New York City Council District 30 Councilman-elect Phil Wong learned of his election victory on the night of November 4th and expressed his gratitude to supporters and volunteers. The next morning, he made it a point to visit the “Crane Mountain Public Cemetery” in Queens’ Glendale area, where he paid respects to his ancestors by burning incense, following the tradition of Cantonese and Hong Kong people. It is where his grandfather (Huang Bingzhao), grandmother, and father (Huang Dingzhong) rest in peace.
Phil Wong’s grandfather, Huang Bingzhao, served as the chairman of the Chinatown “Crane Mountain Public Society” for over 20 years and was also a partner in the well-known Chinatown restaurant, “Wo Ping Restaurant.” This cemetery was acquired by his grandfather for the community. Wong expressed, “We repay our elders with kindness, which is the best way to honor our ancestors.”
According to Wong, his grandfather Huang Bingzhao came to the United States in 1919 to study, then opened a restaurant and earned enough money to return to China to settle down in Guangzhou. Following the Japanese invasion of China, his grandfather relocated to Hong Kong, returned to Guangdong after the war, only to have his properties confiscated when the mainland transformed in 1949. His grandfather then returned to Hong Kong and later back to the United States, where in the 1950s, he co-founded the “Wo Ping Restaurant” on 24 Pell St. in New York City’s Chinatown. Wong’s father, Huang Dingzhong, moved to Hong Kong in the 1960s and got married there, and Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1966. After the “Leftist Riots of the Sixties” in Hong Kong, his grandfather arranged for the family to leave Hong Kong and immigrate to the United States. “Wo Ping Restaurant” operated until the 1980s, alongside “Yun Kee” as the two prominent old establishments of the time, which many old overseas Chinese still remember. The restaurant’s old photos are also preserved in the “Chinese Museum.”
Wong mentioned that his father spent most of his time traveling outside, making his bond with his grandfather even stronger. He said, “My grandfather taught me: Life is a series of gains and losses, everyone experiences loss, but the key is how to grow from it. My grandfather learned to transcend loss and ultimately achieve self-fulfillment.”
As the third generation of his family to strive in New York, Phil Wong is set to enter the New York City Council, representing the district’s residents and advocating for the Chinese community. The addition of a Chinese council member has enriched the New York City Council.
Expressing pride in representing the Chinese community, Wong stated that he will join the Council’s “Common Sense Core Group” established by the incumbent Councilman, Robert Holden. Regarding the newly elected Mayor Mandani, Wong expressed his willingness to communicate and emphasized that “finding common ground while respecting differences” is his guiding principle.
In the election, Wong received around 20,000 votes, with a 54% vote share, surpassing his opponent Alicia Vaichunas by 10 percentage points and over 3,000 votes. His strong support came from the northern and western parts of the district, while Alicia Vaichunas garnered more votes in the southern and central regions.