Palolo Chinese Home’s rich history began in Hawaii in the 19th century. Beginning in 1852, the Chinese were the first of many to immigrate to Hawaii as sugar plantation laborers. Their contracts with the plantations gave them food and shelter, but once these contracts ended, the former plantation laborers had no housing, were often destitute, and lived off the street.

Each of the ethnic groups that came to Hawaii brought their own traditions and values to the host culture. The Chinese maintained a 3000-year-old ethic of filial piety and benevolence towards the elderly. This respect and care for elders motivated 326 of Hawaii’s leading Chinese residents to launch a drive in 1896 to establish a hospital in downtown Honolulu that would also serve the homeless.

The need for a Chinese Hospital waned, but there continued to be a need for a “home for the aged and infirmed.” Funds from the defunct Chinese Hospital were added to community contributions and applied to the purchase of 15 acres in Palolo Valley on Oahu, which is now the Palolo Chinese Home and open to all people of all ethnicities.