Gee How Oak Tin Association

The Gee How Oak Tin Association Building is located at 421 Bernard Street. The family association is one of approximately forty family associations in L.A. Chinatown.

In the nineteenth century, Chinese men in Los Angeles created a number of family associations to provide support, protection, and social ties within the community. With discriminatory immigration laws severely limiting Chinese women’s ability to immigrate, the associations offered meals, healthcare, and camaraderie for immigrant men working in a strange new country.

Formed around surnames identifying common lineage, family associations offered new immigrants assistance with job placement, housing, English lessons, financial counsel, and funeral services. They also offered the opportunity to connect with fellow countrymen through activities ranging from mahjong games to charity work.

The Gee How Oak Tin (meaning “Most Filial”) is an international organization, and, according to its members, one of the largest in the United States. The L.A. Chinatown chapter comprises 400 to 500 members—including women, who were officially allowed to join more than two decades ago.