In Gary Libby's research paper Early Chinese Residents of Biddeford, Me., he writes that the first known Chinese residents of Biddeford were Lung Hop and Sing Hop who both owned laundries on Main Street. Sing Hop would change the shop's name to Hop Sing & Co. in 1894. Wun Lung also owned a laundry and would open up another one on Main and Franklin Streets.
This was the location of Lung Hop's laundry, no. 61 Main Street. Photograph by the author.
On May 6, 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed by President Chester Arthur. It prohibited further Chinese immigration by Chinese laborers for a period of ten years. It was extended several times and only allowed diplomats and their families, merchants, students and tourists. It was finally repealed on December 17, 1943. Because Wun Lung was a businessman he was allowed to live in Biddeford.
According to Gary Libby, Chinese men did not open and operated laundries but a need for the service and a small investment resulted in a large number of Chinese men becoming laundrymen.
This parking lot once was the location of an apartment building that was rented by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries close to the mill. Photograph by the author.
Wun Lung was featured in the Biddeford Daily Journal and was usually referred to as "the Celestial". On September 2, 1884 in an article titled Poor Wun Lung he was attacked by Dennis Delany who was drunk "and was standing on the walk and as the almond-eyed disciple of Confucius approached struck him a resounding thwack on the forehead that laid him prostrate in the street and demoralized his umbrella." Delany continued to attack until some bystanders interfered and Wun Lung escaped. The Chinese laundryman filed a complaint against Delany who was arrested.
This was not the first time a Chinese man experienced hostility. On January 22, 1892 the Journal reported that boys threw a dead rat into the laundry of Hop Long and shouted "Chinaman eat rat!". Hop Long ran after the boys, caught one and because it was winter he took snow and pushed it into the boy's mouth!
The Biddeford Daily Journal did not hesitate to ridicule the Chinese who lived and worked in Biddeford especially when it came to language. The paper would refer to their businesses as "washee-washoo" and the individuals as "disciples of Confucius" and "almond eyes". A short article in April 30, 1884 wrote that the proprietor of a laundry was experiencing problems with "troublesome hoodlums" and commented the paper "if the element get at him, there is a probability of his changing his name to Hop, Sing and Git."
The last laundry business was owned by Woo Ung Goch called the New Star Laundry from 1948 through 1954.
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