Yet Soo War Way Lee

Yet Soo War Way Lee
Born	1853  Guangdong, China
Died	1909  (aged 55–56) Adelaide, South Australia
Occupation	Businessperson

Yet Soo War Way Lee
Traditional Chinese	葉繡華
Simplified Chinese	叶绣华
Transcriptions

Yet Soo War Way Lee (1853-1909) was a Chinese-Australian merchant.[1]

Personal life

Way Lee was born in Tungkun, Guangdong, China in about 1853, the only child of a rice-miller.[1] He migrated to Australia in 1874, joining his uncle in Sydney, New South Wales, before spending time in Brisbane, Queensland, and settling in Adelaide, South Australia.[2]

He became a naturalised citizen of the colony of South Australia in 1882 and also joined the United Tradesmen's Masonic Lodge.[2][3]

In 1889, he married Margaret Ann McDonald. They had 3 children. Way Lee died 21 August 1909 in Adelaide, South Australia.[1]

Way Lee & Company

By 1878, Way Lee had established an importing firm, Way Lee & Co. in Hindley Street, Adelaide[4] The company dealt in tea, porcelain, fireworks, Chinese medicines and general bric-a-brac. He expanded its operations across regional Australian with branches in Wentworth and Wilcannia in New South Wales, Quorn and Hawker, and further interests in the Daly River, Northern Territory and Millicent, South Australia.[5]

Way Lee had one of the government contracts to supply the Ghan railway from Port Augusta to Hergott Springs/Maree.[6] He partnered with several other Chinese merchants, including Hu Ting, to deliver food and other supplies to the expanding railway in the late 1880s.

Way Lee and other Chinese Australian merchants of the time formed the Chinese Empire Reform Association, of which he was president.[7]

Advocacy

Way Lee was a leader of the South Australian Chinese community, actively participating in community events, including hosting Chinese New Year dinners and providing support for disaster relief efforts in China. He advocated for the rights of Chinese residents of Australia, focusing on education, living conditions, and opposing opium trafficking.[8][9]

He and Hu Ting authored at least one letter to the Editor during the height of the Anti-Chinese immigration debates in South Australia in the 1880s[10] and advocated to remove laws or rules that limited the ability of Chinese individuals to travel freely between the colonies.[2][11]

In connection with the Jubilee Exhibition of 1887, Chinese Commissioners visited Adelaide and appointed Way Lee, along with three others including Quong Wing from Melbourne and Quong Tart from Sydney, to deliver a memorial from the Chinese community in Australia to the Beijing Government. During the presentation of this document, Way Lee was honored with the rank of Fourth Mandarin.[12]

In 1909, Way Lee was appointed Chinese Vice-Consul for South Australia but died before taking up the post.[5] He is buried in West Terrace Cemetery, where thousands reportedly attended his funeral, including the South Australian Chief Justice, Sir Samuel Way, represented by his associate, Mr. W. L. Stuart.[13]

Further reading

• Burritt, Roger L; Way Lee, Yett Soo War; Walker, Dylan; Carter, Amanda J; Monaghan-Jamieson, Patricia (2009), Way Lee 100 years on (PDF), Centre for Accounting, Governance and Sustainability, University of South Australia, ISBN 978-0-646-51826-8
• THE CASE OF MR. WAY LEE. (1889, January 11). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), p. 2. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88558885

References

1. Gibbs, R. M., "Way Lee, Yet Soo War (1853–1909)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 16 April 2022
2. project, Chinese-Australian Historical Images in Australia. "Way Lee, Yet Soo War - Biographical entry - Chinese-Australian Historical Images in Australia". www.chia.chinesemuseum.com.au. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
3. "DEATH OF MR. WAY LEE". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. XLVI, no. 13, 789. South Australia. 21 August 1909. p. 1. Retrieved 9 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "PERSONAL PARS". Quiz. Vol. I, no. 10. South Australia. 1 November 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 6 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Way Lee 100 years on" (PDF). University of South Australia. 2009.
6. "DEATH OF MR. WAY LEE". Observer. 28 August 1909. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
7. "CHINESE REFORM ASSOCIATION". The Advertiser. Vol. XLIX, no. 15, 081. South Australia. 18 February 1907. p. 6. Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Gibbs, R. M. (1990). "'Way Lee, Yet Soo War (1853–1909)'". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 12. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
9. Uncovering the remarkable Way Lee, (September 2009), UniSANews. Accessed 7 September 2018
10. "Correspondence". South Australian Weekly Chronicle. 31 March 1888. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
11. "FROM A CHINAMAN'S POINT OF VIEW". The West Australian. Vol. 16, no. 4, 593. Western Australia. 24 November 1900. p. 12. Retrieved 6 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "DEATH OF MR. WAY LEE". Observer. Vol. LXVI, no. 5, 243. South Australia. 28 August 1909. p. 40. Retrieved 10 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "DEATH OF MR, WAY LEE". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXIV, no. 19, 587. South Australia. 23 August 1909. p. 6. Retrieved 10 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.