This postcard was sent from Honolulu, Hawai‘i to Hong Kong in 1888. The writer, Phillips, told the recipient that he had safely arrived in Honolulu. The recipient was addressed as “Ship Chandlers”. A ship chandler is a dealer who provides supplies and equipment for ships. The name “Kalakaua” was shown at the top of the postcard. King David Kalakaua (reigned 1874-1891) was king of Hawai‘i. In 1881, he embarked on a trip around the world. He arrived Hong Kong on April 12. He was welcomed by the Governor John Pope-Hennessy and attended many receptions and banquets. On 21 April, he left Hong Kong for Thailand.
At the beginning of the message, the sender wrote: “Chin Chin to all old acquaintances”. Chin chin is a reduplicated form of the Chinese word 請 , pronounced in Cantonese as cing2 and Putonghua qǐng. Cing2 has multiple meanings and functions. As a verb, its meaning includes ‘to invite, to request, to ask’. It can also be used to express salutation. In the article “Jargon spoken at Canton” in The Chinese Repository (1836, p. 434), there is an example of the use of chin-chin. The Chinese shopkeeper greeted a foreign customer like this:
“Chin-chin, how you do; long time my no hab see you.”
The “jargon” here refers to Canton English, a variety of English developed by Chinese and foreigners in Canton at that time to facilitate communication.
Another example can be found in William C. Hunter’s book The Fan Kwae at Canton Before Treaty Days 1825-1844, where chin-chin was used as a verb meaning ‘invite, ask’.
“A few days before the ship sailed, while in my room, occupied with my luggage, one of the Chinese servants came to me, and said, ‘Mr. Talbot chin-chin you come down.’ I went accordingly, and was introduced to Mr. Samuel Russell, the chief of the house of Russell & Co. (p. 20)