On Leong Chinese Merchants Association

The Chicago landmark On Leong Merchants Association Building, now Pui Tak Center.

The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association (traditional Chinese: 安良工商會; simplified Chinese: 安良工商会; pinyin: Ānliáng Gōngshāng Huì; Jyutping: On1loeng4 Gung1soeng1 Wui6) or simply Chinese Merchants Association, formerly known as the On Leong Tong (Chinese: 安良堂; pinyin: Ānliáng Táng), is a tong society operating out of its territory in Mott Street in New York's Chinatown. Established in November 1893, the tong fought a violent war for control of Chinatown's rackets and businesses with the Hip Sing Tong. In recent years the Tong has been linked to the Ghost Shadows street gang led by Wing Yeung Chan. Currently, there are over 30,000 registered On Leong members, the majority of them with a commercial or industrial background.

Branches

On Leong Chinese Merchants Association building in Baltimore Chinatown

The On Leong Chinese Merchants Association has 23 branches in the United States including in:

• Baltimore, Maryland - 325 Park Avenue
• Boston, Massachusetts - 20 Hudson Street
• Chicago, Illinois - 218 West 22nd Place
• Cleveland, Ohio - 2150 Rockwell Avenue
• Detroit, Michigan - 425 Peterboro Street
• Houston, Texas - 6360 Corporate Drive
• Kenner, Louisiana - 3201 Georgia Avenue
• Miami, Florida - 1750 West Flagler Street
• Minneapolis, Minnesota - 318 South 3rd Street (defunct)
• New Orleans, Louisiana - 530 Bourbon Street (relocated to Kenner)
• New York, New York - 83 Mott Street
• Omaha, Nebraska - 112 North Douglas Street (defunct)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 911 Race Street
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - 522 3rd Avenue (defunct)
• Providence, Rhode Island - 34 Pontiac Avenue
• Richmond, Virginia - 506 West Broad Street (defunct)
• St. Louis, Missouri - 3608 South Grand Boulevard (defunct)
• Washington, D.C. - 606 H Street Northwest

Further reading

• Denny Lee, Years of the Dragons Information on the history of Ghost Shadows, New York Times, May 11, 2003.
• MacIllwain, Jeffrey Scott. Organizing Crime in Chinatown: race and racketeering in New York City, 1890-1910. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2004. ISBN 0-7864-1626-2