My father’s name was Juan José Chan López. He was born in Miramar of Puntarenas but they came later to Puntarenas and later on to Ciudad Cortés. My grandfather, my father’s father was Domingo Chan Chan. Domingo Chan arrived to Puntarenas and lived in Miramar. There he married Marcelina López Quesada, my grandmother. My uncles were Roberto, Jovita, Abilio Chan, Gonzalo Chan and Delia Chan. My sister’ name is Rosa María Chan Morales.
My father, Juan José Chan López. He was the eldest of the family. They attended the school in Puntarenas when my grandfather came to Cortés in 1920 more or less, to cultivate rice, since people liked agriculture very much. Grandfather told us that he came from China while still very young, he came with an uncle. I think he came with two uncles and one of them was Franklin Chan’s grandfather. He came to work with the uncles, and they went to Puntarenas. From there he came to Cortés and the children stayed in the school in Puntarenas. But my grandfather suffered many difficulties, so my father quit school and came to Cortés to help him; and so on…, until all of them came.
They worked in agriculture, cultivating rice. Afterwards grandfather bought some farms and then started with cattle and started a business: corner store, shop, butcher shop, bar. There is when he starts to develop business activity in El Pozo. The tradition to grow rice I think he brought from China. The business abilities I do not know, but I think they developed it here, as when he came he was still young, very young my grandfather used to say.
I was born in 1934. For 1943, 1944, I was 9 or 10 years-old. I knew my origins were Chinese. Yes, because the girls in school called us “china” (she says amusingly). Although there was nothing Chinese about us, only the surname, right? But yes they bothered us and called us Chinese. Then the other Chinese, daughters of other Chinese in Cortés told us “say legitimate, legitimate” ha, ha, ha (she laughs remembering proudly). Then we said “Legitimate Chinese.” As saying, “with great honor.” We acknowledged ourselves as part of a group of Chinese; and we saw ourselves as a family. There were several Chinese families. The Wong were numerous. Across from us was the family of don Benjamín Wong and doña Flora Sanchung. Some hundred meters from us was don Eladio Wong, brother of don Benjamín Wong. And following, where now there is a business called “El Aterrizaje,” that was a house my grandfather made for another Chinese man, don Rafael Sánchez. Subsequently there is other house, where Rafael Chan lived; he was not from the same Chan family. Closer was Jesús María Apuy, who also dedicated himself to commerce. All of them had businesses. They all had shops, corner store. Another Chinese was José Tak, he was located on the road to the wharf, but that was recently. There was also don Guillermo Chan, another one not related to us as family; they came from Guanacaste. Sometimes we all got together. Sometimes they showed a Chinese movie. The Wong’s had everything, cinema, bar, bakery shop, store, they also sold milk, what else? Soft-drink stand, they had all that. There were very good relations. It was a golden era, the Chinese presence in this part of the country, the 30’s and 60’s.