The headquarters of the Wong Kong Har Tong Society of Hawaii is tucked away on the upper floor of a historical building at Maunakea and Hotel streets.

There are exactly 45 steps to get to the headquarters, and Harry Wong, 78, past secretary of the society, climbs them every week.

For Chinese New Year about 455 members of the society (all with the surname Wong) are invited to an open house at headquarters to pay tribute to their ancestors, as well as to ask for their blessings, and to a celebration of lion dances, tea, wine, gau and candied fruits. The Narcissus Festival queen and court are also expected to pay a visit.

Along one wall there is an ancestral shrine, surrounded by several couplets (wise sayings) along with a specific creed for anyone named Wong. Chrysanthemum flowers and oranges decorate the altar.

“;We keep the traditions alive for the younger generations so they don't lose touch with their heritage,”; said Wong.

In celebration of the new year, Wong grows narcissus flowers—which bloom at this time of year—and gives them away as presents. He also cooks jai (a vegetarian stew) for friends and family.

The society is an extended family of individuals in Hawaii who all share one thing in common: the Wong surname, which, when written in Chinese, has the same meaning as the color yellow. Six men named Wong, all with roots in Zhongshan, China, launched the society in 1902.

It is one of about 80 different societies in Honolulu, which feature the surnames of Lum, See, Duc and Lung. They were formed, in part, so that immigrants with no family members here could connect and take care of elders. They continue to provide a way for younger Chinese to celebrate their heritage.

Members can be related to a Wong through their maternal or paternal line, but must be sponsored by a member in good standing to join the society.

Given that the society is 108 years old, it claims membership of multiple generations of grandfathers, fathers, sons and brothers.

Wong, a retired schoolteacher, is a fourth-generation Chinese American living in Kaimuki, and one-eighth Hawaiian. His grandfather, he said, spoke only Chinese and Hawaiian and little English.

He races every year in the Dragon Boat Festival and plays the erhu (a bowed string instrument) in a Chinese musical group.

The society participates in the Chinese New Year parade every year, as well as the Splendor of China, various charity walks, hosts a spring banquet in March and an annual Ching Ming, which is held at Manoa Chinese Cemetery.

Ching Ming is an homage to ancestors, which includes libations, an offering of symbolic foods with incense and candles, and then a celebration that usually includes a roast pig.

The society also offers scholarships and organizes excursions.

In case you're a Wong in search of extended family, the annual, one-time membership fee to join the Wong Kong Har Tong society is $20, plus an annual activity fee of $5.