Chinese Exclusion Act

Read more about the article Geary Act ID Cards, and Deportation Raids
Rep. Thomas J. Geary of California, with black background, wrote the 1892 Geary Act that required Chinese in America to carry a Certificate of Residence like these in this collage.

Geary Act ID Cards, and Deportation Raids

Note: For the Chinese, life in late-19th century America was hard. Then, the Geary Act of 1892 made it even harder. It extended for another 10 years the Chinese Exclusion…

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Read more about the article Wong Shoon Jung: From Chinatown to Onion Fields to a Dream Mansion
Wong Shoon Jung's transnational life took him from San Francisco Chinatown in the 1870s to the orange and vegetable farms of Riverside, Calif., and finally back to Gom Benn Village. (The images of Chinatown, the Inland Empire and Gom Benn were generated with help by Google Gemini AI.)

Wong Shoon Jung: From Chinatown to Onion Fields to a Dream Mansion

There’s a phrase in classical Chinese literature that translates to, "It is better to be a dog in a time of peace than a human in a time of chaos."…

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Read more about the article The Butcher’s Wish for His Secret Child
The montage show's Wong Toy Wing's family at a dinner: Son Albert, left, paper son Bing T., daughter Doris, wife Nguey Sum, Toy Wing, youngest son Hank and eldest daughter Tai Yeot. Not pictured is youngest daughter Judy. The map shows Chinatown in 1909. The Sam Sing butcher shop is on the left side of the image, to the right of the Plaza. The map is courtesy the Library of Congress.

The Butcher’s Wish for His Secret Child

Toy Wing Wong, a Chinese immigrant and butcher, sought to reunite with his secret daughter, Tai Yeot, left in China due to U.S. immigration constraints. Involved in the "Paper Son" system, he facilitated others' journeys too.

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