Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site

A Chinese medical clinic, general store, community center and residence, Kam Wah Chung gives you an incomparable glimpse into the past.

Both became locally famous: Lung On as a general store proprietor and businessman, and "Doc" Hay as a practitioner of herbal medicine.

Truly a time capsule unique in the world, you must come check out this place!

Learn more about Kam Wah Chung by watching an Emmy-nominated documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

May 1 through Oct. 31. Questions? Contact 541-575-2800 .

Lung On (1863-1940) Edward Wah (1931? –2008)

Tours start at the top of the hour and are limited to eight people per tour. The first tour starts at 9 a. m. and last tour starts at 4 p. m.

Access to the Kam Wah Chung building is only available by participating in a guided tour.

Interpretive Center Additional information and exhibits about Kam Wah Chung are in the ADA-accessible interpretive center. The center is open 9 a. m. - 4 p. m.

Once a general store, a doctor's office, a post office, a library and a center of Chinese social and religious life, now Kam Wah Chung is a window into the past. In John Day, Oregon, Kam Wah Chung (translates to "Golden Chinese Outpost") & Co. is a one-of-a-kind property, a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It's "golden" era began when young immigrants Ing "Doc" Hay and Lung On bought the building's lease in 1888. Then it became a successful place of business, frequently visited as an herbal medical office and even a Chinese temple. To Doc Hay and Lung On, the building was also a home they shared with relatives, friends and itinerants into the 1940s. Its seven rooms included two bedrooms, a bunk room and a kitchen as well as its general store, stockroom and apothecary. Today, the building is a memorial commemorating an important era in Oregon history and the nation, recalling the lives of two men who earned their community's respect as two of its most prominent citizens. Doc Hay established an herbal medicine practice, known throughout Oregon and beyond. Well educated and fluent in the English language, Lung On was a skilled merchant. He sold supplies to local miners, of both European and Asian descent, before expanding the enterprise into a successful dry goods store and import business. He also became respected as a labor contractor and immigration assistant for the regional Chinese community. He had businesses and property throughout Washington and Oregon, including the first car dealership in Eastern Oregon. Truly a time capsule, thousands of objects and documents displayed within the building yields insight into a significant cultural legacy. Old tin containers and wood boxes filled with Chinese teas, foodstuffs, tobacco and medicinal products still line the shelves. Our archive is one of the largest collections of primary Chinese documents in the United States, maybe in North America.