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The
first Chinese cafe I had ever been to was in Bute Street in Cardiff
in 1946-7 and I can still remember it vividly.
Bute
Street in Tiger Bay was a rough, tough area and very cosmopolitan.
I remember walking down the street on a nice, bright, sunny Sunday
afternoon and seeing all these black, noisy, happy people.
There
were also lots of girls standing on the street corners talking to
everyone and being friendly. Most of them said "hello" to me which
I thought most strange!
Until about 1959, we were the only Chinese family in Cheltenham.
At school, my two younger brothers and three younger sisters
and I were the only foreigners in our classes.
I knew I was Chinese and different so
always tried not to get into any trouble, as I knew I could
easily be traced.  |
| Frank
Wing Yow Soo |
We
went to visit my father's friend who had a restaurant and had fried
rice. I thought it was absolutely delicious and still remember it
today.
Until
about 1959, we were the only Chinese family in Cheltenham. At school,
my two younger brothers and three younger sisters and I were the
only foreigners in our classes.
I knew
I was Chinese and different so always tried not to get into any
trouble, as I knew I could easily be traced. This became an unconscious
fact, as I never noticed any consistent discrimination against me.
There were the odd occasions of discrimination but nothing really
serious.
The
invisible man
It
was only when I went to Hong Kong for a period in my early 20s that
I noticed anything. After about two weeks in Hong Kong, I suddenly
realised that I was invisible! It made me think that subconsciously,
I must have been picking up discriminatory vibrations without realising
it.
As
far as I am aware, there was never any widespread discrimination
against Chinese people - only single incidents. We tended to keep
out of the way and get on with making a living. The children had
to help with the family business and so didn't get out very much,
so never got into any trouble.
Having
to work four nights a week, I therefore only occasionally went out
with my friends.
My
father did experience instances of discrimination. Luckily he had
learnt kung fu back in China so was able to look after himself.
He got into a few fights because he was Chinese and the only strange
face. However these never lasted longer than two punches and he
always won.
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| Martial
arts helped Frank's father protect himself |
My
father was a bit different to the average Chinese as he was quite
big and strong and also an outgoing, confident person. He wasn't
shy or reserved, got on well with people and made friends easily.
If
he ever took offence, he would put on his inscrutable Chinese face
or smile slightly which could be quite infuriating. He found that
if he went into a pub and bought a round of drinks, most people
would usually accept it and become friends or at least acquaintances.
He made a few close friends this way who would do their best to
help him when he asked.
When
we first came to Cheltenham, my father went to the local wholesale
market to buy chickens and fresh fruit and vegetables. The auctioneers
totally ignored him and his bids. To buy the food that he wanted,
he had to go to the buyer of his lots and pay the extra required.
After
a few months of going to the market pub and buying a few rounds
of drinks he became very friendly with the auctioneers and some
became close friends who would give him business advice.
He
wanted to buy a stud farm and raise horses just outside Cheltenham,
but was advised against it, so he started buying properties in Cheltenham.
One
big chance that he missed was the property now occupied by Woolworths
which he could have bought for £8,000 in 1953 and which sold for
£100,000 two years later.
Because
he was an immigrant, my father was officially classed as an 'alien'
and had to register with the local police wherever he lived. This
was a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Office requirement that remained in force up to the early
1960s at least. He
had Chinese documents only as he didn't decide to seek British nationality
until about 1960.
Aliens
Each
major police station had an officer who handled all immigration
matters and records. If 'aliens' were going to travel more than
50 miles away, they were supposed to inform the police first and
give a reason, but I don't think my father bothered with it. He
always got on well with the police officers and could always obtain
help from them.
One
way to repay his friends came whenever there was a celebration like
Chinese New Year. He would cook dinner and
invite them for a meal. This was usually their first taste of Chinese
food.
My parents taught us Chinese customs and table manners, taught
us to be polite and respectful and especially to be considerate
to older people. |
| Frank
Wing Yow Soo |
My
parents taught us Chinese customs and table manners, taught us to
be polite and respectful and especially to be considerate to older
people.
We
had to learn all the positions of the extended families of both
parents so that we could address them correctly, or know what place
they occupied in the family tree, if we ever met them! We were to
respect authority and to look after parents when they became old.
The
eldest son would inherit everything, but would also take responsibility
for running the whole family. Outside China, I no longer think that
much of this applies.
In
Birkenhead, my father needed workers so started to bring over any
relatives from China who wanted to come. He brought over two brothers
and when his father died, he brought over his stepmother (his own
mother had died and his father had remarried).
Arranged
marriage
When
we moved to Cheltenham he needed more people, so more relatives
came over. He brought over my auntie for an arranged marriage -
she had never met my uncle until she arrived.
Coming
from a small village in China and having to work such long hours
must have been a great shock to her. I don't think she was very
happy and after a few months they went off and opened their own
laundry in Liverpool where there were more Chinese people and they
could socialise.
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| Chinese
medicine was used as an alternative to the UK doctor |
When
I was very young, there was no health service. If you went to see
a doctor, you paid 2/6d (12.5p) which was equivalent to 5 per cent
of your weekly wages. Then you had to pay for the medicine which
would be half of that again.
There
were a lot of patent medicines, so if you had a cough, you didn't
see a doctor, you bought a bottle of cough mixture. You only went
to see a doctor if you were seriously ill.
Babies
were usually born at home and you paid the midwife to come and handle
the birth. We all had the same midwife, Nurse Wilcox, who was a
very nice lady. Every time I had a new brother or sister she would
suddenly appear and take control. She even came down to us when
we had moved to Cheltenham.
In
Cheltenham there were 14 of us living in the laundry. My parents
had one room and there were two bunks with four people in each
of the other rooms. The rooms were only for sleeping anyway.
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| Frank
Wing Yow Soo |
In
Cheltenham there were 14 of us living in the laundry. My parents
had one room and there were two bunks with four people in each of
the other rooms. The rooms were only for sleeping anyway!
On
the afternoon that the workers had off, they were down at the bookies
betting their money away and on Sunday afternoon they would play
Mah Jong.
When
the restaurants came along the staff would play through the night
after work on Saturday and through most of Sunday. Restaurants have
been lost and won back in the same weekend!
It
did make doing school homework rather difficult as we had to do
it wherever we could find a space.
»See
Frank's story part 1
»See
Frank's story part 3
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