Last updated: 11/28/2014
13920 Main StreetLocke, CA 95690
Sunday, Tuesday - Saturday
11 AM - 4:30 PM
The Joe Shoong School House was built in 1915 funded by the Kao Ming Tong. The building was used by the KMT members as a meeting place and also used by the Locke community as a town hall. In 1926 with funding from the Nationalist Party of China, it became the National School, a place for “after school” children to learn Cantonese reading and writing skills.
The school was called Kao Ming School. Chinese children attended this school after a full day of studies at their regular public school. The school was closed around 1940 for a few years. The School house was refurbished in 1952 with funding from Joe Shoong, founder of the National Dollar Store and later named after him. A millionaire, Shoong promoted Chinese language, art and culture. The school was closed in the mid-eighties due to the decreased youth population and lack enrollment.
The Chinese school building is now a museum and open to the public free of charge. Currently two giant bronze busts commemorating Sun Yat-sen and Confucious sit before its entrance. A gift from the Zhongshan Municipal People’s Government of China.The busts are a reminder of Sun Yat-sen’s vision of a democratic modern China and Confucious philosophy. Both have influenced and inspired people from around the world.
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