1884 Covellanos Authorization for the Chinese Society “Chen-Chi-Chic-Louk,” Renamed “Hong-Kong” Presenting a Colonial Record of Chinese Community Organization in Cuba
On offer is a terrific 1884 Cuban government manuscript concerning the formal authorization of a Sociedad de Recreo, a Chinese mutual-aid and social association, in the town of Covellanos, province of Matanzas. Written in a fine, slanted colonial hand, this complete bureaucratic file includes the mayor’s petition, the provincial delegate’s recommendation, and the endorsements of multiple senior officials. It records the request of D. Arturo Fregan to change the name of his Chinese recreation society from “Chen-Chi-Chic-Louk” to “Hong-Kong,” following the death of its president D. Agustín Chanfan. The letter specifies that the society would continue to operate under the same Reglamento aprobado por este Gobierno en 22 de junio de 1880, the colonial regulation governing associations of freed or contracted Asians. The text opens: “El Alcalde del municipal de Covellanos remite a V. S. la instancia del súbdito D. Arturo Fregan solicitando el cambio de una Beca de la Sociedad de Recreo que existe en aquella villa intitulada ‘Chen-Chi-Chic-Louk’ por el de ‘Hong-Kong,’ rigiéndose por el mismo Reglamento aprobado por este Gobierno en 22 de junio de 1880 a consecuencia de haber fallecido el de su clase D. Agustín Chanfan…” The verso contains the complete chain of approvals: “En vista de lo informado por el Alcalde de Covellanos no se encuentra inconveniente en que V.E. se sirva acceder a lo solicitado por el referido súbdito Arturo Fregan.” It bears the signatures and flourished rubrics of Cecilio Rodríguez Mesa, José Luis de la Portillas, and Miró, dated Matanzas, August 7–18, 1884. This document captures a moment in Cuba’s transition from indentured Chinese labor to free community organization. The Sociedad de Recreo Hong-Kong represents the self-organization of Chinese residents under Spanish colonial oversight a decade after the abolition of the coolie trade (1847–1874). By 1884, such associations provided cultural continuity, benevolent relief, and collective identity to Chinese Cubans who had survived contract servitude. Condition: One folio sheet, 8.5x6 inches, written recto and verso in dark brown ink on laid paper. Light toning and foxing, minor edge wear, folds, small spots of oxidation; entirely legible and well-preserved. Endorsed and countersigned three times, dated between 7 and 18 August 1884.
