Hing W. Chinn, an influential and widely respected leader and store owner in Seattle’s Chinatown International District (CID), passed away on Oct. 25 from heart failure at the age of 94.
Chinn was a perennial presence in the CID in the 1980s and 90s, working with non-profit directors, Chinese association heads and business owners to bolster the quality of life in the neighborhood. He was a colorful storyteller with a booming melodic voice and hearty laugh. He encouraged preservation of local Chinese American history.
Chinn was born on June 1, 1930, in the village of Bo Yin Fong in Guangdong Province, China. He immigrated to Seattle to join his father at the age of nine. He grew up in Seattle’s Chinatown, graduated from Garfield High School, and then studied international business and finance at the University of Washington.
He worked for over three decades for the Boeing Company.
Chinn’s enduring legacy was spearheading restoration of the Gee How Oak Tin Association building, one of the oldest apartment structures in the CID. It provided low-cost housing for immigrants and seasonal laborers since its construction in 1907. The deteriorating three-story brick and masonry building at 519 Seventh Avenue South had been owned and operated by the Gee How Oak Tin Association, the largest Chinese family association in Seattle, since 1921, comprised of individuals with the surnames Chin, Woo and Yuen. Chinn served as its president. The restoration was completed in 1990.
“Hing worked tirelessly on the project financing which also led to the creation of a non-profit foundation to secure needed funds for the redevelopment of the building,” said Gloria Lung Wakayama. “Everywhere Hing went, he carried a huge briefcase full of all of the building plans and financial documents and was a wealth of information and a walking library to the contractors and funders.”
Wakayama served as attorney for the Association as well as the Gee How Oak Tin Foundation, the non-profit entity created for the low-income housing.
Sue Taoka, director of InterIm CDA at the time, said: “This rehab was the first local family association project and the first of any family association in the U.S. This was true leadership.”
From 1981 to 2010, Chinn also owned the Kue Hing Co., a popular herbal shop and video rental on the corner of South Jackson Street and Maynard Avenue South. It was one of the first businesses to supply Chinese videos, catering to immigrants thirsting for movies and dramas. The herbal section was managed by herbalist Vincent Chiu, Chinn’s brother-in-law.
Local Chinese families frequented the store for its hom ngwee (鹹魚), pungent dried salted fish, commonly used in steamed meat dishes. Each September, Chinn also made sure the store was stocked with mooncakes, purchased from Vancouver, Canada, in time for mid-autumn festival.
Chinn coached basketball for the Seattle Chinese Athletic Association, served on the board of directors of Kin On and supported the Wing Luke Museum on numerous projects.
“I would frequently call upon him to serve as an advisor as we created exhibitions and built a new museum for the community,” said Cassie Chinn, former deputy executive director of the Wing Luke Museum.
“His stories of immigrating to the United States and serving as a leader in Chinatown directly shaped how [the museum would create exhibitions in the preserved historic spaces of the East Kong Yick Building and tell stories at Seattle’s historic Immigration and Naturalization Service Building. His work touched countless lives and will be remembered for generations.”
Sam Wan, former executive director of Kin On, said: “Hing was a stout supporter of Kin On from its very beginning. He worked hard on seeking support from many family organizations in support of its mission. He contributed generously to Kin On all these years. We will all miss him.”
His daughter Desiree said her father’s modest appearance and frugality belied his generosity and high-level community involvement. “You didn’t realize how amazing he was,” she said. “He never spent money on himself or his clothes. He never asked for anything for himself. He wore the same stuff until they fell apart.”
When Desiree and her two brothers were kids, her dad took them to McDonalds for burgers. But instead of spending money on four drinks, he would pay for one large soda, ask for small cups for ice, then pour the soda into the smaller cups. Desiree said she would complain, “No, I want my own drink!”
Hing Chinn is survived by daughter Desiree (Sal), son Sherwin, son Delwin (Maryann) and seven grandchildren: Tori, Maiya, Paige, Olivia, Owyn, Tyler and Micah. He is preceded in death by his wife Jane and son Raywin.
