Dong Kingman and Lingnan Restaurant, New York City

Design, March 1951
Cover: photograph of Dong Kingman in lower right corner
Pages 19–20: “From Murals to Mobiles” by Dong Kingman

Kingman said his role, at Lingnan Restaurant, was architect, decorator and muralist. He also designed the graphics for the “menu, match-covers, furnishings and even the dishes.”

Detail of 1950 sketch for the mural at Lingnan Restaurant.

A 1993 photograph of Kingman and his mural is here.

 

Courtesy of the Museum of Chinese in America

 

Hand-lettering used for Lingnan

 

Typeface used for Lingnan

American Artist, January 1951, said

Kingman Designs Restaurant
Our friend and famed watercolorist, Dong Kingman, has recently designed a new Chinese restaurant, the Lingnan Restaurant, which opened at 2512 Broadway on October 10th [1950]. He completely designed the interior and painted an eleven by sixteen foot mural for the reception room.

It is particularly interesting that Kingman Kingman should be designing a Chinese restaurant. Not too long ago Dong, who had been born in San Francisco, educated in China, and then returned to San Francisco, was struggling to keep alive and to keep painting. One of his many ventures was a Chinese restaurant, but Dong spent so much time painting pictures in the back room that the patrons complained and the restaurant soon folded.

A December 1950 issue of Cue, a weekly magazine, reviewed the restaurant.

Lingnan—For those who live on the upper Westside, the Lingnan Restaurant at 2512 Broadway (at 94th Street) is good news, indeed. In addition to the excellent Chinese food, there is the added bonus of particularly attractive decorations. The Lingnan was designed by Dong Kingman, the well-known Chinese-American artist, who has painted a large mural in the lobby, and created an unusual mobile which hangs from the ceiling. [The mobile was designed by Julio de Diego.]

As for the food, we enjoyed everything from pork wonton soup to barbecued spareribs and lobster roll. Our favorite dish, however, was the Lingnan special steak, broiled and then cooked with Chinese vegetables, but still rare and so tender we could cut it with a chopstick. A dish of kumquats completed an excellent meal.

Life, May 14, 1951, published a photograph of Kingman and his wife dining at Lingnan Restaurant. His painting is in the background

A Lingnan Restaurant recipe was featured in Ford Times, January 1952 and reprinted in the 1954 book, The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places.

Fords Times, illustration by George Shellhase

 

The Second Ford Treasury

 

A liquor license notice was printed in the Irish American weekly newspaper, The Advocate, August 15, 1953.

A review in Cue, September 17, 1955, said

The old Dutch explorer got up north along the Hudson River to 94th Street oftener than I do—and a while back, at Lingnan (94th and Broadway), I realized what I’d been missing.

This is one of the handsomest Chinese restaurants in town, with decor features like the “East Meets West” mural of Dong Kingman and the “Mobile” by Julio de Diego. It’s a big and comfortable room, and owner Kenneth Chen and manager Jimmy Moy do a pretty spectacular job of putting you at your ease in it, drink-wise, food-wise and service-wise. The Cantonese menu has all the variety you could ask for, and I’ll mention only a few dishes as suggestions: Gum Lo Pungent Wonton, which is French-fried Wonton sautéed with shrimp, barbecued pork and sweet and sour sauce; Chow Ming Young, which is beef blended with vegetables and topped with transparent noodles; Chow Har Kew, which is jumbo shrimp sautéed with choice Chinese vegetables; or Steak Kew. But whatever you do, don’t miss the fan tail shrimp for appetizer, with its memorable duck sauce. Anything you choose to order will be beautifully prepared.

Special luncheons 75¢ to $2.35; dinners $1.25 to $4; also a la carte.

The New York Post, June 13, 1960, put the spotlight on Lingnan Restaurant.

On May 28, 1963, the film, “55 Days at Peking”, was released. The producer, Samuel Bronston honored Kingman with an exhibition at the Wildenstein Gallery. The exhibition previewed on May 27 and opened to the public the next day. After the preview was a dinner at Lingnan Restaurant. The day’s activities were reported in a number of trade publications.

Motion Picture Daily, May 27, 1963

‘Peking’ Paintings on Display at Gallery
New York—Drawing and paintings created by watercolorist Dong Kingman for Samuel Bronston’s production, “55 Days at Peking” will be shown to the press this afternoon at the Wildenstein Gallery here. Guests will then be taken to the Lingnan Restaurant to dine on Oriental delicacies and view “fabulous decorations” also by Kingman.

Box Office, May ?, 1963

Samuel Bronston, producer of “55 Days at Peking,” honored Don Kingman, the artist who painted the watercolor scenes for the tiles for the film with a cocktail party and showing of the original drawings at the Wildenstein Galleries Monday (27) followed by a dinner at the Lingnan Restaurant, for newspaper, press and columnists. Charlton Heston and Kurt Kasznar, as well as Bronston and Allied Artists executives, attended the invitation opening of “55 Days” at the RKO Palace Theatre Tuesday (28).

The Film Daily, May 28, 1963

Chinese Festival for ‘Peking” Art Work & Chow
What Samuel Bronston Productions refers to as a “Chinese festival” was hosted by the company yesterday. It began with an inspection of the Dong Kingman art work for “55 Days at Peking” at the Wildenstein Gallery, followed by an oriental repast at the Lingnan Restaurant on upper Broadway.

The Hollywood Reporter, May 28, 1963

... Dong Kingman showed friends his “55 Days at Peking” watercolors at Wildenstein’s, then transported them to the Lingnan for water chestnuts ...

Lingnan Restaurant closed in the mid-1960s. The next three Chinese restaurants were Happiness Restaurant, Manchuria Restaurant, and Peking Restaurant. 

 

After a long and circuitous journey, Kingman’s mural has a new home at the Museum of Chinese in America.

 

About Kenneth and Maisie Chen
Daily News Magazine, September 16, 1956, “In the Winner’s Corner”
Daily News Magazine, May 26, 1957, “You don’t lose “face” in America”
The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Virginia), January 12, 1980, “The Chens: Filled with hope for the future”

 

(Next post on Wednesday: Dining at 11 Mott Street, New York Chinatown, 1880–1908)