Chinese passengers

[Ioannis Georgiou]

A deleted scene in the Jack/Rose film Titanic shows Fang Lang, a Chinese steerage passenger as being pulled from the water. Other sources say that his companions were crushed by passengers sitting on top of them in lifeboats after they hid.

Not one of them was "crushed", it is only a false claim.

Can anyone tell me more of these sailors?

In all they were 8, travelling on the same ticket and going to New York to join their ship Annetta. I am sure you will find some more information when going into the biography section.

It seems like a miracle that Fang survived and alot of his companions didn't in the sinking.

Of the eight it were six who survived (one was in lifeboat No. 13, one rescued by No. 4 from the water and the others were in collapsible C).

 

[Charles Francis Dowling]

Thank you Ioannis

I found a picture of the Annetta at Annetta

I found that Fang was the one picked up from the water in Boat 14,

 

[Bill Baird]

I just found a snippet on the Chinese sailors, naturally while looking for something else!

It appears that the US authorities were none too keen on wandering Chinese. According to the New York Times, they were held on Ellis Island, no doubt pending them joining their ship.

I just saw information about the Chinese passengers and am wondering if anyone has any definitive information about how they were treated on the Carpathia. I have seen that they were "held overnight" after arrival in NYC and also one quote that "they were put in irons" on Carpathia. Anyone know the truth?

 

[Dave Gittins]

It's well established that the Chinese men were held on Carpathia overnight and taken to their ship Annetta by boat in the morning. See Debbie Beavis: Who Sailed on the Titanic. By doing this, they complied with the Chinese Exclusion Act to the letter. They never set foot on US soil. (It seems an earlier post of mine was incorrect).

The "putting in irons" sounds like an invention. Many sensational things were published soon after Carpathia arrived and they can't be trusted. Do you know that the lifeboats were menaced by a school of whales? A reporter did!

See my earlier posts for the difficulty of finding out anything much about the Chinese. Not even their proper names are known.

 

[Bill Baird]

It's well established that the Chinese men were held on Carpathia overnight and taken to their ship Annetta by boat in the morning. See Debbie Beavis: Who Sailed on the Titanic. By doing this, they complied with the Chinese Exclusion Act to the letter. They never set foot on US soil. (It seems an earlier post of mine was incorrect).

The "putting in irons" sounds like an invention. Many sensational things were published soon after Carpathia arrived and they can't be trusted. Do you know that the lifeboats were menaced by a school of whales? A reporter did!

See my earlier posts for the difficulty of finding out anything much about the Chinese. Not even their proper names are known.

Thanks Dave. I really knew nothing about these six/eight until yesterday. I read that they were held overnight on Carpathia and also that they were taken to Ellis Island. I certainly suppose they could have arranged for a small vessel to take them to Ellis, but it seems like that might have made one of the other survivors comment and I have not seen anything about that anywhere. Unless I can dig up more info, I guess I will just be pretty vague on their treatment if I put it in my book. Just one of the elevnty billion other unsolved and contentious points of this whole Titanic world.

 

[Dave Gittins]

I'd back Debbie's account. I don't have her book, but I've read it and she gives proper sources for her story. The Secretary for Commerce and Labor, Charles Nagel, went to New York and ordered his officials to minimise red tape, so nobody went to Ellis Island. It would make sense for the Chinese to be taken to their ship by boat, which was both convenient and in accordance with US law.

 

[kaoritokyo]

Hi,I was lurking here for a while.Although everyone is talking about Chinese passengers of Titanic now so I assume everyone here already knows,There are pretty interesting articles about Chinese passengers.

gazettextra.com/news/local/janesville-man-shares-untold-story-of-his-father-a-titanic-survivor/...

Titanic: Searching for the 'missing' Chinese survivors

When the Titanic sank, six Chinese men were rescued - but their ordeal didn't end there.

www.bbc.co.uk

(Sorry about my English.Not my first language.)
Regards.Kaori O Tokyo Japan

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

Interesting to see Tom Fong mentioned on the articles... he posted here about his father in 2004! Look forward to seeing the documentary.

 

[Seumas]

This is a wonderful story about the Chinese passengers and some great detective work.

What a pity Fang Lang was never interviewed despite living such a long life. His story would have perhaps been the most horrific of them all.

This was someone who could actually have actually looked you in the eye and told you what it was like to wait for rescue whilst nearly 1500 people slowly die around you.

Although new discoveries about the actual ship itself may be unlikely, this goes to show that there are still discoveries to be made regarding the passengers and crew.

 

[aramizhu]

Have you all seen Steven Schwankert’s documentary “ The Six”?
Tom Fund was featured in it.

 

[Brad Walton]

Is there any information on who the Japanese passenger was whom Lowe picked up when he ventured back to the wreckage of the Titanic? He was the one who apparently jumped into the lifeboat and immediately took up an oar. Is anything known about him? Thanks.

 

[Arun Vajpey]

Is there any information on who the Japanese passenger was whom Lowe picked up when he ventured back to the wreckage of the Titanic? He was the one who apparently jumped into the lifeboat and immediately took up an oar. Is anything known about him? Thanks.

I believe the "Japanese" man was actually Fang Lang, who was, of course, Chinese. Some reports said that he had lashed himself to a door. Although stiff and frozen when rescued, he recovered quickly and helped with the rowing. Apparently, he did very well and I have read that the experience changed Lowe's till then somewhat condescending attitude towards Orientals.

 

[Thomas Krom]

Is there any information on who the Japanese passenger was whom Lowe picked up when he ventured back to the wreckage of the Titanic? He was the one who apparently jumped into the lifeboat and immediately took up an oar. Is anything known about him? Thanks.

The man saved wasn't actually Japanese, but Chinese. The only Japanese passenger, Masabumi Hosono, managed to get in lifeboat number 10. Of the eight Chinese passengers on-board 6 were saved, these being:
Third class passenger Lee Bing/Coon Lee (1880-19?)
Third class passenger Chang/Chong Chip (1880-1914)
Third class passenger Choong Foo (1880-19?)
Third class passenger Ling Hee (1888-19?)
Third class passenger Ah/Ali Lam (1874-19?)
Third class passenger Fang Lang/Fong Wing Sun (1894-1986)
One of them managed to get in lifeboat number 13 (which was lowered at about 1:40), four of them managed to get in collapsible Engelhardt lifeboat C, which was lowered at about 2:00. However one, most likely together with Len Lam (1889-1912) and Lee Ling (1884-1912). This youngman was later picked up by lifeboat number 14.

Back in 2017 a cousin of Tom Fong (Fang Lang/Fong Wing Sun his son) named Henry Chiu, told that Fang Lang/Fong Wing Sun told him during a dinner party:

"The ship I was on crashed into an ice mountain. He said it was a huge ship, a very big ship. And that he saved himself by grabbing on debris."

Henry said he was 100% sure that was what he told him then. If indeed accurate it would make ang Lang/Fong Wing Sun was the man saved by fifth officer Lowe.

In 2017 Tom Fong met up with the grandson of fifth officer Lowe, John Lowe, and had a heartfelt conversation with one another.