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Wo Hing Museum

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two cruisers
two cruisers
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5 out of 5
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1
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Editor Pick

Enrich your Knowledge of the Cultural Diversity of Maui

  • January 16, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by two cruisers from Ames, Iowa
Enrich your Knowledge of the Cultural Diversity of Maui

The average tourist on Maui spends some time on Front Street in Lahaina doing the shops and galleries. There is a gap in the shops of the 800 block of Front Street where an ornate two storied wood frame building stands. I had been curious about this structure for a long time. This trip we figured out it is the Wo Hing Museum and it is open for tours. There weren’t many people on tour there and that is a shame. This is a very important structure to the cultural history of Lahaina and in particular to the Chinese community. I was surprised to learn the arrival of the Chinese predates the whalers and missionaries. The Wo Hing Museum was once affiliated with the Chee Kung Tong, a Chinese fraternal society. The Chinese immigrated here in large numbers to work the sugar plantations, build tunnels and irrigation systems. The Tong societies sprang up to help keep in contact with their ancestral homeland and to care for the aged and infirm. On the second floor is an altar room, but primarily the building was used for social concerns. Many of the Chinese immigrants worked hard to start their own businesses. On the first floor is a tribute to one family who started a grocery/general store on Front Street. Besides early photographs of store and family there are pieces of furniture and other treasured items on display. The Chinese are known for intricately carved items and there are some good examples here. In the side yard the former cookhouse has been partially restored with giant size woks and other kitchen needs. The majority of the building holds rows of benches that make up the Cookhouse Theater. A large screen TV shows a looped video of a rare treasure. We sat and watched fascinating films made by Thomas Edison on his trips to Maui and Oahu in 1898 and 1906. They really brought to life the historical and cultural books we have read of that era. This facility does not charge an admission. There is a box for donations and they do sell a watercolor print on heavy stock with the history of the museum printed on the back. I gladly bought one of these because I found it very difficult to take a photo of the building. Traffic, parked cars and hordes of people getting in the way didn’t encumber the water colorist.
In the neighborhood are lots of restaurants and shops. I would try Bubba Gumps or Kimo’s for lunch and a walk through the Banyan Tree Park for an unforgettable experience afterwards.

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