Synopses & Reviews
Who were the pioneers of the American West? Some of them we already know: European Americans who traveled across North America on horseback, in covered wagons, on foot, or sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Lesser known are the immigrants who, by the 1850s, began sailing east from Southern China, primarily from the Guangdong Province. They arrived in the American West port towns of California, Oregon, and Washington. These Chinese, fleeing the hardships of their homeland, sought the same prosperity as all immigrants to America. While some Chinese found riches in Oregon's high desert, gold-mined mountains, coastal fisheries, and bustling Portland metropolis, many faced extreme racism, legal discrimination, and exploitation.
Jointly created by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and history students at Portland State University, this bilingual (English/Chinese) history fills a long neglected gap in immigrant history on the West Coast. In four sections, each devoted to a geographic area of Oregon, the rich often tragic history of the Chinese is detailed through well-researched text and a wonderful collection of photos many from private collections not previously seen by the public.
Synopsis
Jointly created by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and history students at Portland State University, this bilingual (English/Chinese) history fills a long neglected gap in immigrant history on the West Coast. In four sections, each devoted to a geographic area of Oregon, the rich-often tragic-history of the Chinese is detailed through well-researched text and a wonderful collection of photos-many from private collections not previously seen by the public.