Fan-tan Raid: Chinese Gambling Arrests

In June 1899, a raid happened here at the home of Chin Sing on Tuam Street, leading to the arrest of 32 Chinese men and four Europeans. This site was investigated after the earthquakes, though no evidence of Chin Sing's specific occupation was found.

Chin Sing was a cabinetmaker who had his premises on the north side of Tuam Street, just east of High Street, by 1883. These premises were previously occupied by another Chinese cabinetmaker, Yee Quong. Chin Sing leased Part Town Sections 976 and 978, and it's possible he lived in one of the buildings on those sections in 1877. His business operated here until around 1902. Many Chinese men who came to New Zealand in the 19th century, including Chin Sing, were often described as 'sojourners' because they intended to make money and then return to China.

Chin Sing had two sons, but there's no mention of a wife. Most Chinese men coming to New Zealand at the time did not bring their wives, partly due to the poll tax established in 1881 and significantly increased in 1896, which made it costly.

This 1899 raid wasn't the first here. The first raid on Chin Sing's premises for a fan-tan game was in 1891, though earlier fan-tan raids happened in Christchurch, with one in 1882. Fan-tan was a Chinese gambling game, technically illegal under the Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1881. After almost every raid, newspaper correspondents noted that fan-tan was similar to poker or betting on horses, which didn't face the same prosecutions. This particular 1891 raid was initiated by a tip-off from Ah Quong, who Chin Sing may have refused credit for opium. This incident also confirmed that Chinese residents in Christchurch were involved in smoking and dealing opium. The 1891 case was dismissed due to lack of evidence, and Ah Quong was ordered to pay the solicitor's fee. It also came out during this case that Chin Sing had a boarding house on his section here on Tuam Street.