A Sacramento Family’s
Legacy of Healing | AANHPI Heritage
Month
From a Gold Rush
herbalist to a modern cancer
surgeon, one Fiddletown family’s
legacy of healing lives on.
The Sacramento
region's AANHPI healing legacy spans
over a century. Pioneers like the
Fiddletown-based Yee family
transitioned from 19th-century
traditional Chinese herbalism and
saving the lives of early California
governors to modern oncology,
perfectly bridging Eastern and
Western medicine.
The Yee family and
the Chew Kee Store (established
1850) represent one of the most
remarkable medical lineages in
California:
• The
Early Years (1862): Herbalist
Dr. Yee Fung Cheung used traditional
herbal remedies to save the life of
California's First Lady, Jane
Stanford. He also provided care to
gold miners and Chinese laborers on
the Transcontinental Railroad using
over 150 medicinal plants and roots
stored in intricately labeled herb
drawers.
•
Generational Evolution: The
legacy of the Yee family continues
into modern times through
practitioners like Dr. David Yee, a
prominent urologic oncologist at
Sutter Health. He bridges historical
cultural roots with contemporary
Western cancer care, honoring his
ancestors.
• Broader
Impact: The Yee family is not
alone in this bridging of care;
figures like Dr. Herbert Yee served
on the California Dental Board in
the mid-20th century, breaking down
racial barriers in the state.
•
Cultural Preservation: You can
still visit or explore historical
sites tied to this Gold Rush and
Delta medical legacy, such as the
Chew Kee Store in Fiddletown or the
historical AAPI museums located in
the nearby Sacramento Delta town of
Locke.
ABC 10
Sacramento Story
The Herbalist’s
Legacy: Dr. Yee Fung Cheung
Most
Californians—even Chinese
Americans—have never heard of
Fiddletown. Yet in the 1850s, this
Gold Rush town was home to over
5,000 Chinese miners, merchants, and
herbalists—the second-largest
Chinese settlement in the U.S.
The Chew Kee Store
Museum—one of the oldest
rammed-earth adobe buildings in
America—is preserved by the
Fiddletown Preservation Society and
listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
Featuring an
interview with Dr. Franklin Yee, a
nonagenarian descendant of Dr. Yee
Fung Cheung, the famed herbalist,
this broadcast takes viewers inside
the museum and through Chinese
Americans’ Gold Rush history.
Samantha
Yee, Sacramento
Yee Fung Toy Society
of Canada Hosts Tea Reception to
Welcome Johnson Kin Lun Yee
On Tuesday, June 9,
the Yee Fung Toy Society of Canada
hosted a tea reception at Sun Sui
Wah Seafood Restaurant to warmly
welcome Mr. Johnson Kin Lun Yee,
Founding President of the World Yee
Family Association, who had traveled
from Hong Kong for a visit.
During the tea
reception, Mr. Kin Lun Yee gathered
with Canadian clan members and held
in-depth discussions on the
preparations for the 9th World Yee
Family Association Convention, to be
held from November 13 to 14 this
year in the Gordon Wu Ballroom at B
P International, Hong Kong. They
also exchanged valuable views on
related matters.
The Yee Fung Toy
Society of Canada expressed its
heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Johnson
Kin Lun Yee for taking time out of
his busy schedule to visit. This tea
reception not only strengthened the
friendship and ties among clan
members at home and abroad, further
promoting mutual exchange and
cooperation, but also brought clan
members together. It laid a solid
foundation for carrying forward the
fine traditions of the Yee clan,
advancing clan fellowship, and
supporting the successful convening
of the 9th World Yee Family
Association Convention.
