Chinese American Voices

Described by others as quaint and exotic, or as depraved and threatening, and, more recently, as successful and exemplary, the Chinese in America have rarely been asked to describe themselves in their own words. This superb anthology, a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans, provides an intimate and textured history of the Chinese in America from their arrival during the California Gold Rush to the present. Among the documents are letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs; many have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Together, they provide insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding fight for equality and inclusion. Featuring photographs and extensive introductions to the documents written by three leading Chinese American scholars, this compelling volume offers a panoramic perspective on the Chinese American experience and opens new vistas on American social, cultural, and political history.

Judy Yung, Professor Emerita of American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is author of the award-winning Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco (California, 1995) among other books. Gordon H. Chang, Professor of History at Stanford University, is editor of Asian Americans and Politics: Perspectives, Experiences, Prospects (2001)and author of other books. Him Mark Lai, Adjunct Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, is author of Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions (2004), and other books.

list of illustrations
preface
acknowledgments

part i: early chinese immigrants, 1852–1904

Songs of Gold Mountain Wives

Norman Asing, To His Excellency Governor Bigler (1852)

The Founding of Golden Hills News (1854)

Sing Kum, Letter by a Chinese Girl (1876)

Documents of the Chinese Six Companies Pertaining to Immigration

A Memorial from Representative Chinamen in America (1876)

A Memorial to the State of California to Bar Prostitutes (1868)

A Letter Writing Campaign to Discourage Immigration (1876)

The Second Exhumation and Return of the Remains of Our Departed Friends to the Homeland (1876)

Wen Bing Chung, Reminiscences of a Pioneer Student (1923)

Wong Hau-hon, Reminiscences of an Old Chinese Railroad Worker (1926)

Huang Zunxian, Memorandum No. 29 to Envoy Zheng (1882)

Memorial of Chinese Laborers at Rock Springs, Wyoming (1885)

Saum Song Bo, A Chinese View of the Statue of Liberty (1885)

Huie Kin, Reminiscences of an Early Chinese Minister (1932)

Bow On Guk (Protective Bureau) (1887)

Wong Chin Foo, Why Am I a Heathen? (1887)

Yan Phou Lee, Why I Am Not a Heathen: A Rejoinder to Wong Chin Foo (1887)

Jee Gam, The Geary Act: From the Standpoint of a Christian Chinese (1892)

Elizabeth Wong, Leaves from the Life History of a Chinese Immigrant (1936)

Kam Wah Chung Letters (1898–1903)

part ii: life under exclusion, 1904–1943

Ng Poon Chew, The Treatment of the Exempt Classes of Chinese in the U.S. (1908)

Detention in the Wooden Building (1910)

Chin Gee Hee, Letter Asking for Support to Build the Sunning Railroad (1911)

Chinese-American Citizens’ Alliance, Admission of Wives of American Citizens of Oriental Ancestry (1926)

Gong Yuen Tim, “Just plain old luck and good timing:” Reminiscences of a Gold Mountain Man (1988)

Helen Hong Wong, “I was the only Chinese woman in town:” Reminiscences of a Gold Mountain Woman (1982)

Pardee Lowe, Second-Generation Dilemmas (1930s)

Anna May Wong, I Am Growing More Chinese—Each Passing Year! (1934)

Declaration of the Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance (1933)

Chinese Women’s Association Condensed Report for the Years 1932–1936

Happy Lim, Song of Chinese Workers (1938)

Lim P. Lee, Chinatown Goes Picketing (1938)

Liu Liangmo, Paul Robeson: The People’s Singer (1950)

Jew Baak Ming, The Founding of McGehee Chinese School (1944)

Eddie Fung, “There but for the grace of God go I:” The Story of a POW Survivor in World War II (2202)

Gilbert Woo, One Hundred and Seven Chinese (1943)

part iii: becoming an integral part of america, 1943–2003 000

Chinese News Service, San Francisco Chinese Papers Blame Immigration Practices in Suicide of Chinese Woman (1948)

Eddie Gong, I Want to Marry an American Girl (1955)

Hsue-shen Tsien, My Bitter Experience in the United States (1956)

Maurice Chuck, Father and Son (1995)

Ah Quon McElrath, “We gave workers a sense of dignity:” The Story of a Union Social Worker (1982)

Sheila Chin Morris, “All the daddies were Chinese and all the mommies were white:” Growing Up Biracial in Minnesota (2002)

Bonnie C. Lew, “I always felt out of place there:” Growing Up Chinese in Mississippi (1998)

Johnny Wong, “It was not a winnable war:” Remembering Vietnam (1998)

Jeffery Paul Chow, “I am a Chinaman:” An Interview with Frank Chin (1970)

L. Ling-chi Wang, Major Education Problems Facing the Chinese Community (1972)

On the Normalization of Relations Between China and the U.S.

Proclamation by the Chinese Six Companies of San Francisco (1971)

Gilbert Woo, A Turning Point in Chinatown (1979)

Sadie Lum, Asian American Women and Revolution: A Personal View (1983)

Shui Mak Ka, “In unity there is strength:” Garment Worker Speaks Out at Union Rally (1982)

Kitty Tsui, The Words of a Woman Who Breathes Fire (1983)

Helen Zia, The New Violence (1984)

Lily Wang, A Journey of Bitterness (1999)

Fu Lee, Immigrant Women Speak Out on Garment Industry Abuse (1993)

Jubilee Lau, Chinese and Proud of It (1996)

Marilee Chang Lin, Learning to See the Man Himself (1997)

Ellen D. Wu, The Best Tofu in the World Comes from . . . Indiana? (1998)

Binh Ha Hong, Reflections on Becoming American (1999)

Chang-Lin Tien, Affirming Affirmative Action (1995)

Alethea Yip, Countering Complacency: An Interview with OCA Director Daphne Kwok (1996)

“One mile, one hundred years:” Governor Gary Locke’s Inaugural Address (1997)

Kristie Wang, A Second-Generation Call to Action (1999)

Cheuk-Yin Wong, The Los Alamos Incident and Its Effects on Chinese American Scientists (2000)

David Ho, “We are Americans:” The Story behind Time Magazine’s Man of the Year (2003)

chronology of chinese american history
chinese glossary
bibliography
index