Florence Fang

Florence Fang (Chinese: 方李邦琴; born 1933/1934) is a Chinese-American businesswoman, publisher, and philanthropist active in the San Francisco area. She is the former owner of the San Francisco Examiner and other media titles and has been a fund-raiser for the Republican Party. She is the owner of The Flintstone House in Hillsborough, California, themed on The Flintstones cartoon series.

Florence Fang
Fang (third from right) breaks ground on the "Florence Fang Asian Community Garden" with Malia Cohen, David Chiu, and Nancy Pelosi in 2014
Born1933/1934 (age 86–87)[1]
Beijing, China
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinesswoman, publisher and philanthropist
Known forOwner of The Flintstone House
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1960; died 1992)
Children3 sons

Early life

Fang was born Li Bangqin (Chinese: 李邦琴; Wade–Giles: Li Pang-ch'in)[2] in Beijing, and moved to Taiwan in 1949 with some of her family.[3] Fang lived in Taiwan until 1960, when she met and married John Ta Chuan Fang and they migrated to San Francisco.[3][4][5]

Business career

Fang and her husband bought Chinese language media titles, before expanding into English-language titles including AsianWeek and the San Francisco Independent.[4]

By 2000, she had sold the "opulent" Grand Palace Restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown.[6] It had been the "scene of many political gatherings", and the Fangs were "important fund-raisers" for the Republican Party, meeting President George H. W. Bush several times.[6]

In 2000, she acquired the San Francisco Examiner, receiving $66 million from them to run it for three years, becoming the first Asian American to own a major daily newspaper in the US.[4][7] In 2004, she sold it to Philip Anschutz for $11 million.[7]

In 2008, Forbes reported that the Internal Revenue Service claimed that the Fang family had understated taxable income by $31 million in the years up to 2002.[7] Florence, her two sons and her dead son's estate launched four counter-claims.[7]

The Florence Fang Asian Community Garden

On April 4, 2014, U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi led ground breaking ceremonies for the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden[8], along with then President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors David Chiu, Supervisor Malia Cohen, and other elected officials.

FFACG is now the 2nd largest urban farm in San Francisco and the city’s largest community farm. FFACG grows and distributes 6,000 pounds of fresh produce every year, has over 60 volunteer farmers and operates a food pantry that serves 200 local families[9]. FFACG sits on the land of the former Diana Street Farm, San Francisco’s last commercial farm, operating as late as 1988[10].

FFACG is also the regular Food Bank distribution site and grass-root gathering place.

The Flintstone House from Doran Memorial Bridge, 2007

The Flintstone House

Since 2017, Fang has owned The Flintstone House in Hillsborough, California, having previously lived elsewhere in Hillsborough.[4][11] The house was built in 1976, and designed by the architect William Nicholson.[12] It was listed at US$4.2 million in 2015, but it is believed that Fang bought it for much less.[12]

She has added large metal dinosaurs, Flintstones figurines, and letters on the grass that spell out "Yabba-dabba-doo", saying "I see any dinosaur, I buy it."[4] Fang is being sued by the city of Hillsborough for causing a public nuisance, and because her changes were largely without permits.[1][4][13] Fang has engaged lawyers and is counter-claiming for violating her First Amendment rights, discrimination and emotional distress.[1]

Personal life

In 1960, she married John Ta Chuan Fang.[5] They had three sons.[3] As of 2000, their eldest son James had been a BART board member for a decade, second son Ted is publisher of the San Francisco Independent, and their youngest son, Douglas, has a doctorate in computer science.[3] Douglas Fang died from stomach cancer in 2003.[14][15] John Ta Chuan Fang died in 1992.[3]

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References
  1. "Flintstone House legal drama: Both sides gear up for fight". Mercury News. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. Xia Chunping 夏春平 (November 2000). "星条旗下演绎"天方夜谭"--旧金山探访亚裔英文传媒大亨、方氏报业帝国掌门人方李邦琴". China News. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  3. Sward, Susan; Staff, Chronicle (18 March 2000). "THE NEW OWNERS / Powerful Fang Family Resepected and Reviled". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. Wong, Julia Carrie (6 May 2019). "'I see any dinosaur, I buy it': at home with the embattled owner of the Flintstone house". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  5. Nakao, Annie; Fern, Elizabeth; EZ; Yi, Matthew; Bulwa, Demian (30 July 2000). "Fang family's story enters new chapter". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  6. Nakao, Annie; Fern, Elizabeth (30 July 2000). "Fang family's story enters new chapter". SFGate. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. Janet Novack and William P. Barrett (3 April 2008). "Informer". Forbes. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  8. Pelosi, Nancy (April 17, 2014). "Pelosi Remarks at Florence Fang Asian Community Garden Groundbreaking Ceremony". Nancy Pelosi Speaker of Government.
  9. Waxmann, Laura (September 30, 2018). "Bayview 'Growers Market' provides healthy food options grown by and for the neighborhood". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. Hartlaub, Peter (March 10, 2016). "The last San Francisco farm's stubborn final years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. "Town sues Florence Fang, owner of iconic Flintstone house". South China Morning Post. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  12. "Infamous SF Power Broker Florence Fang Sued Over Flintstones House Lawn Ornaments". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. 16 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  13. 'Flintstone' house sparks lawsuit from California town: 'It's an eyesore'. Matthew Cantor, The Guardian, 18 March 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  14. "Douglas Fang, obituary 2003, San Francisco". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  15. "Douglas Fang -- Executive, 38". New York Times. Associated Press. 11 October 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
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