Redding, CA - 110 years of Lim’s Café in lost Chinatown

How do you say goodbye?

It is like chipping away a piece of your heart. In 2019, before Joe You Chew died, he had spent the last few months revisiting his favorite places from the car. Due to COVID-19 and as a precaution to his health at 99 years young, he wasn’t able to enjoy actually visiting the inside of the many places that brought him so many wonderful loving memories. With joy, he shared a little bit about his remarkable life with his granddaughter showing her a preview of the places she would learn more about in the near future.

One of the remarkable stories would include Lim’s Cafe located at 592 N Market Street, Redding California. From outside, he asked to be driven by the restaurant and shared that Peter Lim had been a long time family friend. Grandpapa Joe had wondered from outside the restaurant if Peter’s daughters were doing alright, how they were managing the restaurant, and what a glorious honor it was to the Chinese American community that this family (run) restaurant still stood the test of time. For anyone who might not know the story of Lim’s Cafe, the original owner Peter Lim opened Lim’s Cafe in the 1930’s and in 1976 he called each of his children to inform them he was planning to sell the family operated restaurant. His college educated daughters decided to drop everything and return to Redding, California to operate their father’s restaurant for another 46 years, fulfilling every parents dream! If that doesn’t melt your heart, there’s more.

After Joe’s passing, his granddaughter would come to realize that the Lim family (who are actually from the 徐 Yee clan) are the reason the Chew family owned and operated restaurants located in Red Bluff, California. Peter frequently visited the Chew family’s Ming Terrace Restaurant but this was because it was his family who helped the Chew’s moveout of the last Chinatown wooden structure, the Bo Do Hong Company, Red Bluff, California. The former Bo Do Hong Company was torn down in 1948 and the Chew family opened as the Ming Terrace Restaurant in 1949. Following the Gold Rush era, the 徐 Yee’s had nearly franchised the restaurant industry throughout the North State reigning from 1900’s until 2022 ~ 110 years. They single handedly pioneered the industry of Cantonese American food for over 110 years in this region. However, Lim’s Café would become the last from the many restaurants originally opened by the 徐 Yee clan throughout the North State of California closing September of 2022.

Record Searchlight

08 Sep 2008

Redding’s Long Lost Chinatown

Like most communities, Redding, California had a segregated neighborhood called Chinatown near the railroad tracks beginning on California Street and Shasta Street ending on Shasta Street and Market Street one block away from City Hotel and City Hall.

1885 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

Redding had several dwellings and Chinese laundry businesses to support its labor force, but unfortunately, like Truckee, Tacoma, and Rock Springs, WY, the Anti-Chinese League was also being formed. By 1886, the league, consisting of Mr. Primm, Ed Reid, and JW McClintock, had threatened the Chinese residents of Redding's Chinatown, forcing them to vacate the area. Although the Chinese community reportedly only had “a week to vacate”, it was also reported their dwellings were “set on fire”, however this was not entirely true since some buildings were still standing afterwards.

The Anti-Chinese League also attempted to stop Red Bluff, California, from employing their Chinese community. However, the Conard family, who owned the Tremont Hotel and were the landlords for much of the parcels in Chinatown, refused to encourage such boycotting, and citizens of Red Bluff found the Anti-Chinese efforts to be a public nuisance.

The Redding Anti-Chinese League continued to grow and become more emboldened. By 1895, their meetings were held at the Armory Hall, with the goal of preventing all Asians from becoming residents of Redding. The league continued to meet even in 1909.

In 1899, Henry Hill attempted to revitalize Chinatown by increasing the labor force from the Chinese Six Company, seeking to employ them at his Alta House. However, by 1905, the Chinatown was demolished by Sam Hill, and Harry Hill was forced to lease to the Japanese community in 1912.

Despite this, not all people of Chinese ethnicity left Redding, as there were still residents throughout the town who lived and worked for individual families, such as cooks on ranches. They were considered "to have been there so long as to have almost become part of the landscape" (1903, Free Press Saturday Weekly).

Over the years, Redding frequently criticized Red Bluff, California for retaining their Chinatown.