . The real achievement in this book was . . . to bring these men back to life and, through them, offer a window on the experience of a group of early immigrants America welcomed only grudgingly.— Washington Examiner

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The strength of the book . . . is to give us a picture of the Moys’ rough and tumble immigrant experience which was structured by American racism, the sponsorship of American friends, rivalry and support from fellow Chinese Americans, patronage from the Chinese government, and, most important, by the resourcefulness of the Moys themselves.”— Charles Hayford, Journal of American-East Asian Relations

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At the turn of the 20th century, Chinese people who came to the United States faced prejudice. The author examines the obstacles they faced — including the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 — and the lives of the Chinese in America as he tells the story of three brothers who took a stand against injustice, fought bigotry, and advocated for equal rights.— Princeton Alumni Weekly