His job was simple yet critical: sounding out the hours with his small wooden box and mallet, reminding sleepy residents of the time and alerting them to fires and thefts. He was the night watchman performing da gahng, a centuries-old time service whose functions have gradually faded away like the once-familiar sound that rang through darkened village streets. He created the heartbeat of the night. He was the Bok Bok man.
Dating back to early dynastic China, people traditionally measured time based on the position of the sun in the sky during the day, and relied on a night watchman to sound the hours at night. This same tradition of sounding out the night time hours followed 19th and 20th century Chinese immigrants to the U.S, particularly those who settled California’s gold rush and agricultural communities where virtually all structures and sidewalks were constructed from wood and the need for a Bok Bok man was considered a strict necessity. Fire was a constant threat.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region holds a rich tradition of the Bok Bok man. Memories of those who resided in heritage communities such as Courtland, Isleton and Locke provide vivid details of the Bok Bok men who served their communities. The following are personal recollections from the 1910’s – 1930’s.
Alfred Chan: “Walnut Grove did not have a fire hydrant or a very efficient fire department. So we had a person I knew as the Bok Bok man, who was on duty from midnight to sunrise. His primary duty was to keep a watch for fire on his nightly patrol. Every hour on the hour he would strike the hollow wooden box making a “Bok Bok” sound in accordance to the time. Unfortunately, around 1930’s, Walnut Grove’s Chinatown burned to the ground”. (Author’s note: Walnut Grove’s Chinatown was also destroyed by fire in 1915).
Chester C. Chan : “One of my many fond memories of early life in Locke was the Bok Bok man. Occasionally, when we were up early to go fishing and he is walking our street before 5:00 am, we would follow him and his dog. He would hit his Bok Bok five times to signify the time “five o’clock and all is well”. I think his name was Bond Bung. He was such a memorable senior citizen performing such a responsible job!”.
Some memories of the Bok Bok man also included feelings of curiosity, trepidation and fear.
Connie (Cheung) Chinn: “Yes, I remember the Bok Bok man. I used to be so afraid, as if something was going to happen with a burglar, robbers or thief”.
Florence (Chew) Ng “Bok Bok, also known as Wah Jean Lum, was a homeless man. He lived under the trees near the vineyards. He was unkempt with stringy hair and very ragged clothes. We children would spot him- he looked so menacing yet he was harmless- and scream and run away from him. He was very scary!”.
Harry Sen: “Many nights, if I were still awake, I would hear the Bok Bok man, a.k.a. Bon Bung for his pock-marked face. He was a bachelor, a skinny hunchbacked individual, addicted to opium as many of his generation were. He lived in his little tin shed by the swamp. For his work he was paid approximately $1.50 per household per month”.
Fela (Wong) Low: “When we were teenagers, we would always dodge the Bok Bok man at night. We didn’t want him to report to our parents for staying out so late”.
Colorful childhood recollections dredged from the memories of those now standing at the edge of the 21st century. Deep memories, perhaps dim, faded or amplified by the passage of time, yet meaningful and worthy of expression.
Bessie Gong: “Whenever I heard the Bok Bok man, I knew he was watching over us”.
Sources for this article: China Daily Newspaper; 1999 End of the Century Delta Reunion Memory Book – Used by permission.