Ben Loy and Mei Oi's first child; although the identity of the true father is unknown, Ben Loy considers the baby his own and the newborn served as a bond that made husband and wife closer Chong Loo – An old rent collector and Chinatown's biggest gossip Tuck King and Kitchen Master – Cooks at Money Come; Kitchen Master buys Money Come when Wah Gay leaves New York Dr. Suey – Herb doctor in San Francisco who instructs Ben Loy to "eat a bowl of tea" to treat his impotence Wang Wah Lim – Wah Gay's elder brother Bok Hey – Ben Loy's uncle; blessed with three sons: Do Sing, Do Dot, and Do Ming Aunt Gin Fung – Ben Loy's aunt; matchmaker for the marriage between Ben Loy and Mei Oi Ling Hing – Mei Oi's uncle; embodies "Old Tradition" of Chinese culture Wang Fook Ming – Wah Gay's cousin; Vice President of the Wang Association Ah Mow and Ah Sing – Barbers at Wah Que Barbershop who encourage the gossip of Chong Loo Lee Sam – Lee Gong's old roommate; in a psychiatric hospital in Long Island after being beaten and robbed in their apartment Ging Fong – Chinese language secretary in the legal conflict between Wah Gay and Ah Song; also referred to as Third Uncle George D. Dong – English language secretary Lao Chuck – One of Wah Gay's many cousins; tells Ah Song to drop charges pressed upon Wah Gay Ho Soon – President of Ping On Tong Reverend Fook Ming – Marries Ben Loy and Mei Oi Setting and historical context The novel takes place in the 1940s, and the majority of the plot takes place in New York's Chinatown. Segments of the plot occur in other locations as well, including: Sunwei, China Stanton, Connecticut (possibly a reference to Stamford, Connecticut?) Washington, D.C. Newark, New Jersey San Francisco, CA Chu's novel begins right after the close of World War II. Numerous references are made to the Asian American soldiers represented by Ben Loy. After the war, many elderly men were confined to the cities of San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York City, as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and Immigration Act of 1924 had prevented them from returning to their wives and family in China and also from bringing these family members to the United States. For this reason, many Chinatowns