Biography.guide
Home › People › Businessperson › Toney Afong
Portrait of Toney Afong

Toney Afong

1859 – 1936

12 Jul 1859 - 18 Oct 1936

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Toney Afong

Lived 1859 – 1936 (aged 77). Toney Afong was a businessperson.

Chun Chik-yu (; June 12, 1859 – October 18, 1936) was a Chinese-Hawaiian businessman who served briefly as Governor of Guangdong Province from 1922 to 1923. He was born Toney Afong, full name Antone Abram Kekapala Keawemauhili Afong.

Early life He was born on June 12, 1859, the eldest son and second child of Chun Afong and Julia Fayerweather Afong. Considered the first Chinese millionaire in Hawaii, his father was a wealthy Honolulu merchant originally from Zhuhai, Guangdong. His mother was an American-British-Hawaiian woman of aliʻi (noble) descent. He had fifteen siblings and at least three half-siblings from his father's first wife Lee Hong in China.

Afong took Toney to China in June 1862. He left his Hawaiian son to live with his Chinese wife and family in Meixi and took his eldest Chinese son Alung back to Hawaii to raise in each other's respective culture for the next seven years. Toney returned with Afong and his half-brother in 1869. Back in Honolulu, Alung was enrolled at Punahou School (called Oahu College) and Toney at ʻIolani School (called St. Alban's College). Both brothers were prepared for college at Hartford Public High School in Connecticut. Alung later enrolled in Yale University under the tutelage of Yung Wing. Toney was also said to have enrolled in either Trinity College, Yale or Harvard University, although there are no known records of his attendance in any of these institutions.

Career Unlike his Hawaiian siblings, Toney later left Hawaii and settled in China with his father. He became a successful businessman in Hong Kong and Macau with another half-brother Chun Kang-yu. They invested heavily in real estate, shipping, railroads, merchandising, and agriculture. He was influential in the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and instrumental in the founding of the University of Hong Kong.

The brothers were early supporters of Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China who had also been a student at Punahou School in Honolulu. They later allied themselves with Guangdong warlord Chen Jiongming who advocated for a federalist model of government based on the United States against Sun's centralized approach based on Russia. With the backing of Chen, Toney was elected as governor of Guangdong from 1922 to 1923 before being ousted by supporters of Sun. His son Chun Wing-Sen, who became a general under Chen, was shot and killed in the streets of Hong Kong in 1924, possibly a political assassination. Toney retired to Macau and spent the rest of his life collecting Chinese antiques.

Personal life He married Julien Chang and had three children: Chun Wing-Sen , Irene Chun Wing-Luen, Chun Wing-Keu. He also had six concubines but did not have children with them. Irene married T. Y. Lau, the son of Lew Yuk Lin, the last Qing Dynasty ambassador to the Court of St James's. His son Chun Wing-Sen (1827–1924) was a member of the Yale College class of 1912 and became a general under Chen Jiongming before his death.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Yale University
Also known as
Chun Chik-yu

People in Toney Afong's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Toney Afong's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Toney Afong?

12 Jul 1859 - 18 Oct 1936

When was Toney Afong born?

Toney Afong was born on 12 July 1859 in Honolulu.

When did Toney Afong die?

Toney Afong died on 18 October 1936.

What was Toney Afong's occupation?

Toney Afong was a businessperson.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Toney Afong

· Wikidata: Q15615596

· DBpedia: Chun Chik-yu

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Toney Afong. https://biography.guide/toney-afong/

MLA: "Toney Afong." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/toney-afong/.

Chicago: "Toney Afong." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/toney-afong/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-27 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:17 UTC