Saturday, April 3, 2021

Charlie Chan in Chinatown #AtoZChallenge2021

My interest in researching Charlie Chan springs from several sources: passion for reading and  writing mysteries; dispatch training with HPD; eagerness to frequent the Halekulani open-air restaurant House Without a Key; and one of my Flat Stanley tours around Honolulu. As Novel Research, my theme for AtoZChallenge2021 suggests, some of my research projects conform to the definition of the "word" novel as an adverb: different, odd, or unusual.

 Local lore records the birth of the fictional character Charlie Chan, who appears in the mystery novels written by author Earl Derr Biggers. After Mr. Biggers, a Harvard graduate, visited Honolulu, he read about a real-life Honolulu police detective named Chang Apana. Mr. Biggers then decided to write a story set in Honolulu in which one of its characters, influenced by Honolulu Police Detective First Class Apana, was named Charlie Chan.

Charlie Chan
Chang Apana, known by the localized version of his Chinese name Chang Ah Ping, was born on the Island of O’ahu in 1871. He spoke fluent Hawaiian but never learned to read. As a paniolo, Hawaiian cowboy, he regularly carried a bullwhip. Later he joined the police force as its only Chinese member.

The key on display at
Honolulu Police Department
Detective Chang patrolled areas of Chinatown, working on opium-smuggling and gambling cases. He also helped find people with leprosy who were then transported to the colony on Molokai. One story has the detective rounding up forty gamblers and marching them to the police station, with only his bullwhip for backup. (The below photo of a photograph of Detective Chang was taken at the Chinatown Satellite Police Station when I was doing a "Flat Stanley" tour for a friend.)

Earl Derr Biggers changed the racial stereotype of Chinese characters to less resemble villains like Fu Manchu. His first novel, The House Without A Key, is set in Honolulu. The restaurant of the same name, in the Halekulani Hotel on Waikiki Beach, faces the Pacific Ocean with a beautiful view of the volcanic landmark, Diamond Head.


View of Diamond Head from Halekulani Hotel
restaurant House Without a Key


Detective Chang Apana 
photo on display at HPD




View of Diamond Head from outer rail of
House Without a Key Restaurant
Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki


*****


21 comments:

  1. This is good information to know. I remember seeing a few of the Charlie Chan movies as a kid but had no background on the origin story of the character. Sounds like the detective he is based on didn't play! Imagining him herding a bunch of street thugs with a bullwhip makes me smile.

    My A2Z for today is here:
    http://tao-talk.com/2021/04/03/a2z-2021-day-3-to-cry-you-a-song-from-benefit-1970/

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    1. Yes, a bullwhip seemed to grab the attention of ne'er-do-wells quicker than a cease-and-desist order. Thanks for visiting and I'll be checking out your "C" post today.

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  2. An interesting character, and one who hasn't really travelled that well over here to the UK, for whatever reason. Enjoying the posts!
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2021/04/03/the-state-trilogy-a-z-guide-c/

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Iain. I am more fond of the police detective and the restaurant myself.

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  3. I rememeber watching all of Charlie Chang films when i was a kid. I seem to remember they were uite popular her ein Italy around the 1970s. Bt then,back then, a lot of black and white old movie passed on our tv.

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - The Great War

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  4. I wrote a comment which disappeared before I hit 'publish' . I can't remember what I said now.... but it obviously wasn't very memorable! Interesting theme. Good luck with your AtoZ :)

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  5. I like your re-definition of 'novel' to include more items. I read about Charlie Chan with curiosity. This is fun.

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    1. Thanks, Kalpana. Redefining the word gave me more latitude for topics to write about.

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  6. I didn't know this about the character, or his creator. Thank you and we'll done to another awesome post.

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  7. Oh man, this is making me wish I could be in Hawaii right now. I remember that beach and that hotel. Thank you for sharing.

    Anne from annehiga.com

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    1. If it makes you feel better, Anne, it's been raining an awful lot over the past month. Just glad it's not snowing!

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  8. You have some connection to Chicago... do you remember how WGN would play Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes movies on Sunday afternoons during the baseball offseason? They'd alternate between the two. This reminded me of that.

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    1. I think that was after my time there, John, but it is interesting to hear they played those movies during the baseball offseason.

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  9. It's one of those names I've heard, but a character I knew little about - until you enlightened me. Thank you Gail!

    Here's my D!

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  10. Wow, the real person sounds a lot more interesting than any fictional character...

    The Multicolored Diary

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  11. So interesting! I'm going to have to check out one of these books. Thanks!

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  12. I didn't realize that Charlie Chan was inspired by a real person. Interesting!
    Black and White: C for Camelot

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    1. I only discovered this myself after moving to Honolulu, Anne, even though I had read the mysteries years before.

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