Vault #18: Barracks | Room 105
The First Floor Chinese Men’s Dormitory and “Dark Room”
Poles found in room 105 once held metal bunks, stacked three tiers high, extending from wall to wall. This created a cramped and sometimes uncomfortable living situation for the room’s estimated 200 Chinese detainees.
Room 105 was one of two large dormitories used by Chinese men detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station between 1910 and 1940. Newly arrived immigrants entering this space were greeted by “old-timers,” who oriented them to the challenging realities of life on the island. For many, the dormitory became a place of waiting—where days stretched into weeks and even months. In this shared space, detainees slept, read, socialized, played games, and inscribed poetry on the walls, capturing their longings and fears.
The memories of former “residents” of Room 105, together with historical records, deepen our understanding of their experiences. Through their voices, we are able to view the barracks in a new light, appreciating the resilience and camaraderie forged within its walls.
Dormitory Timeline
1910 - 1911 | Chinese/Japanese Men
1911 - 1940 | Chinese Men
1942 - 1945 | German/Japanese POWs
Room 105 is most well-known as a Chinese men’s dormitory. However, when the Immigration Station opened in 1910, it was intended for Japanese men. According to reports at the time, men and women from Japan occupied the first floor, while Chinese immigrants slept on the second. Detention records were destroyed in the 1940 fire, so we are left to speculate when the reassignment occurred.
A dated poem in room 105, Island 100 (105-N-6), suggests Chinese men began sleeping there as early as October 1911. After the change, they began composing poems to record their thoughts and histories, even though the Bureau of Immigration attempted to erase their messages on several occasions. As of 2020, there have been 58 Chinese poems identified in room 105.
When the site closed as an Immigration Station, it became a prisoner of war detention and processing facility during World War II. Like the Chinese immigrants who previously occupied the room, Japanese and German POWs also left messages on the wall. Although their writings were predominantly made in pencil, some swastika carvings are still visible.
The barracks’ original design created four segregated spaces: two on the first floor and two on the second floor. Each space included a 1) dormitory, 2) sitting room, 3) lavatory, 4) washroom, 5) linen closet, and 6) fuel room for the sitting room’s coal- or wood-burning stove.
Room Description
Room 105 is one of the largest dormitories in the barracks (73 x 36 ft). Yet, regardless of its size, the room held more men than what was considered healthy at the time. In November 1910, the hospital’s chief medical officer reported that the dormitory had 204 bunks, well above the 56 bunks recommended for a room of its size. He expressed his concern about the room’s capacity and other issues in a letter to the acting commissioner of immigration.
“[Immigrants] are locked in the dormitories except when allowed out in the small enclosure know as the ‘recreation ground.’ In unfavorable weather this means that several hundred [men] are kept in these rooms continuously. The amount of air space in these rooms is totally inadequate for the number of berths therein. No system of ventilation that could be devised would ever provide sufficient fresh air for the number of [men] housed in these rooms. Before leaving this building I invite your attention to the fact that no provision has been made for the safety of these [men] in case of fire... The windows are barred and locked. There is only the one exit for all four dormitories, and that, the one connected to the main building.”
Despite the doctor’s outcry, little changed in the following years. Around 1914, a door was cut into the east wall to give immigrants access to the recreation yard. The change was to alleviate concerns about ventilation and fire safety. Following the Immigration Act of 1924, fewer immigrants traveled to San Francisco, which meant a significant drop in the number of detentions. At some unknown date, the top bunks were removed, creating more space for daily activities.
Lee Show Nam pointed out the mark he made on the barrack walls indicating his height when he was detained there in 1935. Photo taken by Roy Chan.
Calvin Ong (Doan Ong) shows his family and State Park volunteer Sam Louie where he slept in room 105. He was 10 years old when he was detained in 1937.
Wilkin Lee was 7 years old during his detainment in 1939. A guard told him to take a bottom bunk in room 105 because he was a child. Photo by Gabriel Lee.
Descriptions from Detainees
One illustrative description of room 105 comes from Koon T. Lau, who was detained in 1934 at the age of fifteen. He remembered his first impression of the dormitory in a 1990 interview with author Judy Yung.
“When we arrived at the dormitory, all the Chinese inmates stared at us passionlessly. The beds had been assigned and we were told where to sleep. Inmates who spoke some English translated for us. The beds were two or three tiers. My bed was in the middle on the left after you entered. Two or three hours later, our luggage arrived in the barracks. The inmates told us to take out some clothes and toothbrushes and put them by our beds.”
In room 105, thousands of immigrants waited days, weeks, or months for their release. Close confinement created hardships, especially when tensions ran high, or their situation seemed hopeless. For some, detention was an isolating experience. Oakland-born artist Dong Kingman moved to Hong Kong as a child and was detained on his return to San Francisco in 1929. He reflected on his experience in his autobiography, Paint the Yellow Tiger.
“Watching my family leave with other passengers on the ferry for San Francisco while I remained behind barbed-wired windows was like a stab in my heart. What was going to happen to me? The thought chilled me to my bones. After supper that evening, I dragged myself slowly along the corridor from the dining hall to my cell. There might be other detainees in the building but none in mine. I was all alone by myself in a big 100 foot x 500 foot cell, which could hold as many as 300 to 400 people at one time. I sat by myself staring at the empty bunks. Not a sound, not a single soul. So quiet and so lonely.”
However, immigrants also found ways to support one another through their detention. Playing card games, mahjong, and sports brought people together and helped them pass the time. Former detainee Smiley Jann (Jann Mon Fong) described what dormitory life was like for him in 1931.
“We slept in our bunk beds the whole day. There weren’t many recreational activities there. At most, there was a ping-pong table at the end of the dormitory hall. Few people played. There were about 100 people there and only two ping-pong tables—considered inadequate. Many of the young ones liked to play to be active. I didn’t get to play. I didn’t want to fight for the opportunity. There was a volleyball court outside. Most people read. [Music] was in the same room near the ping-pong table. [The record player] was on all day and night. They had to stop at midnight. The records belonged to the Gee Gee Wui.”
This photo showing the inside of room 105 appeared in the San Francisco Examiner on May 11, 1934. The caption reads, "PLAYING—Whiling away the hours they must spend there, Chinese play—you guessed it—mah jongg." The walls are decorated with signs, photos, and messages. One sign says, "Chinese Liberty Association." Above it is a photograph of Sun Yat-sen, the first Provisional President of the Republic of China. Photo credit: Fang family San Francisco examiner photograph archive © The Regents of the University of California, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
The Gee Gee Wui
In 1918, Chinese detainees established a mutual aid association to support each other and create a sense of community at the Immigration Station. The group was known as the Angel Island Liberty Association, the Chinese Liberty Association, Gee Gee Wui, and the Self-Governing Association. Headquartered in room 105, the association was responsible for the welfare of the Chinese men in detention.
William Mock (Mock Ging Sing), detained on Angel Island in 1937, explained a few primary functions of the Gee Gee Wui.
“The self-governing association’s motive was to help the new immigrants adjust to Angel Island. There were always new arrivals. More experienced detainees would brief the new arrivals on what to do. They always reminded them to do nothing wrong. They also had to brief new arrivals to be careful on what they say. If the [watchman] overheard him talking about his [paper] name, he would be in for a hard time and in a really difficult situation. The self-governing association also helped immigrants who were sick. The members would try to request a doctor to come and take care of that sick immigrant. Also, if the food was too bad, the organization would speak and complain to [immigration officials] about it. Even though the association had no real power, we still had to unite together. There was strength through unity.”
The association frequently solicited donations from Chinese immigrants to purchase materials for the barracks, such as games, books, records, ink brushes, and barber kits. Mr. Leung, detained in 1936, paid a membership due of $2 or $3 to the Gee Gee Wui upon arrival. He explained, “Once you joined, they helped you if you needed help. They helped those who answered questions wrong [during their interrogation] by getting coaching information to the island.”
According to some accounts, the association decided which poems were carved into the walls. The following poem, Island 69 (105-N-3), was signed by the “Self-Governing Association,” indicating that the group’s leadership agreed to the message rather than one individual. It is the only translated poem attributed to the association. The conflict mentioned in the verse helps date the poem to sometime after August 1937.
The commandant at Nanking sent a cable
And urged the people to transmit funds to the Relief Office.
I hope my compatriots will give all they can
To prevent the loss of our country-a praiseworthy cause.Self-Governing Association
(Left) A view of the west wall in room 105. (Right) An immigration inspector stands over a Chinese boy as he mends his clothes. The west wall appears in the background, May 7, 1935. Photo credit: Fang family San Francisco Examiner photograph archive © The Regents of the University of California, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Keeping the Peace
Former detainee Dale Ching said the Gee Gee Wui was also responsible for enforcing proper conduct inside the barracks. He described the association locking people in the haak fong or “dark room” as a corrective action. Isolation from others gave offenders the opportunity to reflect on their actions before returning to the dormitory.
“For the children—the kids—they always had [some kind of detention]. ‘I want this book.’ ‘You want that book.’ ‘Right, so… we’ll fight.’ But just the kids fought. Now, who punishes? The guys in charge. He’d put you in a dark room. But he punished you for your own good. We don’t want anybody to get hurt, we don’t want to have any trouble so, then if a kid fought, ‘Okay, punish him. Put him in a dark room.’ They have a small room—closet—still there!”
Lew Way, detained in 1913, said that theft was a significant problem before the self-governing association was established. After 1918, the association held thieves in the dark room. Read what Lew Way said about theft in Vault #16: Sixteen Questions.
Originally, room 106 was built as a linen closet. It was later used as solitary confinement. One former immigrant explained, "It was called the ‘dark room’ because that was what it was, a dark room with no light… There was only a chair to sit on."
There are two Chinese poems in room 105 that specifically mention theft. One appears to the left of the dark room door, Voices 23 (105-W-2).
When you go downstairs for meals,
You should beware of thieves.
Take your money with you
To avoid big loss of wealth.Although there are thieves among us,
Carefully follow this rule.
To be prepared is to avoid disaster,
And in due time you can leave here.
Further into the room is another poem, Voices 22 (105-S-2), that carries a similar warning to Voices 23.
When leaving home, don’t show your wealth to prying eyes!
In my pants I also had silver dollars.
I hung the pants on the bed, without a care—
In a flash they were stolen, and I’m so angry I cannot speak.
I’m heartsick for my mother, who sold everything for me;
That bastard son of a turtle is so barbaric!
For the self-governing association, policing unruly behavior was a duty shared with others in the dormitory. Lee Show Nam (Lum Ngow) was detained for 18 months beginning in 1935. He said the Gee Gee Wui asked kids to monitor and report on detainee conduct.
“Whenever we saw anyone throwing cigarette butts or spitting on the floor, we were to tell the officers and the offender would be confined to the ‘dark room’ for half an hour. I was confined there once for not shutting off the water faucet in the bathroom. One kid caught stealing fifty cents was confined there for a whole week.”
The detention barracks opened to the public as a museum in 1983. Since that time, former Angel Island detainees have visited the site to reflect and share their memories with family.
Room 105 Remembered
When former detainees retrace their steps through the cold, austere rooms of the detention barracks, memories of isolation, fear, and hope resurface. The quiet halls and empty dormitories evoke a mix of sorrow for those difficult days and pride for the strength and perseverance of those who endured detention on Angel Island.
In 1987, Koon T. Lau returned to the barracks with his niece for the first time in 55 years. Upon seeing his old dormitory, he was met with a flood of thoughts and emotions.
“As soon as I entered [room 105], I remembered. I looked at the poems. I read them carefully in silence. My mind tried to understand the meaning. As I thought about it, I was overcome with grief over my past experiences there. I thought about the ones who were deported and how heavy their hearts must have been. I also thought about the ones who were landed and perhaps became rich.”
One poem, Island 42 (105-W-1), echoes a sentiment shared by many, like Mr. Lau, who were once detained in barracks. The poem begins by describing the importance of remembering Angel Island and the experiences of those imprisoned there.
“There are tens of thousands of poems composed on these walls. They are all cries of complaint and sadness. The day I am rid of this prison and attain success, I must remember that this chapter once existed.”
The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation is committed to not only honoring the individuals detained on Angel Island but also deepening our understanding of the site’s history, fostering empathy and awareness for generations to come. To explore more Chinese poetry from room 105, we invite you to visit the AIIS Poetry Finder.
Excerpt of Island 42:
There are tens of thousands of poems composed on these walls.
They are all cries of complaint and sadness.
The day I am rid of this prison and attain success,
I must remember that this chapter once existed…
Architectural Resources Group. “Angel Island Immigration Station Detention Barracks Historic Structure Report,” October 2002.
Askin, Dorene. “Historical Report for the Angel Island Immigration Station,” June 1977.
Egan, Charles. Voices of Angel Island: Inscriptions and Immigrant Poetry, 1910-1945. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2021.
Kingman, Dong. “Paint the Yellow Tiger,” Sterling Publishing Company, New York, 1991.
Lai, H. Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung, eds. "Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940." Second edition. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014.
Lai, Him Mark, Genny Lim, and Judy Yung. Oral history interview with Lew Way, 1976.
Lai, Him Mark and Judy Yung. Oral history interview with Mr. Leung, 1975.
Lai, Him Mark and Judy Yung. Oral history interview with Smiley Jann, 1976.
Lee, Samuel and Sam Louie. Angel Island Immigration Station Carved Poem Locator, 2021.
Mott-Smith, Audrey. Angel Island Oral History Project interview with Dale Ching, 2006.
NARA. Dr. Melvin Glover, Asst. Surgeon, to the Acting Commissioner of Immigration, Record Group 85, General Correspondence, November 21, 1910.
Yung, Judy. Oral history interview with Koon T. Lau, 1990.
Yung, Judy. Oral history interview with Lee Show Nam, 2009.
Yung, Judy. Oral history interview with William Mock, 1984.