Arizona Bibliography

The History of the Chinese in Arizona With an Emphasis on Tucson

Source: Ladd Keith

Acosta, Sal. “Against the Odds: Chinese-Mexican Marriages in Southern Arizona, 1880–1930.” New Mexico Historical Review vol. 89, no. 2 (2014) viewed 9/3/2022 https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr/vol89/iss2/3

Acosta, Salvador. Crossing Borders, Erasing Boundaries: Interethnic Marriages in Tucson, 1854 to 1930, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Arizona, 2010; viewed 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/194086 Book version, Sanctioning Matrimony, available for purchase.

Adams, Jaynie Elizabeth. Wrong Side Of The Tracks: Transportation Systems And Exclusionary Urban Planning In Tucson, Masters Thesis, University of Arizona, 2019, https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/632560 viewed on 3/31/2024. There is some unique material here! Search for term chinese for many references.

Ahmad, Diana L. Nevada, Arizona and the Campaign Against Smoking Opium, 1875-1900, Arizona History Convention, 2010, available at the Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives, Tucson, AZ.

Ankrah, Athena. “Early Chinese immigrants in Tucson defy typical narratives of border communities,” 91.5 KJZZ, Phoenix, Arizona, July 11, 2024, viewed/listened to 7/23/2024 https://www.kjzz.org/news/2024-07-11/early-chinese-immigrants-in-tucson-defy-typical-narratives-of-border-communities

Arizona Chinese Directory, Chinese Directory Service Bureau in Cooperation with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Phoenix and Tucson, dates vary by year. Arizona Historical Society, Library and Archive, Tucson, AZ 301.45 C539, A719 vols.1950-1952, 301.45 C539, A719 vols.1954-1955.

Arizona Historical Society, Library and Archive, Tucson, Arizona. Oral Histories of Tucson Chinese Americans, most of which have been transcribed, are below. More information on the Tucson Chinese community held by the AHS library and archive can be found at: https://azhs.bywatersolutions.com/

  • Don, Harold. “Oral history interview, 1994 Jan. 9,” AV 0553 12. Mr. Don grew up in Barrio Hollywood.
  • Gee, Henry. “Oral history interview, 1994 Dec. 7,” AV 0581. Memories of his downtown Tucson grocery.
  • Gee, Suey L. “Oral history interview, 1990 June 20,” AV 0551 06v. Life in Barrio Historico.
  • Gin, Harry. “Oral history interview, 1987 Feb. 25,” AV 0402. Memories of growing up in the Tucson Chinese community.
  • Gin, William. “Oral history interview, 1984 Apr. 3,” AV 0001 08. Interview about “operation of Gin Soo Dung Grocery Store in the Armory Park area.”
  • Lim, Marian. “Oral history interview, 1979 Feb. 27,” AV 0359 04. Discusses both the Nogales and Tucson Chinese communities.
  • Sang, Fong Hing. “Oral history interview, 1979, July 28,” AV 0359 05. “Most of the recording is inaudible, but some topics that can be made out include Chinese temples in Tucson, Charlie Lee grocery, Joss Stick Cafe and Chinese fruit peddlers.”
  • Tang, Esther. “Oral history interview, 1992 Jan. 4,” AV 0505 16. She discusses her various roles within the greater Tucson community.
  • Tom, Soleng. “Oral history interview, 1987 May 9,” AV 0605 08. Discusses South Tucson and his various roles within the Tucson community.

Arizona Ways and Days, a series of articles on the Phoenix and Tucson Chinese communities. Not all the history given is even close to accurate, but the photos and profiles of people are wonderful. By date:

Ayers, James. James Ayers Newspaper Index: Early Southern Arizona Newspaper Index 1859-1911: Topic: Chinese, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Ayres-Index_Chinese.pdf Other topics in the index, such as Southern Pacific Railroad, Fort Lowell, etc. can be searched for information on southern Arizona Chinese.

Barnes, Aloma J. “Chinese Grocers,” Chapter 3, Dunbar: The Neighborhood, the School, and the People: 1940-1965, Wheatmark, 2016.

“Barrios and Barriers: Tucson in the Civil Rights Era,” Arizona Public Media, August 16, 2017, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://youtu.be/xR56eG0fEOY

Black, Rachael. “CHINESE HISTORY IN ARIZONA: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JOURNAL OF ARIZONA HISTORY,” Arizona Historical Society, Library & Archives, May 28, 2021, viewed on 1/24/2023 https://arizonahistoricalsociety.org/2021/05/28/chinese-history-in-arizona-highlights-from-the-journal-of-arizona-history/

Bockhorst, Andrew B. The Sino-Sonoran: Site and Artifact Variability of the Chinese in Southern Arizona, Master’s Thesis, University of Arizona, 2003, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/291973

Carr, Donna L. Gold Mountain in the Desert: A History of the Chinese in Greater Phoenix, Arizona,” Vol. 1, Chinese United Association of Greater Phoenix, Inc., 2022.

Cárdenas García, Nicolás. “Inmigrantes chinos en tierra de revolucionarios. El caso de Sinaloa,” (Chinese immigrants in the land of revolutionaries. The case of Sinaloa) Historia Mexicana, Vol. 73, Núm. 1 (289) julio-septiembre 2023, viewed 6/21/2023 https://historiamexicana.colmex.mx/index.php/RHM/article/view/4667 The article is in Spanish. If you click PDF, you will get the article only in Spanish; if you click XML you can use Google Translate.

“Category: The Phoenix Story,” bilingual (can select Chinese or English) essays on the history of Phoenix’s and Arizona’s Chinese history, as well as Chinese culture, Arizona Chinese Community, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.sunbirdarizona.com/category/phoenixstory

Chan, Sandra. “The Incredible Life of Ah One: Tucson’s Chinese Sailor,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 56, no. 4 (Winter 2015).

Chan, Sandra. “Solving the Identity of Wong You, Tucson Grocer,” PCGS Researcher, vol. IV, issue 4 (Oct-Dec. 2015). PCGS = Pima County Genealogical Society.

Chan, Sandy. “The Chinese Grocer and the Mariachi Band,” Life Along the Streetcar, 2019, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://soundcloud.com/lifealongthestreetcar/the-chinese-grocer-and-a-mariachi-band 

Chin, Lincoln. “Alice Gin’s father: the story of two brothers who shared the same name,” Arizona Historical Convention, 2033, Arizona Historical Society, Tucson Library and Archive.

“Chinese Cultural Center, Phoenix.” Wikipedia, last edited July 8, 2022, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Cultural_Center,_Phoenix

“Chinese immigrants important part of Tucson’s diverse culture,” KOLD 13, Aug. 25, 2011, updated on Sep. 1 2011, viewed on 6/6/2023 https://www.kold.com/story/15336655/chinese-immigrants-important-part-of-tucsons-diverse-culture/

Chinese in Arizona. University of Arizona Institutional Repository, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://uair.library.arizona.edu/subject-headings/chinese-arizona Online bibliography, individual articles can be requested.

City of Phoenix. Chapter 2: “Chinese American Community,” Asian American Historic Properties Survey, viewed on 9/3/2022 http://azhistory.net/aahps/f_chinese.pdf The full survey is at http://azhistory.net/aahps/index.php.

City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, Planning & Development Department. “Tour Phoenix’s Asian American Heritage,” November 12, 2020, viewed 8/21/2023 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/21c1aad2b570463796bc3acba6772fd3

Cook, Kristen. “WWII soldiers liberated Europe, then helped build Pharmacy,” Health Sciences Connect, University of Arizona Health Sciences, June 6, 2024, viewed on 7/8/2024 https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/connect/stories/wwii-soldiers-liberated-europe-then-helped-build-pharmacy Native Tucsonan Chuck Gin is profiled.

Craib, Raymond B. III. “Chinese Immigrants in Porfirian Mexico: A Preliminary Study of Settlement, Economic Activity and Anti-Chinese Sentiment,” Latin American Iberian Institute (1996) viewed on 9/3/2022 https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/laii_research/4

Dames & Moore. The Chinese in Arizona: 1870-1950, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, 1992, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/108346

Diehl, Michael, Jennifer A. Watters, and J. Homer Thiel. “Acculturation and the Composition of the Diet of Tucson’s Overseas Chinese Gardeners at the Turn of the Century,” Historical Archaeology, vol. 32, no. 4 (1998).

“Discovering Community in Borderlands,” University of Arizona, 2022, viewed on 6/6/23 https://dcb.arizona.edu/ This collaborative site uses the “Augmented Reality (AR) experience where visitors will learn about some of the diverse communities of Southern Arizona.” The Tucson Chinese Cultural Center was a partner, and the Tucson Chinese community is included.

Delgado, Grace Pena. Making the Chinese Mexican: Global Migration, Localism, and Exclusion in the U. S. Mexico Borderlands, Stanford University Press, 2012.

Delgado, Grace Pena. “Neighbors by Nature: Relationships, Border Crossings, and Transnational Communities in the Chinese Exclusion Era,” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 80, no. 3 (August 2011).

Delgado, Grace Pena. “Of Kith and Kin: Land, Leases and Guanxi in Tucson’s Chinese and Mexican Communities,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 46, no. 1 (Spring 2005).

Devine, David. A History of the Old Pueblo from the 1854 Gadsden Purchase, McFarland & Company, Inc., 2015.

Elliot, Vicky. “Physiologist and Advocate for Asian American Community,” Stanford Magazine, September, 2019, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://stanfordmag.org/contents/physiologist-and-advocate-for-asian-american-community I’ve included this obituary because it’s one of the few references I’ve seen to the Chinese community in Yuma, AZ.

Ellis, Catherine H. “Fong is in Charge of the Kitchen: Pioneer Life and the Culinary Life of Oracle, Arizona,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 53 no. 1 (Spring 2012). 

“Esther Don Tang, 1917-2015,” Honored as a Historymaker 2003, Historical League, Inc., viewed on 4/5/2024 https://www.historicalleague.org/historymakers/esther-don-tang Oral history interview plus a transcript.

Fong, Lawrence Michael. “Sojourners and Settlers: The Chinese Experience in Arizona,” The Journal of Arizona History, vol. 21, no. 3 (Autumn 1980).

Foster, Michael S., John M. Lindly and Ronald F. Ryden. “The Soiled Doves of South Granite Street: The History and Archaeology of a Prescott, Arizona Brothel” Kiva, Vol. 70, No. 4 (Summer, 2005).

Friends of Sahuarita. “Paul E. Tang,” interview by Mary A. “Mac” Chernoski, Sahuarita, Arizona: Treasured Nuggets From the Past, Friends of Sahuarita, 2022. Paul Tang was a Superior Court judge in Pima County from 2001 – 2021. He is from Continental, AZ, a small community near Green Valley, where his parents had the Continental Store.

Garber, Pat. Lewie’s and Ah Sue’s Gardens and Other First Hand Accounts of the Chinese Presence in Late 19th Century Southern Arizona, Arizona Historical Convention, 2009, available at the Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives, Tucson, AZ.

Goodman, John Kestner. Race and Race Mixture as the Basis of Social Status in Tucson, Arizona, Masters Thesis, Yale University, 1942. Available at the Arizona Historical Society’s Library and Archive, Tucson, AZ 301.45 G653.

Graham, Bob. “La Placita Village – Tucson,” Motley Design Group LLC, July 8, 2020, updated April 4, 2022, viewed 6/26/2023 https://www.motleydesign.group/post/la-placita-village-tucson

Harris, L. G. (Mrs.). “Chinese Work in Tucson,” Missions: American Baptist International Magazine, Vol. 14, September 1923, pg. 462, viewed on 9/3/2022 on Google Books https://www.google.com/books/edition/Missions/6ZnNAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=first%20baptist%20church%20tucson%20chinese&pg=PA462&printsec=frontcover&bsq=first%20baptist%20church%20tucson%20chinese

Hatch, Heather S. “The Chinese in the Southwest: A Photographic Record,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 21, no. 3 (Autumn 1980).

“A hidden Chinese Temple under the Nogales AZ streets,” The Nogales Adventurer: My Blog, February 28, 2023, viewed on 3/8/2023 https://thenogalesadventurer.com/blog/f/a-hidden-chinese-temple-under-the-nogales-az-streets

“Highlighting local doc filmmakers,” Arizona Illustrated Episode 1035, viewed on 7/8/2024 https://youtu.be/XwsHc6-0ans?si=yTq9n2m4xovRAyS_ One segment is on Tucson’s Chinese grocers.

Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Library of Congress. Photos and old property records of three Tucson Chinese markets are included in LC’s effort to “document systematically the historic built environment of the United States.”

Ho, Chuimei and Bennet Bronson. “The Chee Kung Tong: A Chinese Secret Society in Tucson, 1880-1940,” Journal of Arizona History, vol.59 no. 1 (Spring 2018), viewed May 20, 2020 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/737914

Hu-DeHart, Evelyn. “Immigrants to a Developing Society: The Chinese in Northern Mexico, 1875-1932,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 21, (Autumn 1980).

Jacques, Leo Michael Dambourges. Anti-Chinese Campaigns in Sonora, Mexico, 1900-1931, University of Arizona, Department of History, Ph.D. Dissertation, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/565314

Jacques, Leo Michael Dambourges. “The Chinese Massacre in Torreon (Coahuila) in 1911,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 15, no. 3 (Autumn 1974).

Jacques, Leo Michael Dambourges.”Have Quick More Money Than Mandarins,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 17, no. 2 (Summer 1976).

Jones, Reece. White Borders, C-SPAN, October 7, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.c-span.org/video/?520705-1/white-borders

“K-12 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Curriculum,” OCA Greater Phoenix, viewed on 3/31/2024 https://www.ocaphoenix.org/oca-greater-phoenix-curriculum Arizona centric curriculum.

Keane, Melissa, A. E. Rogge and Bradford Luckingham. The Chinese in Arizona 1870-1950, A Component of the Arizona Historic Preservation Plan, Prepared for: Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona State Parks Board, May 1992, viewed on 2/16/2024 https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/108346

Leow, H. M. A., “From Bond Maid to Pioneering Chinese Businesswoman,” JSTOR Daily, August 19, 2023, viewed on November 7, 2023 https://daily.jstor.org/from-bond-maid-to-pioneering-chinese-businesswoman/ “Raised as a servant girl, Lai Ngan grew up to become a cigar maker, own a boarding house, and run grocery stores in the American Southwest.”

Li, Reia. “Lingering Presence: (T)racing Chinese Community in the Borderlands,” Pomona Senior Theses. 319, viewed on 5/30/2024 https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/319

Li, Reia. “Meet Richard Gee, the adored, wise-cracking owner of a liquor store with deep roots in Tucson Chinese history,” Arizona Luminaria, June 27, 2023, viewed 7/3/2023 https://azluminaria.org/2023/06/27/meet-richard-gee-the-adored-wise-cracking-owner-of-a-liquor-store-with-deep-roots-in-tucson-chinese-history/

Li, Reia. “A sausage fusing Chinese and Mexican cultures is spicing up Tucson,” High Country News, November 16, 2023, viewed on 2/16/2024 https://www.hcn.org/articles/food-a-sausage-fusing-chinese-and-mexican-cultures-is-spicing-up-tucson/

Li Reia. Tucson’s Chinese Community, April 30, 2024, viewed on 5/30/2024 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5cb1ae7acf374397b6670bc6901b30a1

Lim, Lucy Estella. “Interview” (oral history), Archive Tucson, May 8, 2017, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://www.archivetucson.com/people/2018/6/19/lim-lucy?rq=chinese

Ling Lew. The Chinese in North America: A Guide to Their Life and Progress, East-West Culture Publishing Association, 1949. Arizona Chinese business and businessmen are included; mostly in Chinese but some text is in English and photos of some of the businessmen are included.

Lister, Florence C. & Robert H. Lister. The Chinese of Early Tucson: Historic Archaeology from the Tucson Urban Renewal Project, Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona Number 52, University of Arizona Press, 1989, viewed 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/582059

Lister, Florence C. & Robert H. Lister. Chinese Sojourners in Territorial Arizona, reprinted by the Sharlot Hall Museum Press, Prescott, AZ with permission of the University of Arizona Press, The Southwest Center, Tucson, AZ, original publication date 1989. This reprint had no date.

Lister, Robert, and Florence. Collection M 214: Robert and Florence Lister Papers, 1930-1990, Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College (Durango, CO), viewed on 5/2/2024 https://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/finding_aids/inventory/ListerPapers.htm

“Local Markets.” Borderlands Theater, c.a. 2019, viewed on 6/6/2023 https://youtu.be/1y8CoRxKyUY Memories of the Mexican customers of Tucson’s Chinese Markets

Lyons, Bettina O’Neil. Zeckendorfs & Steinfelds: Merchant Princes of the American Southwest, Arizona Historical Society, 2008. Information on Theodore Welisch, the builder of the Welisch Block, that later became the Ying On Compound (aka “Chinatown” and Tong house) on Main & Nutter.

Mahoney, Ralph. “Our Chinese-American Heritage, Chapter 1,” Arizona Days and Ways, September 30, 1956, Sunday insert to the Arizona Republic, a.k.a The Arizona Republic Magazine or The Republic Magazine, Arizona Memory Project, pg.4 preface; pg. 6 article begins, accessed 7/26/2024, https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/317381 Beware, this series of articles has some major historical errors as well as problems with getting the names correct but the photos are great.

Mahoney, Ralph. “Our Chinese-American Heritage, Chapter 2,” Arizona Days and Ways, October 7,1956, Sunday insert to the Arizona Republic, a.k.a The Arizona Republic Magazine or The Republic Magazine, Arizona Memory Project, pg. 8 article begins, accessed 7/26/2024, https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/317382 Beware, this series of articles has some major historical errors as well as problems with getting the names correct but the photos are great.

Mahoney, Ralph. “Our Chinese-American Heritage, Concluding Chapter,”Arizona Days and Ways, October 14, 1956, Sunday insert to the Arizona Republic, a.k.a The Arizona Republic Magazine or The Republic Magazine, Arizona Memory Project, pg. 26 article begins accessed 7/26/2024, https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/317383 Beware, this series of articles has some major historical errors as well as problems with getting the names correct but the photos are great.

Mapping Racist Covenants, viewed on October 2, 2023 https://mappingracistcovenants.org/ See also my General Chinese Resources page for a link to a similar project in Seattle.

Martinez, Priscilla M. and Grace Pena Delgado. “Beyond Border Spectacle: Oral History and Everyday Meaning in Chinese Mexican Tucson,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 61 nos. 3 & 4 (Autumn & Winter 2020).

McKoy, Kyle Lyn. Downtown Under Ground: Archaeological Clues to Tucson’s Past (The Rio Nuevo Project), Chapter 10: “The Chinese Experience in Tucson,” and Chapter 11: “Territorial Tucson: Water Rights,” The Arizona Historical Society, 2002, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/pdf/rntg-1.pdf

Medrano, Lourdes. “Tucson’s Chinese thrived as merchants,” Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 12, 2007, viewed on 6/6/2023 https://tucson.com/news/tucsons-chinese-thrived-as-merchants/article_40869566-5558-5c6f-a33f-fdc4fcb920e0.html

“Mexico Apologizes for 1911 Massacre of Chinese in Torreon, Coahuila,” Mexico News Daily, May 18, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022  https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mx-apologizes-for-1911-killings/

Morgan, Josie Gin. “Interview” (oral history), Archive Tucson, April 5, 2017, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://www.archivetucson.com/people/2018/6/13/morgan?rq=chinese

The Mountain Road, 1960, viewed on 6/27/2023 https://youtu.be/KGQencXEEwo. (The film also available on TUBI.) This James Stewart movie was filmed at locations in Arizona, including several places in southern Arizona. Tucson Chinese Americans of both sexes and all ages were employed as extras playing villagers, refugees, and bandits.  For more information see: The Mountain Road (Wikipedia) and The Mountain Road (IMDb);

Ng, Laura W. “Excavating Tucson’s Chinese American Past: From South China Villages to a Southwest Pueblo,” May 30, 2023, viewed on 6/6/2023 https://youtu.be/5AyKU3_vPBo The Ying On compound and two of its residents, Gin Gay Yin and his son Gin Boon Loon, are presented.

Nordbrock, Anita. “The Chinese in Territorial Prescott,” Sharlot Hall Museum, Feb 27, 1999, viewed on 5/2/2024 https://archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1/the-chinese-in-territorial-prescott

“Official Apology to the Mexican Chinese Community for the 1911 Torreon Massacre,” Mexican Cultural Institute, May 17, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://instituteofmexicodc.org/index.php/official-apology-to-the-chinese-mexican-community-for-the-1911-torreon-massacre/ 

Olsen, John W. “An analysis of East Asian coins excavated in Tucson, Arizona,” Historical Archaeology 17(2) July 1983, viewed on 3/31/2024 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308709988_An_analysis_of_East_Asian_coins_excavated_in_Tucson_Arizona

Olsen, John W. “The Study of Chinese Ceramics Excavated in Tucson,” Kiva, vol. 44, no. 1 (Fall 1978).

Otero, Lydia R. La Calle: Spatial Conflicts and Urban Renewal in a Southwest City, University of Arizona Press, 2010.

Phillips, Nick. “Forgotten History is Buried in a Remote Cemetery,” Nogales International, September 29, 2020, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/forgotten-history-is-buried-in-remote-cemetery/article_d8bc18ae-0278-11eb-99aa-17644a1d2baa.html

PimaLib_BiblioLotus. “Community Spotlight: Tucson Chinese Cultural Center,” October 20, 2021, viewed on 3/31/2024 https://www.library.pima.gov/blogs/post/community-spotlight-tucson-chinese-cultural-center/

Pizza, Nina. “Los chinos que vivieron en los sótanos de Mexicali,” (The Chinese who lived in the basements of Mexicali), Mexico desconocido: Crónicas de viaje, no date, viewed on 6/19/2023 https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/los-sotanos-de-mexicali-esconden-historias-chinas.html Use Google Translate to read the article. 

Pleeter, Zach. “The Little-Known History of Tucson’s Chinese,” El Indi, October 29, 2015, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://indearizona.com/little-known-history-arizonas-chinese/

Portillo, Ernest Jr. “Neto’s Tucson: Rolling History Party Highlights Long Gone Chinese Markets,” Arizona Daily Star, September 9, 2012, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://tucson.com/news/local/neto-s-tucson-rolling-history-party-highlights-long-gone-chinese/article_b98a0106-a780-5cb9-b99a-86825f3eda0c.html

“The Promise of Gold Mountain: Tucson’s Chinese Heritage,” Through Our Parent’s Eyes, University of Arizona. On 12/31/2023 this valuable resource went offline. The text and some photos can be accessed using the Wayback Machine with the URL:  https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/359.

Perkins, Clifford A. “Reminiscences of a Chinese Inspector,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 17 no. 2 (Summer 1976).

Pugsley, Andrea. “As I Kill This Chicken So May I be Punished if I Tell an Untruth: Chinese Opposition to Legal Discrimination in Arizona Territory,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 44, no. 2 (Summer 2003).

Reisdorfer, Kathryn. “Charley Hong, Racism in Jerome, Arizona Territory, 1909,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 44, no. 2 (Summer 2003).

Reitz, Del. “From the Bottom of Gold Mountain: A Biography of Soleng Tom,” Signature Design Associates, 1988.

Schweitzer, John Lewis. Social Unity of Tucson’s Chinese Community, Master’s Thesis, University of Arizona, 1952; viewed 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/551194 The valuable research material for this thesis is housed at the library and archive at the Arizona State Museum (call number A-0486) and includes “questionnaires, interviews, clippings, summaries, correspondence, and an alphabetical list of members of the Chinese community” from 1951-1952.

SFA Staff. “More than Luck: A Master Artist Passes on the Chinese Lion Dance,” Border Lore, March 27, 2017, viewed on 2/16/2024 https://borderlore.org/luck-master-artist-passes-chinese-lion-dance/

Shelton, Tamara Venit. Herbs and Roots: A History of Chinese Doctors in the American Medical Marketplace, Yale University Press, 2019. Tucson herbalist, Chan Doo Sung (aka Hung Chan, Robert Chan) is mentioned in the book.

Sheridan, Thomas E. Los Tucsonenses: The Mexican Community in Tucson, 1854 – 1941, University of Arizona Press, 1992, viewed 9/3/2022 https://muse.jhu.edu/book/45494

Shively, Carol A., ed. Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War, The National Park Service, 2015. This book mentions Tucson Chinese Civil War veteran Kwong Lee.

Sky High, 1922, viewed on 6/6/2023 https://youtu.be/X7wWjl25jvc. This silent film stars Tom Mix as a Chinese inspector in the state of Arizona. In 1998 it was placed on the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It showed in Tucson at the Opera House March 30, 31 & April 1, 1922. The Chinese in the film are played by real Chinese people but the star of the show is the Grand Canyon.

So, Yvonne, John carlo Tuliano and Sandy Chan. “The Chinese Chorizo” Lesson Exemplar, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QLFBmOdDPXPVXlqlfgOxrUMS1ZfMGtex/edit The curriculum is designed for 6th, 7th or 8th graders.

Sonnichsen, C. L. Tucson: The Life and Times of an American City, University of Oklahoma Press, 1987.

Springall, Alejandro. Sonora: The Devil’s Highway, 2018. This movie is about the Chinese expulsion from Mexico and has caused some controversy. It’s on International Netflix and is in Spanish. I am unsure if it’s even available in the U.S.

Stanton, Kathleen. “THE ONG DYNASTYGROWING UP CHINESE-AMERICAN,” Phoenix New Times, February 13, 1991, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-ong-dynastygrowing-up-chinese-american-6411980

Stokes, Richard. “Bisbee No Good for Chinamen,” The Cochise Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 4, December 1973, pg. 6, viewed 9/3/2022 https://www.cochisecountyhistoricalsociety.org/journals/cchs-vol-03-no-04-december-1973.pdf

Sun, Mae Lee. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tucson,” Tucson Weekly, January 16, 2003, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/crouching-tiger-hidden-tucson/Content?oid=1071576

Sunbird Arizona: Arizona Chinese Community, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.sunbirdarizona.com/

Tang, William. “HISTORICAL RECORD OF CHINESE AMERICANS | TRACING CHINESE AMERICANS OF ARIZONA WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR II,” The Association of Chinese Americans for Social Justice, January 25, 2022, viewed 5/2/2024 https://usdandelion.com/archives/7268

Thiel, J. Homer. Archeological Investigation of a Chinese Gardener’s Household, Tucson, Arizona, Center for Desert Archaeology, Technical Report, TR 199696-22. For purchase https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/product/archaeological-investigations-of-a-chinese-gardeners-household-tucson-arizona/. Arizona Historical Society, Library and Archive, Tucson, AZ 913.791 T431c, 1997.

Thiel, J. Homer, editor. Archaeological Investigations and Data Recovery at Historic Block 83, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, Technical Report No. 2006-11, Desert Archaeology, Inc., January 2009, viewed on February 15, 2024 https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/city-services/planning-development-services/historic-preservation/documents/depot_plaza_tr2006-11_final.pdf

Thiel, Homer. “Chinese Gardeners of Historic Tucson,” Desert Archaeology, Inc., January 19, 2018, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://desert.com/chinese-gardeners/?fbclid=IwAR2YbtONXrmKlQy5_DNFWqmOd72_abI9HsbHjycY5gwcn1cghaXcrcSRMUY

Thiel, J. Homer. “Uncovering the Story of Tucson’s Chinese Gardeners,” Archaeology in Tucson: Newsletter of the Center for Desert Archaeology, vol. 12 no. 2, Spring 1998, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/pdf/ait/arch-tuc-v12-no2.pdf

Thiel, J. Homer and Jonathan B. Mabry. RIO NUEVO ARCHAEOLOGY, 2000-2003: Investigations at the San Agustín Mission and Mission Gardens, Tucson Presidio, Tucson Pressed Brick Company, and Clearwater Site, Technical Report No. 2004-11 Desert Archaeology, Inc., March 2006, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/pdf/rio_nuevo_full_small.pdf

Tintle, Rhonda. A History of Chinese Immigration into Arizona Territory: A Frontier Culture in the American West, Master’s Thesis, Oklahoma State University, 2006, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://hdl.handle.net/11244/9087 Historiography of the Chinese in Yavapai County, AZ.

Tipton, Gary P. “Men Out of China,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 18, no. 3 (Autumn 1977). (About the Phoenix Chinese community.)

Tom, May Y. “The Chinese in Tucson, Arizona (part 1),” Chinese Digest, March 1938. (Ephemera File: Ethnic Groups-Chinese-Arizona-Tucson, Arizona Historical Society Library & Archive, Tucson, AZ)

Tom, May Y. “The Chinese in Tucson, Arizona (part 2),” Chinese Digest, April 1938. (Ephemera File: Ethnic Groups-Chinese-Arizona-Tucson Arizona Historical Society Library & Archive, Tucson, AZ)

Tucson Chinese Chorizo Project. 2022, viewed on 10/22/2024 https://www.chinesechorizoproject.com/ This project was started and organized by Feng Feng Yeh.

“Tucson Chinese Chorizo Project,” Arizona Public Media, c.a. 2022, viewed on 3/23/2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiiQsMozZog

Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, viewed on 9/3/2022 http://www.tucsonchinese.org/ The TCCC has multiple displays and videos relating to the history of the Chinese in Tucson.

Items on display:

Videos Produced by the TCCC

Oral Histories:

YouTube Channels

Videos that are not oral histories or on the YouTube channels

“Tucson Chinese Chorizo Project,” AZPM (Arizona Public Media), January 20, 2023, https://youtu.be/RiiQsMozZog (See also the Oral History from 2014 on “Chinese Chorizo” above.)

“Tucson Chinese Research Collection, ca. 1870-1968 (bulk 1920-1968),” Arizona Historical Society, Library and Archives, Tucson, AZ, MS 1242, viewed on 9/3/2022 http://www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/upLoads/library_Tucson-Chinese.pdf The Arizona Historical Society’s Tucson Library and Archive has a very good collection of materials relating to Tucson’s Chinese community. Their catalog can be consulted online; hours and other information can be found on their website.

Vail Preservation Society. Water Boys: Helping Their Community, 2022, viewed on 11/21/2022 https://youtu.be/YBhYUgFOoe0 “Educator Resources,” including a lesson plan, work sheet and the final presentation are at https://www.vailpreservationsociety.org/teacher-resources

Villarreal, Phil. “Heritage of Chinese in Tucson Unveiled,” Arizona Daily Star October 10, 2014, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://tucson.com/news/local/northwest/heritage-of-chinese-in-tucson-unveiled/article_60947441-2d30-5f5c-8206-ff9c9a216077.html

Wald-Hopkins, Christine. “At 70, Patsy Lee is ‘still an educator at heart’, only now at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center,” Special to the Arizona Daily Star, December 23, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://tucson.com/lifestyles/at-70-patsy-lee-is-still-an-educator-at-heart-only-now-at-the-tucson/article_6bbd9206-5c35-11ec-af0e-fb86568ef91b.html

Wensheng Wang. “Chinese Americans in the Tucson Community Their History, Their Contributions,” Chinese Studies in History, 34:3 (2001).

Wang, Wensheng. “The First Chinese in Tucson: New Evidence on a Puzzling Question,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 43, no. 4, (Winter 2002).

“The Wo Family of Benson Arizona,” Arizona State Museum, presentation on May 11, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://youtu.be/evtoeKknj58  

 Wong, Jimmy June. “Never Alone: An Interview with Author Jimmy June Wong,” Arizona Historical Society, Mar 26, 2021, viewed 9/5/2022 https://youtu.be/CcSH10D8xnA “Dr. Wong will share his family’s experience immigrating to America along with funny and poignant stories from his childhood growing up in Flagstaff.”

Wong, Jimmy June. Never Alone: The Bumpy Road from China to the American Dream,” Orajim Press, 2020.

(Wong, Jimmy June) “The Show Goes On: Settling Flagstaff, Armory Park,” Arizona Illustrated, episode 804, October 24, 2021, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://youtu.be/MNAwiNbC_yU The story of the Flagstaff Wong family is told by the youngest son, Dr. Jimmy June Wong, Tucson dentist.

Wong Kin, Compiler. International Chinese Business Directory of the World: A Comprehensive List, 萬國寄信便覽. United States: International Chinese Business Directory Company, Incorporated, 1913,Google Books, viewed on8/19/2024 https://www.google.com/books/edition/International_Chinese_Business_Directory/oxZBAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=international%20chinese%20directory&pg=PP1&printsec=frontcover  Arizona listings start on page 1387.

Wong, Suey. “Finding Wong Fook: A Chinese Immigrant’s Story in Exclusion Era Arizona,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 57, no. 3 (Autumn 2016).

Wong, Suey. “Implementing the 1917 Immigration Act: How One Chinese Immigrant Slipped Through the Cracks of the U.S. Immigration Bureaucracy,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 59, no. 2 (Summer 2018).

Xia, Jingfeng. Foodways and Their Significance to Ethnic Integration: An Ethnoarchaeological and Historical Archaeological Survey of the Chinese in Tucson, Arizona, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Arizona, 2001; viewed on 9/3/2022 https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/289703

Yang, Li. “In Search of a Homeland: Lai Ngan, A Pioneer Chinese Woman and Her Family on the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 52, no. 4 (Winter 2011).

Yang, Li. “Lee Wee Kwon: Chinese Grocer in Tucson, 1917-1965,” Journal of Arizona History, vol. 51 no. 1 (Spring 2010).

Ying On Merchants and Labor Benevolent Association. “Chinese Documents from Tucson, Arizona, collection 1913-1968,” University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections, AZ 376, viewed on 9/3/2022 http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/uoa/UAAZ376.xml

Zhang, Homer, compiler. “Achievements of Chinese-Americans in Arizona History,” Chinese United Association of Greater Phoenix, 2013, viewed on 10/22/2024 http://www.paaca.us/100years_AZ.htm Although the early history given in “1.Over a Hundred Years of  Arizona Chinese-American History” is inaccurate, this is a valuable resource for those interested in the history of the Chinese in Phoenix.

Zhang Zhaohong. “Desert Pearl|History of Chinese in Arizona,” July 9, 2022, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.sunbirdarizona.com/2022/07/09/%e6%b2%99%e6%bc%a0%e6%98%8e%e7%8f%a0-%e7%be%8e%e5%9b%bd%e4%ba%9a%e5%88%a9%e6%a1%91%e9%82%a3%e5%8d%8e%e4%ba%ba%e5%8e%86%e5%8f%b2%ef%bc%88%e5%85%ad%e5%8d%81%e4%b8%89%ef%bc%89/ I used Google Translate to read this article in English.

Zhang Zhaohong. “Desert Pearl|History of Chinese in Arizona: Discrimination and Anti-Discrimination (4) July 9, 2022, viewed on 9/3/2022 https://www.sunbirdarizona.com/2022/07/09/%e6%b2%99%e6%bc%a0%e6%98%8e%e7%8f%a0-%e7%be%8e%e5%9b%bd%e4%ba%9a%e5%88%a9%e6%a1%91%e9%82%a3%e5%b7%9e%e5%8d%8e%e4%ba%ba%e5%8e%86%e5%8f%b2%ef%bc%88%e5%85%ad%e5%8d%81%e4%ba%8c%ef%bc%89-%e6%ad%a7/  I used Google Translate to read this article in English.