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Photograph

Don Chin in his car, Seattle, July 1965

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Dun "Don" Hing Chin (d. 1987) was the owner of the Sun May import shop at 672 S. King Street, the oldest Chinese gift shop in Seattle's Chinatown International District neighborhood. The family business was started by this father, Shong Chin in 1911 under the name Bow Wah, and Don Chin took over the business in 1962, renaming it Sun May. His son Donnie and daughter Connie later ran the company, which is still in business at 5 Canton Alley as of 2021.

Chin was elected the first president of the newly incorporated Chinatown Chamber of Commerce in 1963, and was active in the Chinatown community and in efforts to revitalize the neighborhood. He was married to Myra Mar Chin, and had three children. His son Donnie Chin (1955-2015) was an activist for the Asian-American community in Seattle, and the founder of the International District Emergency Clinic.

This photograph was taken as part of a 1965 newspaper report about the effect of a recent fatal shooting on businesses in the Chinatown International District neighborhood. Don Chin was one of several Chinese business owners and civic leaders interviewed for the article.

Caption information source: "Linyen booms; Chinatown gloomg," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 15, 1965, p. 11. "Don Chin New CC Head in Chinatown, January 29, 1965, p. 19
Caption information source: Donald G. "Donnie" Chin obituary, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/seattletimes/name/donald-chin-obituary?pid=175456768
Caption information source: Wing Luke Museum website at https://digitalwingluke.org/jewels-and-gems/sun-may-company
ID Number: 1986.5.21457.1
Date: 1965
Physical Description: 1 acetate negative : b&w ; 2.25 x 2.25 in.
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 1986.5.21457.1
Copyright: All Rights Reserved