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Bo Chen Birth and Intro. Info. (China)
I was born in China, and I had an older sister named Lin. When I was only 4 years old, both my parents died in an accident. My sister raised me until I was 15. After that, she got married to a man named Lang, and they moved away. I was left to raise myself. I decided that living on my own wasn't doing me any good at all. I wanted to make a living and provide for myself. I am writing this to tell you about my life as a Chinese immigrant who went to Angel Island. -
Historical Event #1
I traveled Angel Island to immigrate to the United States. The immigration station was very crowded with many people. Many of which were talking really loudly, coughing really loudly, or just standing in the way. I was very angry with the people around me because they irritated me. I didn't like standing and waiting in lines for long periods of time, and my patience was lacking. I yelled at a few people because of their arrogance. In the end, (after I was accepted) it wasn't that bad. -
Historical Event #2
I went to work. I was a skyscraper builder. We were working on the steel structure of a new building. They building was nearly 1 story high already! Many other men worked with me. They didn't even like me at all. They made rude comments about my race, and they often treated me really badly. I was one of the best skyscraper builders around. Many of the men had terrible balance. I had very good balance. Many men weren't as lucky as me, as they fell off of the skyscraper's steel structure. -
Historical Event #3
I have a day off. I am living in my tenement. The neighborhood around here is very dangerous; many gangs gather around here. I am even too scared to take a walk down the street, or what's left of it. The streets are over- crowded with sick people, dead animals and humans, food scraps, dirt, and human and animal waste. I hate it when I must leave my house. I often get covered in the filth. I can't bathe very often. But today is different. Today I got a cough, and I was very sick. -
Historical Event #4
I was beaten. I had met up with "Boss" Tweed last week. He said that I could make good money if I worked for him, so I agreed. I didn't show up for work with the money I was supposed to bring to him. He told me I needed to steal money from tenements on my street and give it to him. He found out, and he sent some of the largest men that work for him to beat me. They hit me all over, and they left me bruised and bloody in the streets late at night. I will never work for him again. -
Historical Event #5
I went to work. I still had that cough I had gotten from the filth on the streets near my tenement. The building's steel structure we were working on today was over 4 stories high already. Being careful wasn't as easy as it used to be. I found it harder to work that day. My cough had kept me from moving the steel bars into place. I coughed one more time, and this time it would kill me. I coughed and I lost my balance. I fell off of the skyscraper, to my death. (Written by a fellow worker.)
