I was told by the labor contractors in Hong Kong that this land was ripe with opportunities. That the Americans wanted workers for their railroads and farmlands. That those Chinese who made the journey before came back with extraordinary wealth from the mines. It sounded much better than the limited opportunities back in Guangzhou after the Hakka took up residence on our land. Anything at the time sounded better than trying to make a living in a war-torn area. The Hakka-bendi war went on for far too long.

 

Anyways, I bought my boat ticket on credit with the reassurance that I’d be able to pay it off overseas. If I had known the reality of what awaited me on the other side of the ocean, I would have resisted the temptation more even if the end result was the same. The white men feel threatened by our presence, giving us their dirty work instead. I worked on the transcontinental railroad for a few years where we lived in tents and died in explosions. Although we were a majority of the workforce, we were seen as expendable despite all that we had accomplished. Was there ever a celebration for all the Chinese workers who built the railroad? What about the lives that were lost along the way? Do they get any recognition??

 

At least I can make a living with this work. There’s more railroads to be built now that this one has been completed. There’s nothing else for me to do here anyways but to hope for a better life.

 

TLDR; I thought I’d find wealth in America, but it’s all just a pipe dream.