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Period: to
Timespan
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Leaving China
Today, my son and I are forced to leave China because the Second Opium War destroyed part of our third generation farm. All of a sudden, I can't feed my wife or mother. Itβs 1882, and weβre at Coast of Canton with a fisherman who is also looking to move to America. The air is warm now, but tonight, on the sea, it will be very cold. The starvation of my family became our reason to move to America. -
Arrival *
Though we arrived in May, we were told that we were illegal now because of the "Chinese Exclusion Act." We had to tell the officers that we landed here before this act came to be, but it took us until the 21st before they grudgingly let us through. I think they're prejudiced against us. We arrived on the day before the Chinese Exclusion act, so it took us weeks to get cleared. -
Fight near Angel
We were walking past a bar when three drunken men came out. I think they saw our race and started to chase us. Luckily, my son and I are fast runners, so we evaded them. Cheng suggested talking to the local police, but when we went inside the police building, no one would help us. We walked back outside and the men were standing there. One of them hit us with a bottle and I punched them in the face. That's when the police finally stepped it and separated us. We nor they faced no consequences. -
Job on the Railways
Today we are hired by the Transcontinental Railway Company on the Pacific West side of the United States. The intense heat of California caused people to die, and more laborers needed hire. Our first check came within a month. We will have to send half of it home to my mother and wife. Cheng Jr. is exhausted, after 10 hours of labor, but his mother and grandmother are being fed. -
Railcar Accident
Cheng Jr was hit by a railway car and it crushed his arm at the elbow. He was transported to a nearby field hosptial, and I only recieved one check this past month. I have decided to only send 1/3 of my paycheck to Mother. Now they only recieve 11 dollars. I'm sad that Cheng's paycheck didn't come to me, and I'm even more sorry that I can only send 11 dollars. -
Gold *
We heard of the opportunities of Gold in the California Mountains, and that struggling Chinese immigrants like ourselves are taking advantage of it. Though we've been working for four years, we have not saved enough money to travel to the mountains or buy the supplies. The money we've been sending to our family is holding us back, plus, there is a foreign miners tax. I guess this means we aren't going. lack of funds that we have prohibits us from trying to get gold. -
Retirement *
Though we could still work on the railway, we saved enough money to quit our jobs at the railroad. When our work reached through near Califorina, we quit our jobs and moved to San Francisco. We felt very at home in the local Chinatown there, because the descrimination elsewhere is rampant. The money we saved was a total of 300 dollars. When we move in, we'll start a flower shop to keep the money going. The money we saved up caused us to move to San Francisco.
