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Beginnings in China
I was born in Fuzhou, China to a wealthy family. At age 12, my parents abandoned China to start a business in America, leaving me with my grandmother. When I was around 9 years old, the Opium Wars began with Britain, bringing China's economy down. When I turned 17, I heard of gold being discovered in America. I swore that I would move to America. and lead myself to success. -
Arrival in America
I arrived in San Francisco, California, with my grandmother and a few friends. We had sold all of our belongings in China, setting foot on America with only the clothes on our backs and a few cases of neccessities. Two years had already passed since gold was first discovered, therefore I had to hurry. I had no time for questions. The areas where the most gold was found were too crowded, meaning I had to go down south. We made our way to Los Angeles by train. -
What Had Happened with the Gold
For nearly a decade, my comrades and I worked away at the mines. The females, including I, had to be disguised as men. This did not stop the discrimination against race, however. It was difficult to find a dealer who would take our gold. When we had found a reasonable young woman to trade in our gold, we received a bit less than what the white man in front of us had gotten. Even so, we were able to rent land. It was a small house, but easy to live in. We started a small farm to earn money. -
The Central Pacific Railroad
Two of the men in our little family have left to work on the Central Pacific Railroad. They felt that the income from our current jobs did not satisfy them enough. Every day, they wrote back to us. After a span of four months, the older one had died. The other informed us that his bones were shipped back to China to be buried. We grieved for many days. The other had promised to return. That promise was never fulfilled. -
Starting a Laundry
It was my birthday. Discrimination towards the Chinese caused them to turn to self-employment. By then, we had earned enough money to start a business by living frugally, eating our own crops. It was decided that, like the other Chinese, the men would farm and the women would begin a laundry. We began with our prices low. With the income, we were able to generate enough money to buy new clothing items, albeit worn and torn. -
The Naturalization Act
The United States did not want us to become citizens. According to the Naturalization Act, we were not allowed to become official citizens. We are not Chinese Americans, but Chinamen. Lately, the family and I were pushing against a nearby white farm. However, I believe it was clear who had the competition wrapped in their arms. As each day passed, we gained less income. We are down to having only enough to eat. We no longer wasted water to bathe. We only used water for drinking and business. -
The Massacre
Racial tensions between the Americans and the Chinese have increased. I came home to find the word 'Chinaman' scrawled all over the walls of the house. That was not the end. The immigrants had set up a town near the house, named Chinatown, separated from the white men. All of us go shopping there regularly. On this day, however, we came to rubble and broken glass. Apparently, a riot had occurred. A white man was shot, leading to all hell breaking loose. Men were hung on rope like ornaments. -
Exclusion
By now, the United States had passed a law restricting Chinese immigration. The white men are looking down at us even more. Countless Chinese have been murdered. Grandmother had died from depression. Day by day, less Chinese exist within the United States. I was trying to wrap my head around this exclusion, but to no avail. No one in this country wanted us, therefore, it was time to go back to where I would be accepted. -
Returning Home
At this point, the family had fallen ill with tuberculosis. Everyone had died, leaving me alone. Only now had I begun to grow weak. I did not wish to die in a place where I was hated by strangers. It became my decision to return home to Fuzhou. Carrying my clothes and my grandmother's urn, I boarded a ship. A handful of white people cheered as the ship started. I only stared in silence.