Wing Tek Lum is a businessman and poet. You see buildings with his family’s name, Lum Yip Kee, on them in Chinatown today. Currently, they own their office building on King Street just off Nuʻuanu.
Lum has been researching and writing about the turn of the 20th century in Honolulu’s Chinatown. His grandfather had a store in the old Oʻahu Railway terminal across Aʻala Park. The pink brick building is still there.
Lum’s poem, "In the Store," is set around 1910 and paints a picture of daily occurrences in a vibrant neighborhood.
"People could pick and choose which kinds of tea they wanted to get, or sometimes they wanted to get fresh ginger so they wanted to get the ginger grown here," he said. "But the general store also served as a meeting place where people could exchange news, exchange gossip, they could talk story with each other."
His latest series, about 70 poems so far, is centered in Honolulu’s Chinatown. His poems are published by Bamboo Ridge Press.
This interview aired on The Aloha Friday Conversation on Aug. 27, 2021.
