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Born in Toisan 台山(Taishan) County, Guangdong Province, China in 1862, Ing Hay migrated to Washington State with his father at 21 years old, leaving behind a wife and two kids. When Ing Hay moved to Walla Walla, he worked primarily as a miner and laborer as opposed to a doctor. In 1887, when his father decided to return to China, Ing Hay opted to stay and move to John Day where there was a sizable Chinese American miner population from Toisan and with the same surname of “Ing”.

Ing Hay practiced pulse diagnosis, a traditional Chinese method based on pulse signals, and prescribed traditional Chinese medicine at the Kam Wah Chung store.  His clientele included the many Chinese American laborers who lived in Grant County and worked in nearby mining areas, as well as non-Chinese patrons, particularly women. His gentle manner and success made him a highly regarded and respected practitioner. The Kam Wah Chung continued operation as an apothecary shop until it closed in 1948 due to Ing Hay’s failing health. Ing Hay died in 1952 in Portland at the age of 89.