Chinese Immigrants in 1800s Southern California

Chinese laundry shop

Introduction

America is known for the many thousands of immigrants who crossed land and sea to enter her lands and begin a new life. During the 1800s, taming the “Wild West” brought out the adventurousness in people who were known as pioneers. The famed “Gold Rush” in California brought hundreds of people from all over, seeking wealth and prosperity. The building of the railroad created available jobs for hundreds, as well as the opportunity to settle in new towns and states. As China opened her borders, thousands of Chinese landed in California. Hollywood has portrayed the Chinese in movies as launderers in The Apple Dumpling Gang, as undertakers in Rio Bravo, and other such portrayals in “old west” movies. They are often considered mysterious and at times scary with a criminal background. However, much of that seems to stem from the Chinese being misunderstood in their cultures and customs.

Many of the Chinese were escaping the effects of the Opium War in their homeland and had come to America where there were hopes of finding gold and living a good life. However, many of them experienced just the opposite of their dreams. Racial problems and discrimination, lack of upper-level jobs, servitude, and more faced them. The Chinese in California could be found in numerous towns and cities along the coast. They survived earthquakes and fires as well as the cultural earthquakes and fires that would face them as time went on. The immigrants are remembered for their laundry services, their at-the-time exotic cooking, and their unique clothing, braids, and traditions. They came with a culture unknown to Americans due to the seclusion of China from the outside world and Americans were suspicious.

Besides their traditions and unique ways, the Chinese also brought with them numerous problems such as drugs, prostitution, and other such vices, not foreign to America, but nevertheless practiced, and sometimes propagated, by the Chinese. The Chinese culture and lifestyle seemed mysterious and frightening to Americans who watched them develop their own towns and communities in the United States. Understanding the history of the Chinese immigrants can help Americans to better understand their culture.

Reasons for emigrating

            Before the Gold Rush on the West Coast and before any Chinese had settled there, China experienced major upheaval. The country was packed with an estimated four hundred million people. During the 1800s, there were several rebellions from within creating a war-torn society with many dead and many wanting to leave. In addition to this, China was having problems with Imperial England. China had been sought out hundreds of years before in order to open trade, Europe wanted the exotic spices and cloths known to be there. However, English merchants did not only want to be customers of China, they wanted dual trade, providing products to China. Therefore, they began selling opium from India to the Chinese. This was less than appreciated by Chinese officials, however, there was no stopping them.[1]

Consequently, China and England went to war in what was known as The Opium War of 1839-1842. Unfortunately for China, England prevailed and trade was now free and open for all commodities. With both the population boom and the drug disputes, as well as the newly opened borders, many Chinese were enticed to enter the United States where there was hope for a better life. Despite the Chinese officials disliking opium, many Chinese individuals promoted it, bringing it with them to the United States and creating businesses around it. The Chinese were known as the “Celestials” due to their nation being called the “Celestial Kingdom.”[2]

The Gold Rush gave the Chinese people a special reason, outside of the war over drugs, for emigrating from their country. It was perfectly timed for them, allowing them not only a reason to leave, but supposedly an occupation once they got there. The Gold Rush in California came about when the shiny metal was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California in the year 1848. When this happened, hundreds of people entered the “Golden State” in search of wealth and prosperity. Some headed west from the well-established East Coast and foreigners entered the United States from nations all over the world for the same reasons. In 1849, the Chinese were no exception. Approximately three hundred and twenty-five Chinese entered California looking for gold on Gold Mountain, or Gum Saan in Chinese. The next year another four hundred and fifty Chinese arrived and the numbers continued to grow. “By 1870, there were 63,000 Chinese in the United states, most of them (77 percent) in California.”[3]

Chinese men immigrated to the United States more than anyone, creating a large male Chinese population in America. Many Chinese believed it was better for the women to stay back in China, taking care of the family and the home, while the men went to America in hopes of finding wealth. This was often a major disappointment to the women of the home, who wanted new opportunities as well as the ability to keep the family together. For some men, there came a point in time when they were ready to bring their families over. However, by the time many of them had decided this, America had changed their immigration laws, disallowing immigration of women and later any Chinese from entering. Therefore, many of the Chinese communities formed into bachelor societies.[4] With such a high population of males, it was easy to live rougher and work harder with no need to worry about the ladies in the family. Many times, the Chinese were taken advantage of, similar to the slave labor in the nation at that time.

The newly settled immigrants formed communities along the California coast, staying in groups filled with people from their regions in China. In California, the larger populations formed communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco and those settlements soon became known as “Chinatowns”. Understanding that the communities formed were mostly male with “more than half of them married” and yet living life as a bachelor in America.[5]

Racial Issues and Segregation

            Chinaman Sang Yuen, also known as Norman Asing, ran a restaurant in San Francisco in the 1850s. He wrote to the governor of the state seeking help from those who would take advantage of the Chinese living there. He asked the governor to change legislature so that his people would not end up like the “degraded…negro” who ended up as slaves to Americans.[6] His concern was not wholly unfounded as the Chinese were treated as lower-caste laborers who would supposedly do anything for less pay than a white American. The Chinese people wanted to be accepted and recognized as citizens who worked hard and cared for community. They wanted to be citizens that were allowed to work for honest wages like the white Americans, not taken advantage of by those whose ancestors were immigrants too.

Nevertheless, as is often seen with other immigrants, racial issues were present. An article in the Los Angeles Daily Herald devotes nearly an entire page to promoting anti-Chinese sentiment. Many Americans felt that the Chinese were taking over the jobs that white Americans would have held. This issue has appeared whenever great numbers of immigrants arrive from any country. At the time, the Democratic Party was against the Chinese for those reasons.  As seen in this article, meetings were held to group the people together against the immigrants. The issue of Chinese immigrants taking over California was so important, that in 1888, it affected the run for presidency, as Benjamin Harrison would experience. The people believed that the Chinese immigrant issue was important for the nation and what the president would believe affected their vote.[7]

By the turn of the century, California was completely set against any more Chinese immigrants entering and considered themselves the “warders of the Golden Gate” ready to guard and protect against the Asian influx.[8] They felt it was now their duty to keep more immigrants from entering in order to help the “white American” laborer.

To some San Franciscans the Chinese were the worst type of immigrant. They had experienced numerous amounts of immigrants from many nations due to their port city status. However, the feeling about the Chinese was that “unlike settlers from other races, they lacked qualities that could be ‘materially modified’, and closely assimilated to those of the civilizing and dominant race.”[9] Language barriers are always difficult, however, the Chinese language added an element of confusion with their unique sounds and written characters which seemed even more foreign than their European counterparts. The end result was a general distrust of and annoyance with the Chinese.

Problems with Vices

            Opium was made prominent when the Chinese brought it with them to America and opened “dens” or places to lounge and take in opium. It was used by the very wealthy in China at first and slowly became prevalent among others in society. Now, it was becoming popular in America as more Chinese settled and made the drug available. The effect that opium had on people transformed them from self-disciplined and responsible citizens into weak and susceptible people. It was used by both male and female white Americans, some of whom got so addicted, they brought opium into their homes.

According to an 1881 Sacramento newspaper article, Chinese immigrants were responsible for owning and operating the opium dens, as well as promoting it. This newspaper states that “the Chinese quarters are everywhere the centers of infection, but it is notoriously difficult to prevent the Chinese from using the drug, and when they can use it they can also supply it to others.”[10] With the Chinese promoting opium and white Americans becoming willing consumers, concerns about morals and crime grew.

Prostitution by Chinese women was another major concern of white Americans. With few Chinese women allowed to enter America, either by their families or later by the United States, those that did enter and did not have families to support them, turned to prostitution. San Francisco news noted in 1876 that a mob formed in the city and burned parts of Chinatown due to the outrage that white males in their community had been corrupted by Chinese women.[11] Miner Henry Packer described “exotic women” that gave themselves up to prostitution, tempting the miners. In a majority male society, for both whites and Chinese, women were highly prized like the gold they sought. However, many of the women there were not decent or moral ladies.[12]

Chinese opium den

Popular Jobs

            One reporter for the Daily Alta California said “The Chinamen are ploughmen, laundrymen, placer miners, woolen spinners and weavers, domestic servants, cigar makers, shoemakers, and railroad builders to the great benefit of the State.”[13] Therefore, Chinese immigrants had no shortage of jobs to fill, albeit sometimes difficult jobs, and often for little pay. However, they were willing to work hard and send money back home to their families in China.

The Chinese worked in the fishing trade well, in part due to the successful fishing industry in China. Settling in Chinatown made it appealing due to the close proximity to water as they could live along the California coast, catching and selling fish to the locals as well as to their own people.[14] Northern California agriculture also supplied many Chinese with work.[15]

Since a major reason for immigrating was the Gold Rush, hundreds of the Chinese men could be found working as miners. Some had their own mines, or community ones, and some worked for other miners. This caused some issues to arise as white miners complained that a large number of Chinese were taking over so many mines that few were left for the whites. Nonetheless, Chinese were able to make a living as miners in all mining capacities.

When many of the hundreds of Chinese men arrived in California, they immediately went to work as railroaders. They were used to dig through mountains, lay track, and generally work the railroad. Western railroads were willing to hire Chinese workers; indeed, the company president for the Great Transcontinental Railroad, Leland Stanford, said “without them [Chinese workers] it would be impossible to complete the western portion of this great National highway.”[16] They were hardworking and often could not seek higher pay like some white Americans could or would naturally be paid. However, it would get to the point where enough had been had and the Chinese workers went on strike. Heads of the railroad responded by holding back food. Finally, the Chinese returned to their jobs due to no other course available to them. It is understood that nearly twelve thousand Chinese were employed by the railroad or they were “90 percent of the workforce…building the railroad.” Some men would live and die – over one thousand in estimate – while working on the railroad, doing every type of work such as “shoveling, carting, drilling, and blasting rocks and earth.”[17]

Most famous for their laundry services and restaurants, the Chinese opened their own shops quite often. These occupations were not native from China, but rather trades learned upon arrival in the United States. Chinese man Lee Chew, who worked in laundry, explained that “the Chinese laundryman does not learn his trade in China. There are no laundries in China. The women there do the washing in tubs and have no washboards or flat irons.”[18] Chinese laundry was said to have begun with a man named Wah Lee who took advantage of the lack of clean laundry in Gold Rush-era San Francisco. With the majority of Chinese immigrants being men and with the lack of any women in California, the Chinese also gained a lead in the restaurant business. They were able to run their own businesses due to their segregation from other businesses at that time.[19]

Chinese railroad workers

Life in Chinatown

San Francisco was a major western town, partly due to being on the coast and an easy port entrance. Many Chinese settled there for convenience to get to the gold mines and they formed their own sub-towns. Chinatown was a major section of San Francisco that took up six blocks of the city, later up to sixteen blocks. Chinatown had restaurants, laundry shops, merchant shops, fishing establishments, mining operations, and even its own theater. The Chinese Theater brought many outsiders due to the exotic nature of it. China had been a closed nation until recently and the influx of Chinese in America made them a curiosity. They were what storybooks were written about. It was said that the Chinese plays were not necessarily good or entertaining, but because of the foreign element, many whites still attended. The plays were done in pantomime with music, but little to no scenery. Lanterns were hung, giving it the Oriental touch. Women were not involved in the plays, the female parts were played by men, which added an interesting element.[20]

It would be a rare thing to see proper Chinese women on the streets of Chinatown as they still abided by the Chinese custom of being unseen. Many proper women did not ever leave their homes, they were to take care of the home and family and that was all. Many of them also had their feet bound, as was the custom in China at that time, this was a strange custom to Americans. Therefore, the Chinese who immigrated into the United States were still holding onto their customs as from their homeland. They dressed the same, wore the same clothes and hairstyles, and spoke their native language.

Chinese men working in California often worked with low pay and in difficult work environments. Although despised by many, the Chinese were extremely helpful due to their massive population now in America. They worked hard and well.[21] There was, therefore, a combination of the less than desirable Chinese who became opium den owners and the women who became prostitutes and the hardworking Chinese men willing to provide for their families and do anything for their wives who were taking care of their families back home.

Chinese Exclusion Movements

            “From 1852 until 1882…over 300,000 Chinese entered the United States.”[22] With this enormous increase of people entering the United States and a large majority of them settling on the California coast, Americans began to worry. In 1875, the Page Act stopped Asian women from entering the United States due to the fact that of the few who did enter, many became prostitutes. It became increasingly difficult for women to enter after that.[23] However, anti-immigration laws soon spread to the men as well. The Chinese had taken over many of the normal labor jobs such as fishing, mining, laundering, and railroading. Americans claimed that they were taking these jobs from their own whites and called for action. Therefore, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed by the 47th Congress in order to halt the entrance of more Chinese immigrants. Now, for them to enter the United States, they could not be laborers, and even then, it was difficult to enter. Chinese who had returned for a visit back to China, often could not re-enter America.[24] The United States only allowed “merchants, students, teachers, diplomats, and travelers”, who were mostly men.[25]

Although many Americans did not want more Chinese immigrants in the United States, one missionary to China declared that the Chinese did not want their people emigrating either. According to an interview article written in 1885, missionary John Russell Young declared that China had enacted stricter laws concerning emigration than the United States had on immigration. Contrariwise, Young also observed that by excluding the Chinese from entering the United States, America had effectually offended their pride. After being around the people, he noted that they did not like the discrimination felt when they saw Japanese and African-Americans still freely entering United States borders while they could not.[26] Although a great number of Chinese were stopped from entering the United States at that time, by the latter half of the twentieth century, restrictions would be eased, allowing the Chinese freedom to enter the United States once again.

Chinese Exclusion Movement

San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

            San Francisco is known for lots of things, many vacationers come to see the curvy streets, numerous hills, fishermen’s wharves, street cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Chinatown. San Francisco is also known for earthquakes, several of which have made historical impact. As one century was left behind and another appeared, one of those historical earthquakes hit San Francisco, devastating the town and tearing the buildings down to rubble. Fires started that would destroy much of the major portions of San Francisco. Chinatown was horribly destroyed by this quake and the fires that ensued.

In April of 1906, an 8.3 scale earthquake shook San Francisco for 48 seconds. The tremor was so massive for the old city, it broke the water lines, keeping firefighters from effectively fighting the blaze.[27] One of the fiercest fires in the city was called the “Chinese Laundry Fire”. Due to the broken lines, fighting this fire was nearly impossible. Racial issues were put aside and police officers and firefighters did everything to rescue the trapped Chinese. Firefighters thought the only way to get ahead of the fire was to use dynamite to destroy homes and buildings that would just be more fuel for the fire. However, the explosives they used turned out to be highly flammable and started major fires in Chinatown, displacing over fifteen thousand Chinese residents. Included in this number were women who were still under Chinese laws and had never left their homes. Extreme chaos ensued as people were frantically trying to escape.[28]

There was a hope by white Americans that since Chinatown had been completely destroyed, the issue of Chinese immigration would solve itself. The immigrants would find another place to live, since they obviously had nowhere else to go in San Francisco. However the Chinese liked living in San Francisco and demanded they stay. Sending delegations to Washington D.C. declaring that China owned land in San Francisco and that Americans had no right to push them out, the Chinese won. Therefore, despite the push against it, Chinatown was rebuilt over the sixteen blocks it occupies even today.[29]

Chinatown after the earthquake

Conclusion

            The Chinese immigrants were a close-knit community, staying close to their original ethnic ties. They immigrated in droves hoping to create a better life for themselves and their families. Hardworking, the Chinese were able to work extremely well together with no language barriers or cultural complications. Many employers eagerly hired them to work on the railroads and in the mines.[30] These Chinese men tolerated long working hours in harsh jobs with minimal pay and can be counted as part of the backbone that built up American technology and culture. Although the beginning was rough, they persevered and future generations of Chinese-Americans, and all Americans, have benefited.

The Chinese created towns that would become culture stops sought out by tourists coming to “see America”. They brought new ideas, foods, and customs to America that are enjoyed today. Indeed, they were often portrayed as mysterious people with strange customs and clothing, which made them the recipe for adventure storybooks. In the end, however, when the Chinese people are understood, they are not so mysterious or scary, but rich with culture, honor, and good work ethic.

[1] H.W. Brands, The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream, Doubleday, (2002), pp. 61-62.

[2] Ibid, pp. 63

[3] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 59.

[4] Judy Yung, Gordon H. Chang, and Mark H. Lai, Ed., Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present, University of California Press, (2006).

[5] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp.67.

[6] Judy Yung, Gordon H. Chang, and Mark H. Lai, Ed., Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present, University of California Press, (2006).

[7] Los Angeles Daily Herald article, pp. 2, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, (September 8th, 1888).

[8] The San Francisco Call, pp. 1, vol. 90, no. 175, “Chinese Exclusion Convention Opens Fight in Defense of American Labor”, (November 22nd, 1901).

[9] Simon Winchester, A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906, Harper Collins Publishers, (2005).

[10] Sacramento Daily Record-Union article, pp. 2, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of            Congress, (August 11th, 1881).

[11] Los Angeles Daily Herald article, pp. 2, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, (May 3rd, 1876).

[12] Edward Dolnick, The Rush: America’s Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1858, Little, Brown and Company, (2014).

[13] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 71.

[14] Judy Yung, Gordon H. Chang, and Mark H. Lai, Ed., Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present, University of California Press, (2006).

[15] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 74.

[16] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 72.

[17] Ibid, pp. 72.

[18] Ibid, pp. 75.

[19] Ibid, pp. 76

[20] Dee Brown, Wondrous Times on the Frontier, Little Rock: August House Publishers, Inc., (1991), pp. 206-208.

[21] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 70.

[22] Judy Yung, Gordon H. Chang, and Mark H. Lai, Ed., Chinese American Voices: From the Gold Rush to the Present, University of California Press, (2006).

[23] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 67.

[24] U.S. Congress, Chinese Exclusion Act, (1882), 47th Cong., 1st Sess.

[25] Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History, Simon & Schuster, (2015), pp. 67.

[26] Sacramento Daily Record-Union article, vol. 53, no. 115, pp. 1, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress, (July 6, 1885)

[27] Philip P. Choy, San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to its History and Architecture, City Lights Publishers, (2012).

[28] Dennis Smith, San Francisco is Burning: The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires, Penguin Group, (2005).

[29] Simon Winchester, A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906, Harper Collins Publishers, (2005).

[30] Geoffrey C. Ward, The West: An Illustrated History, Little, Brown and Company, (1996), pp. 244.