William Ah Fong, March 7, 2023

Travis Jeffres conducted this remote interview on March 7th, 2023, with William Ah Fong as part of the Documenting Chinese History in Greater Boise through Oral History project. William Ah Fong, the great-grandson of C.K. Ah Fong a Chinese herbal specialist, offers his memories of Boise’s Chinese population, Boise’s Chinatown, and growing up in Boise as a Chinese American person. Fong discusses his family history, including his great-grandfather’s immigration from China, the evolution of his family’s name, and the three generations of the Ah Fong family that practiced Chinese medicine in Boise, Idaho. He recalls his father's struggle to continue his business due to the difficulty he faced obtaining herbs from China, which ultimately led his father to close their Chinese medicine practice and move the family to California. Fong explains that his great-grandfather and grandfather were founders of the Hip Sing Tong in Chinatown, and his father later became president. Hip Sing Tong and Hop Sing Tong were both historic Chinese organizations that operated in Boise during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These houses served as places for members to socialize, organize community events, and provide mutual aid to current residents and fellow Chinese immigrants.