Chee Kung Tong · An original document of our tradition
The Thirty-Six Oaths
三十六誓章
A surviving record of the promises of brotherhood. Preserved in the Chee Kung Tong Archives at UC Berkeley, this original document gives visitors a direct encounter with the written traditions of our lodge.
The image below reproduces the complete document cataloged by Berkeley as “Chee Kung Tong Oath with Thirty Six Articles.” Follow the link to the library’s viewer to enlarge the characters and examine each numbered article.
CustodianC. V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley
Reading the original
Thirty-six articles. One historical record.
Read the vertical columns from top to bottom, beginning at the right and moving left. The numbered headings identify the individual articles. The complete facsimile preserves the document’s original characters, layout and wording.
For close reading, use the zoom controls in Berkeley’s original viewer. The Chinese text in the image is the historical source; the English and Traditional Chinese passages on this page provide context, not a line-by-line translation.
Why it matters
Brotherhood expressed in writing.
Berkeley identifies this item as an oath for Chee Kung Tong members. Its place in the lodge’s archive makes it a primary source for studying the commitments, language and practices associated with membership.
Reading the original keeps our understanding connected to the surviving record. It also allows future generations to encounter the tradition through the document itself.
San Francisco · Preserving our written heritage
A record to preserve. A tradition to understand.
Our San Francisco lodge shares this document so members, families and researchers can explore the written heritage preserved in the Chee Kung Tong collection. The archive connects the lodge’s story with the wider study of Chinese American community life.
Presented as a historical document for study and remembrance. Its period language should be read in historical context; this page is not a request to take an oath or a statement of present-day membership requirements.
The library catalogs the item without a date. The facsimile is reproduced without alteration. Credit: Chee Kung Tong Archives, C. V. Starr East Asian Library, UC Berkeley. Consult the library’s record for rights and reproduction information.
