The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental Railroad (Asian America)

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 is usually told as a story of national triumph and a key moment for American Manifest Destiny. The railroad made it possible to cross the country in a matter of days instead of months, paved the way for new settlers to come out West, and helped speed America's entry onto the world stage as a modern nation that spanned a full continent. It also created vast wealth for its four owners, including the fortune with which Leland Stanford would found Stanford University some two decades later. But while the transcontinental has often been celebrated in national memory, little attention has been paid to the Chinese workers who made up 90% of the workforce on the Western portion of the line. The railroad could not have been built without Chinese labor, but the lives of Chinese railroad workers themselves have been little understood and largely invisible.This landmark volume shines new light on the Chinese railroad workers and their place in cultural memory.__The Chinese and the Iron Road__illuminates more fully than ever before the interconnected economies of China and the US, how immigration across the Pacific changed both nations, the dynamics of the racism the workers encountered, the conditions under which they labored, and their role in shaping both the history of the railroad and the development of the American West. Essays examining the Chinese worker experience during the construction of America's Transcontinental Railroad. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 is usually told as a story of national triumph and a key moment for American Manifest Destiny. The Railroad made it possible to cross the country in a matter of days instead of months, paved the way for new settlers to come out west, and helped speed America's entry onto the world stage as a modern nation that spanned a full continent. It also created vast wealth for its four owners, including the fortune with which Leland Stanford would found Stanford University some two decades later. But while the Transcontinental has often been celebrated in national memory, little attention has been paid to the Chinese workers who made up 90 percent of the workforce on the Western portion of the line. The Railroad could not have been built without Chinese labor, but the lives of Chinese railroad workers themselves have been little understood and largely invisible. This landmark volume explores the experiences of Chinese railroad workers and their place in cultural memory. The Chinese and the Iron Road illuminates more fully than ever before the interconnected economies of China and the US, how immigration across the Pacific changed both nations, the dynamics of the racism the workers encountered, the conditions under which they labored, and their role in shaping both the history of the railroad and the development of the American West. Praise for The Chinese and the Iron Road "This timely and essential volume preserves the humanity of the often-ignored and forgotten immigrant worker, while also uncovering just how important Chinese American railroad workers were in the making of America and its place in the world." —Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian America "Gordon H. Chang and Shelley Fisher Fishkin's meticulously researched and beautifully written book fills [a] critical gap in our nation's history. The Chinese and the Iron Road brings to life the stories of workers who defied incredible odds and gave their lives to unite these states into a nation." —David Henry Hwang, Tony Award–winning playwright of The Dance and the Railroad and M. Butterfly "Destined to become the go-to resource about Chinese railroad workers in the American West." —Madeline Hsu, author of The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril Became the Model Minority "Deeply researched and richly detailed, The Chinese and the Iron Road brings to life the Chinese immigrants whose work was essential to the railroad's construction." —Thomas Bender, author of A Nation Among Nations: America's Place in World History Chinese Railroad Workers And The Us Transcontinental Railroad In Global Perspective / Gordon H. Chang -- Chinese Labor Migrants To The Americas In The Nineteenth Century : An Inquiry Into Who They Were And The World They Left Behind / Evelyn Hu-dehart -- The View From Home : Dreams Of Chinese Railroad Workers Across The Pacific / Zhang Guoxiong, With Roland Hsu -- Overseas Remittances Of Chinese Railroad Workers In North America / Yuan Ding, With Roland Hsu -- Chinese Railroad Workers' Remittance Networks : Insights Based On Qiaoxiang Documents / Liu Jin, With Roland Hsu -- Archaeological Contributions To Research On Chinese Railroad Workers In North America / Barbara L. Voss -- Living Between Misery And Triumph : The Material Practices Of Chinese Railroad Workers In North America / Barbara L. Voss -- Landscapes Of Change : Culture, Nature, And The Archaeological Heritage Of Transcontinental Railroads In The North American West / Kelly J. Dixon-- The Health And Well-being Of Chinese Railroad Workers / J. Ryan Kennedy, Sarah Heffner, Virginia Popper, Ryan P. Harrod, And John J. Crandall -- Religion On The Road : How Chinese Migrants Adapted Popular Religion To An American Context / Kathryn Gin Lum -- Tracking Memory : Encounters Between Chinese Railroad Workers And Native Americans / Hsinya Huang -- Railroad Frames : Landscapes And The Chinese Railroad Worker In Photography, 1865-1869 / Denise Khor -- Les Fils Du Ciel : European Travelers' Accounts Of Chinese Railroad Workers / Greg Robinson -- The Chinese Railroad Worker In United States History Textbooks : A Historical Genealogy, 1849-1965 / William Gow -- Representing Chinese Railroad Workers In North America : Chinese Historiography And Literature, 1949-2015 / Yuan Shu -- History Lessons : Remembering Chinese Railroad Workers In Dragon's Gate And Donald Duk / Pin-chia Feng -- The Chinese As Railroad Builders After Promontory / Shelley Fisher Fishkin-- The Construction Of The Canadian Pacific Railway And The Transpacific Chinese Diaspora, 1880-1885 / Zhongping Chen -- Beyond Railroad Work : Chinese Contributions To The Development Of Winnemucca And Elko, Nevada / Sue Fawn Chung -- The Remarkable Life Of A Sometimes Railroad Worker : Chin Gee Hee, 1844-1929 / Beth Lew-williams -- The Chinese And The Stanfords : Nineteenth-century America's Fraught Relationship With The China Men / Gordon H. Chang. Edited By Gordon H. Chang And Shelley Fisher Fishkin, With Hilton Obenzinger And Roland Hsu. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 is usually told as a story of national triumph and a key moment for American Manifest Destiny. The railroad made it possible to cross the country in a matter of days instead of months, paved the way for new settlers to come out West, and helped speed America's entry onto the world stage as a modern nation that spanned a full continent. It also created vast wealth for its four owners, including the fortune with which Leland Stanford would found Stanford University some two decades later. But while the transcontinental has often been celebrated in national memory, little attention has been paid to the Chinese workers who made up 90% of the workforce on the Western portion of the line. The railroad could not have been built without Chinese labor, but the lives of Chinese railroad workers themselves have been little understood and largely invisible. This landmark volume shines new light on the Chinese railroad workers and their place in cultural memory. The Chinese and the Iron Road illuminates more fully than ever before the interconnected economies of China and the US, how immigration across the Pacific changed both nations, the dynamics of the racism the workers encountered, the conditions under which they labored, and their role in shaping both the history of the railroad and the development of the American West."--Page 4 de la couverture This landmark volume sheds light on the lives and experiences of the Chinese workers who made up 90% of the workforce that built the Central Pacific Railroad—but who have been little understood and largely invisible in traditional accounts of the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad.