Born in 1905, Fong She (also known as Chin Fong She) was from a Fong clan village in the Sui Nam district, Canton. Her husband, Chin Moon Ock, first arrived in New Zealand on the Moeraki on 16 March 1920, aged 17. Poll tax no. 1025. Fong She lost three children to poverty before enduring a perilous journey across land and sea to be reunited with her husband in Dunedin. Fong She and her husband toiled in their laundry at 35 Hanover Street. While helping in the laundry, she also gave birth to six children: Peter (1941), May (1942), Mabel (1944), Reta (1945), Joyce (1947), and Marjory (1948). After Peter's birth, the family moved from living on the laundry premises to a house at 7 Hanover Street. Eldest son Peter Chin became the first Chinese Mayor of Dunedin (2004-2010). Peter recalls growing up in his home city during the 1940s, and his mother's cheerful disposition.